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!"
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The Great Divide
Neil Young Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Familiar places
that we can run and hide
Are filled with strangers
Walking in our houses alone
In the great divide
Nothing to decide
In the great divide
You won't fit in too well
On the horses of the carousel
She rides alone with you and me
She rides like she knows
Wherever she goes, we'll be there
On the carousel
Life is going well
Anyone can tell, we're in love
On the Carousel
You're gonna like the way you feel
You and I we got caught down there
In the twisted canyons
of the great divide
We walked the floor
Now we don't go there anymore
In the great divide
Nothing to decide
No one else to care for or love
In the great divide
You don't fit in too well
In the great divide
Nothing to decide
No one else to care for or love
In the great divide
You won't fit in too well
Neil Young's song "The Great Divide" presents a clear picture of how people tend to isolate themselves in their own familiar spaces, only to find that these spaces have been taken over by strangers who are walking alone in their own houses. In essence, the song highlights how we create divides, particularly in our individual spaces, and how they can turn into emotional or psychological barriers. The opening lines set the tone and location of the song in the canyons of the great divide, portraying this as a familiar place where we usually run and hide when we need to escape the world around us. However, as the lyrics progress, Young highlights how these places become too comfortable, and we create emotional silos that prevent us from connecting with others.
Furthermore, the song mentions that there are no decisions to be made, and no one else to care for or love in the great divide, and no one fits in too well. The line "You won't fit in too well" is particularly interesting because it leaves the listener to decide whether it’s they who won't fit or others. The chorus of the song, where the metaphorical term carousel is introduced, presents a different perspective, that of a love story. The carousel symbolizes the joyous moments of life that anyone can have as long as they let go of their individual silos and connect with another.
In summary, Neil Young's "The Great Divide" warns listeners of the risks of isolating themselves into familiar yet disconnected places, and how these silos may ultimately leave them feeling disconnected from others. Through Young's use of the metaphorical term carousel, the song also highlights the power of connecting with others and how this connection can bring joy into our lives.
Line by Line Meaning
In the canyons of the great divide
We are in a place of intense separation and distance
Familiar places that we can run and hide
Places we have fled to before are now unrecognizable and no longer serve as protection
Are filled with strangers
Those once close to us have become unfamiliar and distant
Walking in our houses alone
We are disconnected from those around us and left feeling isolated
In the great divide
The separation is all-encompassing and impossible to bridge
Nothing to decide
Without choices or options, we are adrift
No one else to care for or love
We are left without the support and affection of others
You won't fit in too well
Trying to integrate into this divide will be difficult and uncomfortable
On the horses of the carousel
We are experiencing fleeting moments of happiness
She rides alone with you and me
Together, we are alone on this ride
She rides like she knows
She is confident and assured in her movements
Wherever she goes, we'll be there
We are along for the ride, wherever it may take us
Life is going well
Things are currently good and enjoyable
Anyone can tell, we're in love
Our affection for each other is evident to anyone who sees us
On the Carousel
We are caught up in the fleeting moments of happiness
You're gonna like the way you feel
The happiness we are experiencing is pleasing and enjoyable
You and I we got caught down there
We have become trapped in the great divide
In the twisted canyons of the great divide
The separation we are experiencing is complex and difficult to navigate
We walked the floor
Our anxiety and stress over this divide led us to pacing and restlessness
Now we don't go there anymore
We have learned to avoid the divide and its associated pain
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
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