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 Ways Of Love
Neil Young Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Made my heart come all undone
We've been havin' too much fun
Now someone else
Will sleep with tears
When he hears
What we've done
Oh, the ways of love
Hear my song and hear my heart
We'll be gone when the music starts
Then we'll never be apart
Just you and I
Go flyin' by
No one to cry
That we're gone
Oh, the ways of love
Oh, the ways of love
You are my special one
Made my heart come all undone
We've been havin' too much fun
Now someone else
Will sleep with tears
When he hears
What we've done
Oh, the ways of love
Oh, the ways of love
Oh, the ways of love
Oh, the ways of love
The lyrics of Neil Young's "The Ways of Love" describe a love affair that is both intense and fleeting. The singer addresses his lover as his "special one," emphasizing the unique bond they share. He confesses to being completely undone by the relationship, saying that they have been having too much fun, suggesting a passion that is almost dangerous. The chorus speaks to the power and unpredictability of love, as if to suggest that there is no controlling the forces that bring people together or tear them apart. The final stanza of the song is perhaps the most poignant, as the singer acknowledges that somebody else will be hurt by the end of the affair, but there is nothing to be done; the ways of love cannot be controlled or predicted.
One interpretation of these lyrics is that they represent the struggles of a man caught between his overwhelming desire for a lover and his guilt about the pain he knows their actions will cause. Another reading is that it is a reflection on the fleeting and unpredictable nature of romantic love, and how the intense passion we feel for another person can be both beautiful and destructive.
Line by Line Meaning
You are my special one
You are the one person that means everything to me
Made my heart come all undone
You have caused me to feel emotions that have overwhelmed my heart, leaving it in pieces
We've been havin' too much fun
We have been enjoying each other's company a lot and indulging in sinful pleasures
Now someone else
Another person who is not us
Will sleep with tears
The person will cry themselves to sleep
When he hears
When they find out
What we've done
What we have done with each other
Oh, the ways of love
Love is a complex emotion that manifests itself in many unpredictable ways
Hear my song and hear my heart
Listen to what I am singing and try to understand how I truly feel
We'll be gone when the music starts
We will not be here anymore when the music begins
Then we'll never be apart
Once we leave this place, we will stay together forever
Just you and I
Only me and you
Go flyin' by
We will speed past everything and everyone else
No one to cry
No one will cry for us or over us when we are gone
That we're gone
Once we leave, we will never come back
Oh, the ways of love
Love is a powerful force that can do things we never thought possible
Oh, the ways of love
Love can lead us down unpredictable paths, for better or for worse
Oh, the ways of love
Love can be both beautiful and painful at the same time
Oh, the ways of love
Love will always be a mystery that we try to understand
Lyrics © OBO APRA/AMCOS
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