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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Twilight
Neil Young Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
On the long road home
And I've been gone too long
My little girl's waitin'
By the front door
I count the minutes
Till I hold you once more.
While time stands still
I may be dreamin',
But I always will
'Cause I'll be holding you
When the twilight falls.
Don't be lonely, don't be sad
'Cause you're the best thing
That I ever had
And true love is so hard to find
And we were lookin'
For such a long time.
Making love to you
While time stands still
I may be dreamin',
But I always will
'Cause I'll be holding you
When the twilight falls.
Don't be sad,
You're the best thing
That I ever had.
The sun is settin'
On the long road home.
In Neil Young & Crazy Horse's song "Twilight", the lyrics depict a traveler's anticipation of returning home to see his loved one after being gone for what seems like an extended period of time. The song has a distinct melancholic feel to it, with lyrics describing the setting sun and the longing to reunite with a loved one. The singer is counting the minutes until he can see his little girl by the front door, and the thought of holding her once more while time stands still provides him with comfort.
The song's lyrics also express the singer's appreciation for his partner, stating that she is the best thing he ever had and that true love is hard to find. The song touches upon the idea that the singer and his partner had been looking for each other for a long time. Overall, the song perfectly captures the feeling of reuniting with a loved one after being separated for a while, and the hope that love will remain strong through difficult times.
Line by Line Meaning
The sun is setting
The day is coming to an end
On the long road home
On a journey back to his loved one
And I've been gone too long
He's been away from his loved one for an extended period of time
My little girl's waitin'
His daughter is eagerly awaiting his return
By the front door
His daughter is waiting for him at the entrance of their home
I count the minutes
He's excited to see his loved ones and time seems to be moving slowly
Till I hold you once more
He's looking forward to reuniting with his loved one and embracing them
Making love to you
Sharing an intimate moment with his loved one
While time stands still
In that moment, time seems to freeze and they're able to enjoy each other's company without any distractions or worries
I may be dreamin'
He's not sure if he's actually able to experience such happiness
But I always will
He will continue to dream and cherish this moment forever
'Cause I'll be holding you
He'll have his loved one in his arms
When the twilight falls.
When the day turns into night and the sky is illuminated with a peaceful glow
Don't be lonely, don't be sad
He doesn't want his loved one to feel lonely or sad without him
'Cause you're the best thing
His loved one is the most important and valuable thing in his life
That I ever had
He's grateful for her presence in his life
And true love is so hard to find
He acknowledges that finding true love is a rare occurrence
And we were lookin'
He and his loved one were searching for love for a long time
For such a long time.
They've been searching for love for an extended period of time
Don't be sad,
He doesn't want his loved one to be unhappy
You're the best thing
She's the most important and valuable thing in his life
That I ever had.
He's grateful for her presence in his life
The sun is settin'
The day is coming to an end
Lyrics © Peermusic Publishing
Written by: Neil Young
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind