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)
Tonight's the Night
Neil Young & Crazy Horse Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Tonight's the night, tonight's the night
Tonight's the night, tonight's the night
Tonight's the night, tonight's the night
Bruce Berry was a working man
He used to load that Econoline van
A sparkle was in his eye
Well, late at night when the people were gone
He used to pick up my guitar
And sing a song in a shaky voice
That was real as the day was long
Tonight's the night, yes it is, tonight's the night
Tonight's the night, yes it is, tonight's the night
Early in the mornin' at the break of day
He used to sleep until the afternoon
If you never heard him sing
I guess you won't too soon
'Cause people let me tell you
It sent a chill up and down my spine
When I picked up the telephone
And heard that he'd died out on the mainline
Tonight's the night, tonight's the night
Tonight's the night, tonight's the night
Bruce Berry was a working man
He used to load that Econoline van
Well, early in the morning at just about the break of day
He used to sleep until the afternoon
Tonight's the night, yes it is, tonight's the night
Tonight's the night, tonight's the night
Tonight's the night, tonight's the night
Tonight's the night, tonight's the night
Tonight's the night, tonight's the night
Tonight's the night, ooh, tonight's the night
Tonight's the night, tonight's the night
Tonight's the night, tonight's the night, whoa
"Tonight's the Night" by Neil Young & Crazy Horse is a touching tribute to Bruce Berry, Young's roadie whom he worked with closely. In the opening lines, the repetitive structure emphasizes the significance of the night, alluding to the sense of anticipation and nervousness before a big event. The following verse describes Bruce Berry, who was the backbone of Young's touring, loading the heavy equipment into the Econoline van. Despite the tough job, a Sparkle was always in his eye, hinting at his enthusiasm and passion for music.
The lyrics move to describe Berry's other talent – singing. Late at night, once the people were gone, Berry would pick up Young's guitar and sing out loud. The shaky voice hinted at the raw, unpolished beauty of his performance, which could not mask the sincerity and genuineness behind it. Young's admiration for Berry's musical talent is evident in his evocative line - "real as the day was long." But, tragically, Berry passed away, and in the last verse, Young remembers him fondly. He hints at the significance of Berry's voice when he states that you won't hear him sing again.
The song is a heartfelt tribute to Bruce Berry, who meant a lot to Young, and his demise had left him with a deep sense of loss. The lyrics use repetition, poignant imagery, and sincere emotions to convey the unspoken grief of losing someone special.
Line by Line Meaning
Tonight's the night, tonight's the night
The night where something significant will happen, tonight is the night
Bruce Berry was a working man
Bruce Berry was a man who worked for a living
He used to load that Econoline van
Bruce loaded the Econoline van as part of his job
A sparkle was in his eye
Bruce had a twinkle in his eye that hinted at his passion for music
But his life was in his hands
Bruce had control of his life and his choices determined his fate
Well, late at night when the people were gone
When the night was quiet with no one around, Bruce would start playing music
He used to pick up my guitar
He played music on Neil Young's guitar
And sing a song in a shaky voice
Bruce had an unsteady but heartfelt voice when he sang
That was real as the day was long
His music was authentic as the day is long
Tonight's the night, yes it is, tonight's the night
The night where something significant will happen, tonight is the night
Early in the mornin' at the break of day
In the early hours of the morning, right before sunrise
He used to sleep until the afternoon
Bruce used to wake up late in the day
If you never heard him sing
If you never had the chance to hear Bruce sing
I guess you won't too soon
It's unlikely that you will hear his music anytime soon
'Cause people let me tell you
Because I want to tell you something
It sent a chill up and down my spine
Hearing about Bruce's death was shocking and unsettling
When I picked up the telephone
When I received a call
And heard that he'd died out on the mainline
Learning that Bruce died tragically on the main highway
Tonight's the night, tonight's the night
The night where something significant will happen, tonight is the night
Bruce Berry was a working man
Bruce Berry was a man who worked for a living
He used to load that Econoline van
Bruce loaded the Econoline van as part of his job
Well, early in the morning at just about the break of day
Early in the morning when the sun was about to rise
He used to sleep until the afternoon
He would wake up late in the day after sleeping in
Tonight's the night, yes it is, tonight's the night
The night where something significant will happen, tonight is the night
Tonight's the night, tonight's the night
The night where something significant will happen, tonight is the night
Tonight's the night, tonight's the night
The night where something significant will happen, tonight is the night
Tonight's the night, tonight's the night
The night where something significant will happen, tonight is the night
Tonight's the night, tonight's the night
The night where something significant will happen, tonight is the night
Tonight's the night, ooh, tonight's the night
The night where something significant will happen, tonight is the night
Tonight's the night, tonight's the night
The night where something significant will happen, tonight is the night
Tonight's the night, tonight's the night, whoa
The night where something significant will happen, tonight is the night
Lyrics © Kanjian Music, Peermusic Publishing, WORDS & MUSIC A DIV OF BIG DEAL MUSIC LLC
Written by: Neil Young
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Jahangir Chowdhury
"Tonight's The Night"
Tonight's the night,
tonight's the night
Tonight's the night,
tonight's the night
Tonight's the night,
tonight's the night
Tonight's the night,
tonight's the night.
Bruce Berry was a working man
He used to load that Econoline van.
A sparkle was in his eye
But his life was in his hands.
Well, late at night
when the people were gone
He used to pick up my guitar
And sing a song in a shaky voice
That was real as the day was long.
Tonight's the night, yes it is,
tonight's the night
Tonight's the night, yes it is,
tonight's the night.
Early in the mornin'
at the break of day
He used to sleep
until the afternoon.
If you never heard him sing
I guess you won't too soon.
'Cause people let me tell you
It sent a chill
up and down my spine
When I picked up the telephone
And heard that he'd died
out on the mainline.
Tonight's the night,
tonight's the night
Tonight's the night,
tonight's the night.
Bruce Berry was a working man
He used to load that Econoline van.
Well, early in the morning
at just about the break of day
He used to sleep
until the afternoon.
Tonight's the night, yes it is,
tonight's the night
Tonight's the night,
tonight's the night
Tonight's the night,
tonight's the night
Tonight's the night,
tonight's the night.
neilyoungchannel
Hi, this is Neil. Link to the NYA info-card for this song with press, documents, manuscripts, photos, videos. Look around NYA for fun and listening! ALL my music in high resolution at https://neilyoungarchives.com/info-card?track=t1991_0217_06
Theresa LP 4Life
Aww Ty 2ALL bc NYA IS a Labor of Love; been trying 2Find something, that NYA rly helped! Def will do $20 soon ESP bc My,My, Hey, Hey, Lil' Baby's on the Way! CONGRATS 2FAM!💗🎶
Belinda Baker
Thank you, Neil - you've made a lasting imprint on me before; that was needed then for crucial life development, and is now deepening- Love to you, Our Brother! 🥀
j • d i
nice ♥️
Henry Schroeder74
@Lon D loser
Lon D
TRUMP 2020
ShinkyB
This is another of his best performances. Heart and soul, AND passionate! This old man IS the greatest . I'm glad we grew up in the same lifetime.
Rebecca Diem
Music has never been so good. I grew up on this and still think it's great.
claptongroupie
lol Neil never wants to end a song, I love it !
Sleepdance
One of the best versions of one of his best songs. I hope Neil will tour Europe this year