Having success on his own for a bit, he later joined the folk rock supergroup Crosby, Stills & Nash as a fourth member in 1969, thus forming Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young. He forged a successful and acclaimed solo career, releasing his first album in 1968. His career has since spanned over 40 years and 34 studio albums, with a continual and uncompromising exploration of musical styles; his musical vision is notably referred to by his autobiographical tune"The Loner". Music critics have often called him one of the best single artists of all time, and several tunes such as "Heart of Gold" and "Rockin' in the Free World" remain popular on rock radio.
According to the Don't Be Denied Songfacts, the 16-year-old Neil was raising chickens and selling the eggs, with plans to go to Ontario Agricultural College and be a farmer. Only his leisure activities foretold his future, when he would hide from his family problems in his room with his transistor radio playing local station CHUM. From this, Young experienced a growing admiration for rock n roll originators such as Chuck Berry, Little Richard, Jerry Lee Lewis, and, of course, Elvis Presley. In 1958, his father bought Neil his first music instrument, a plastic ukulele. His father would later recall, "He would close the door of his room... and we would hear plunk, pause while he moved his fingers to the next chord, plunk, pause while he moved again, plunk."
In Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, Neil started his professional music career in the mid-60s with a number of bands in Canada, including the Squires and later the Mynah Birds, which also included fellow future Buffalo Springfield bassist Bruce Palmer and future funk star Rick James. When the Mynah Birds broke up, Young and Palmer headed to California to meet Stephen Stills, whom he had met in Thunder Bay, and the result was Buffalo Springfield. That band split up after releasing three critically acclaimed albums, particularly achieving international fame for their tune "For What It's Worth".
Showing his strengths as a cynical yet experimental songwriter in the group, he also sung prominently in some of the band's songs such as the biting satire of 'rock star' life "Mr. Soul". Neil soon started his solo career with the release of 'Neil Young' on November 12, 1968. The album did not do very well commercially, but it included several strong tracks, including "The Loner", said to be a portrait of Stephen Stills but also being deeply auto-biographical.
On May 14, 1969, he recruited members of Crazy Horse and made the critically acclaimed 'Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere'. This was a much more consistent album, being the first to introduce longstanding collaborators Crazy Horse and beingbuilt around the balanced interplay between the guitar playing of Young and the talented Danny Whitten. The album also featured two lengthy classics, "Down by the River" and "Cowgirl in the Sand". The critically acclaimed solo album "After the Gold Rush" came out in 1971, featuring such classic songs as "Southern Man'", "Only Love Can Break Your Heart" and "Don't Let it Bring You Down". Harvest followed in 1972 with the hit"Heart of Gold".
During this time he also enjoyed considerable success as a quarter of Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young.
Neil's subsequent work has zig-zagged across genres - dabbling in country rock on "Old Ways"; electronics on "Trans"; hooking up with the Shocking Pinks in a homage to old-time Rock 'n' Roll on "Everybody's Rockin'"; creating a wall of feedback on the live Arc-Weld; and cementing his status as Godfather of Grunge when collaborating with Pearl Jam on Mirror Ball.
His idiosyncratic approach to genre even led to him being sued by his record company (Geffen) in the 80s for making "uncharacteristic" music.
Young has also dabbled in film, most recently on the album/concert series/dvd Greendale.
Young is often known by the nickname "Shakey." According to his biographer Jimmy McDonough, the name was given by his friends after noticing very unsteady results holding a camera for home movies.
Young founded Pono Music, whose mission was to bring a digital player, download store, and streaming service devoted to hi-res music. It was a commercial flop and was shut down in 2016. Young has stated that the labels would not agree that "All songs should cost the same, regardless of digital resolution."
The film Canadian Bacon includes the line "Canadians are always trying to figure out a lot of ways to ruin our lives. The metric system, for the love of God! Celsius! Neil Young!"
For recent news see: http://www.neilyoung.com/
Star Of Bethlehem
Neil Young Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And you find out that those other days are gone?
