Crazy Horse is best known for its long association with Young, despite having released five albums of its own over a 19-year span. It has been co-credited with Young as Neil Young and Crazy Horse on 15 albums, "Americana" and "Psychedelic Pill" from 2012 being the latest.
The band recorded a concept album entitled "Greendale" (2003) that told the story using metaphors of murder and crime to represent the destruction of a small town community. The final song "Be The Rain" is one of Neil's classic epics, pleading for the world to be like the rain -- recycle and conserve to save our planet.
Discography: the studio albums "Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere" (1969), "Zuma" (1975), "Rust Never Sleeps" (1979), "Re-ac-tor" (1981), "Life" (1987), "Ragged Glory" (1990), "Sleeps With Angels" (1994), "Broken Arrow" (1996), Greendale (2003), "Americana" (2012), Psychedelic Pill (2012) and live albums "Live Rust" (1979), "Weld" (1991), "Year of the Horse" (1997), "Live at the Fillmore East" (2006)
1. My My- Hey Hey -Out of the Blue
Neil Young & Crazy Horse Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Rock and roll is here to stay
It's better to burn out than to fade away
My my, hey hey
Out of the blue and into the black
They give you this, but you pay for that
And once you're gone, you can never come back
The king is gone but he's not forgotten
This is the story of a Johnny Rotten
It's better to burn out than it is to rust
The king is gone but he's not forgotten
Hey hey, my my
Rock and roll can never die
There's more to the picture than meets the eye
Hey hey, my my
"My My Hey Hey" is a song that confronts the idea that rock and roll will die out eventually, and instead proclaims that it will never die. The song starts with the lines "My my, hey hey, rock and roll is here to stay," emphasizing that rock and roll is a genre that has cemented its relevance in society and will continue to do so. However, as the song progresses, Young adds a darker tone. He sings "It's better to burn out than to fade away", implying that if rock and roll's time is up, it's better to go out in a blaze of glory rather than fading away into obscurity. This becomes the centerpiece of the song and its concept: embracing the idea of going out with a bang and being remembered forever, rather than simply fading away until no one cares anymore.
The second half of the song further explores this concept with Young examining the idea of paying for your success; "They give you this, but you pay for that." Young examines the reality of the industry: once you are gone, you can never come back. He sings about musicians such as Johnny Rotten and how it was better for them and their legacy to burn bright and die young instead of growing old and forgotten. The song concludes with a final proclamation that rock and roll music will never die.
Overall, Young's lyrics serve as a commentary about the nature of the music industry, with him ultimately arguing that an artist's legacy should not be measured by the length of their career or the number of hits they produced, but rather by the impact they made on the genre and on society.
Line by Line Meaning
My my, hey hey
Hello and welcome, rock music is here to stay
Rock and roll is here to stay
The genre of rock music will always remain popular and relevant
It's better to burn out than to fade away
It's more important to live life to the fullest and make a lasting impact than to slowly fade away into obscurity
My my, hey hey
Goodbye for now, rock music will always endure
Out of the blue and into the black
Suddenly and unexpectedly moving from a positive situation to a negative one
They give you this, but you pay for that
You may be given something desirable, but often at a hidden cost or tradeoff
And once you're gone, you can never come back
Once you've left a situation or place, you cannot return to it in the same way as before
When you're out of the blue and into the black
When you suddenly find yourself in a negative situation without warning
The king is gone but he's not forgotten
A famous and influential figure has passed away, but their legacy and memory live on
This is the story of a Johnny Rotten
The next lines will focus on the story of a specific individual, Johnny Rotten
It's better to burn out than it is to rust
It's preferable to go out in a blaze of glory rather than slowly deteriorating over time
The king is gone but he's not forgotten
The same idea as before, emphasizing that the legacy of important figures remains after their death
Hey hey, my my
Hello again, rock music will never truly die
Rock and roll can never die
The spirit of rock music, and other similar timeless values, will always endure
There's more to the picture than meets the eye
There are often deeper meanings and complexities to situations beyond what is initially apparent
Hey hey, my my
Goodbye once more, rock music will live on forever
Lyrics © Silver Fiddle, Peermusic Publishing, WORDS & MUSIC A DIV OF BIG DEAL MUSIC LLC, Broken Fiddle Music
Written by: Jeff Blackburn, Neil Young
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
alpha java
I was at this show 😊 .. one of the best concerts I've seen. People don't realize how many layers this anthology has politically and socially on so many metaphorical levels. A perfect musical and poetic work of art.
Neil and Crazy Horse went on to play another 90 minutes after an intermission finishing Greendale.
Charlie launder
Saw both Toronto Greendale fun, was fun watching the audience. ♥️🍻 Uncle Neil
JimmySinatra
Me too, crazy good..
James E. Powell
I was at this show, too. A friend called up and said, hey want to go see Neil Young, I said sure. Had no idea what to expect. It was fantastic.
Navajo Trail
Thanks for uploading! Fantastic concert! NEIL THE BEST.
Mikey Ramone
He played all ten songs from Greendale!!! Wow
Kelly Moore
Neils in top form here, course he always is. Thanks for posting it.
gregor allnight
The Greendale album is a really great piece of art,music and performance
with very well written songs and good messages..neil is a major creative
super great talent,an original great songwriter,musician,arranger and also
great performer and giver to worthy causes such as Farm Aid and helping
to bring more awareness,care,respect,appreciation and protection for our
now very polluted and hurting planet...thanks for posting this live version
of a truly great album
BC Blue
I was there. Great show. Mike Campbell was in the audience sitting several rows in front of me. Sun Green was a highlight for me.
Brian Barr
Greendale = EPIC