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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Travel On
Neil Young Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
This old town too long
Summer's almost gone
Yeah, winter's comin' on
I've laid around and played around
This old town too long
And I feel like I gotta travel on
This old town too long
Summer's almost gone
Yeah, winter's comin' on
I've laid around and played around
This old town too long
And I feel like I gotta travel on
Poppa writes to Johnny
But Johnny can't come home
Johnny can't come home
Johnny can't come home
Poppa writes to Johnny
But Johnny can't come home
'Cause he's been in a war too long
I've laid around and played around
This old town too long
Summer's almost gone
Yeah, winter's comin' on
I've laid around and played around
This old town too long
And I feel like I gotta travel on
High sheriff and the police are riding after me
Coming after me, yes, coming after me
High sheriff and police are coming after me
And I feel like I gotta travel on
I've laid around and played around
This old town too long
Summer's almost gone
Yeah, winter's comin' on
I've laid around and played around
This old town too long
And I feel like I gotta travel on
Want to see my honey
Want to see her bad
Want to see her bad
Yeah, I want to see her bad
I want to see my honey
Want to see her bad,
She's the best girl
This old boy ever had
I've laid around and played around
This old town too long
Summer's almost gone
Yeah, winter's comin' on
I've laid around and played around
This old town too long
And I feel like I gotta travel on
(Travel on)
I've laid around and played around
This old town too long
Summer's almost gone
Yeah, winter's comin' on
I've laid around and played around
This old town too long
And I feel like I gotta travel on
Feelin' like I gotta travel on
I feel like I gotta travel on
The opening verse of Neil Young's song Travel On speaks about indulgence leading to restlessness. The singer has stayed for too long in a place overlooking the beauty of fleeting moments. The arrival of winter serves as a reminder that time is constantly ticking, and we often fail to make the most of it. The need to move on becomes more apparent as the song progresses with an underlying sense of urgency.
In the second verse, the song reaches a melancholic crescendo with the theme of war. Poppa writes to Johnny, but he can't come home because he's been in the war for too long. It's a subtle nod to the human cost of conflict and why being stuck in one place can be a matter of life and death.
The third verse of the song is like a chase scene where the High Sheriff and Police are pursuing the singer. It's unclear who the singer is or what has led to this pursuit. But it does signify the need to keep moving forward, no matter the obstacle in our paths.
Line by Line Meaning
I've laid around and played around
This old town too long
I have spent too much time idling in this town
Summer's almost gone
Yeah, winter's comin' on
The short period of warmth is ending and the cold, harsh winter is approaching
And I feel like I gotta travel on
I sense the need to move on and leave this town behind
Poppa writes to Johnny
But Johnny can't come home
A correspondence between father and son where the latter is away due to war
Cause he's been in a war too long
Johnny has been fighting in the war for an extended period
High sheriff and the police are riding after me
Coming after me, yes, coming after me
High sheriff and police are coming after me
The law enforcement authorities are searching for the singer, who seems to have broken the law
And I feel like I gotta travel on
The singer is feeling compelled to continue moving
Want to see my honey
Want to see her bad
Want to see her bad
Yeah, I want to see her bad
I want to see my honey
Want to see her bad,
She's the best girl
This old boy ever had
The singer is eager to meet his beloved girlfriend. He thinks highly of her
(Travel on)
Feelin' like I gotta travel on
I feel like I gotta travel on
The singer has a strong impulse to keep going and explore new places
Lyrics © CONCORD MUSIC PUBLISHING LLC
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