All you have is memories of happiness
Lingerin' on
All your dreams and your lovers won't protect you
They're only passing through you in the end
They'll leave you stripped of all that they can get to
Yet still a light is shining
From that lamp on down the hall
Maybe the star of Bethlehem
Wasn't a star at all
The first verse of "Star of Bethlehem" is Neil Young reflecting on the past and the difficulty of facing a new day without the happiness and memories of the past. He acknowledges that memories of happiness are all that remain and are not enough to protect him. The second verse speaks to the transience of dreams and lovers who inevitably leave one empty and stripped of all they have taken. Despite the bleakness of the lyrics, there is still some glimmer of hope. The light shining from the lamp on the hall and the possibility that the Star of Bethlehem wasn't a star at all, hinting at the potential for something beyond the material and temporal.
One way to interpret these lyrics is as a commentary on the fleeting nature of all things in life. Time moves on regardless of our attempts to hold onto the past or to people who are no longer with us. The Star of Bethlehem, traditionally seen as a symbol of hope and the divine, takes on a different meaning as it might have been something other than a star, transcending the bounds of the material and opening up possibilities beyond the immediate and tangible.
Line by Line Meaning
Ain't it hard when you wake up in the morning
It can be difficult to start your day when you realize that the good times of the past are no longer present.
And you find out that those other days are gone?
You come to the realization that the days you loved are long gone and cannot be returned to you.
All you have is memories of happiness
The only thing you have left are memories of the happy times you experienced.
Lingerin' on
Those memories stay with you and never truly leave.
All your dreams and your lovers won't protect you
Your aspirations and those you love cannot keep you safe from harm in the long run.
They're only passing through you in the end
Eventually, both your dreams and lovers will disappear from your life.
They'll leave you stripped of all that they can get to
The things that meant the most to you, your dreams and loved ones, will inevitably leave you feeling empty.
And wait for you to come back again
They will always be waiting for you to return, but you won't be the same person you were before.
Yet still a light is shining
Despite all of this, there is still a glimmer of hope that exists.
From that lamp on down the hall
The light comes from a physical source, but it represents something greater and intangible.
Maybe the star of Bethlehem
Perhaps the light is similar to the star that once lit up the city of Bethlehem long ago.
Wasn't a star at all
But rather, it was something else entirely, something more magical and powerful than a mere celestial body.
Lyrics © Kanjian Music, Peermusic Publishing
Written by: Neil Young
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Valeria Valeria Valeria
Lyrics:
Ain't it hard
When you wake up
In the morning
And you find out
That those other days
Are gone
All you have
Is memories of happiness
Lingerin' on
All your dreams
And your lovers
Won't protect you
They're only passing
Through you in the end
They'll leave
You stripped of all
That they can get to
And wait for you
To come back again
Yet still a light is shining
From that lamp on down the hall
Maybe the star of Bethlehem
Wasn't a star at all
Klistirani Krupije
Dobro: Ben Keith
Background Vocals: Ben Keith
Producer: David Briggs
Producer: Elliot Mazer
Background Vocals: Emmylous Harris
Drums: Karl Himmel
Acoustic Guitar: Neil Young
Harmonica, Producer: Neil Young
Lead Vocals: Neil Young
Bass Guitar: Tim Drummond
Producer: Tim Mulligan
Writer: Neil Young
John Hampton
Your music is keeping me sane these days. Of course you've been doing that for 50+ years for me. Keep up the great work! Peace! ✌
Starcloud Hidden
Couldn't of said it better 👍🏼
porkbelly0713
Amen John, thanks we need some sanity in these days
Bigfoot Anthropologist
I agree with you John. Neil, long may you run. Excellent music, as always.
JD Spence
As Porkbelly says 🖖
Rocket Science
We'll be the judge of whether you're staying sane, thank you.
Valeria Valeria Valeria
Lyrics:
Ain't it hard
When you wake up
In the morning
And you find out
That those other days
Are gone
All you have
Is memories of happiness
Lingerin' on
All your dreams
And your lovers
Won't protect you
They're only passing
Through you in the end
They'll leave
You stripped of all
That they can get to
And wait for you
To come back again
Yet still a light is shining
From that lamp on down the hall
Maybe the star of Bethlehem
Wasn't a star at all
Wilhelm Lorenz
I Love this Song,as I do almost All of his Songs,he is one of a kind...,, thanks for the lyrics,,,
Valeria Valeria Valeria
@Wilhelm Lorenz 🙃🙃
Surface Analytical Lab
This album has really grown on me. Introducing it to my wife now as we practice drawing.