1. Steve Youn… Read Full Bio ↴There are multiple artists using the name Steve Young.
1. Steve Young (July 12, 1942 – March 17, 2016) was an American country music singer, songwriter and guitarist, known for his song "Seven Bridges Road" (on Rock Salt & Nails & Seven Bridges Road). He was a pioneer of the country rock, Americana, and alternative country sounds, and also a vital force behind the "outlaw movement" that gave support to the careers of Waylon Jennings, Hank Williams, Jr. and more. Young was also featured in the 1975 Outlaw Country documentary Heartworn Highways. He was the subject of the song "The All Golden" by Van Dyke Parks. Young's first album, Rock Salt & Nails, on A&M, was performed on and supported by Gram Parsons, Gene Clark and other musicians from the 1969 musical community in Southern California.
Steve Young has never fit comfortably into categories. He follows his own musical and spiritual quest, weaving together Southern roots with a wide experience of life, and creating new traditions in American music.
Young was born in Georgia and grew up in Alabama, Georgia and Texas in a family which moved frequently in search of work. By the time he had completed high school in Beaumont, Texas, he was playing guitar and writing songs which incorporated influences of folk , country , gospel, and blues musicians and people like Hank Williams , Elvis Presley, Carl Perkins and others. Once as a teenager he was blown away by seeing Carlos Montoya , a Flamenco Guitarist. He managed to use that too!
By his late teens, Young was back in Alabama, where he established some reputation on the local music scene. However, the wandering spirit soon took over again. He immersed himself briefly in the Greenwich Village folk scene, at a time when Bob Dylan and others were just being noticed.
Returning to Alabama, Steve found that "my New York folk-protest songs didn't fly in the South." Searching for more receptive audiences, he made short forays to California and other locations before moving to the West Coast in 1964.
In California, he worked with musicians like Van Dyke Parks and Stephen Stills, at one point holding a day job as a mailman. A major-label record deal led to a short-lived stint with a psychedelic country-folk band, Stone Country.
Settling into a solo career, Steve Young became an integral part of the movement which defined the California country-rock sound. Appearing on Steve's 1969 classic album, Rock, Salt & Nails were fellow pioneers like Gene Clark, Chris Hillman, Bernie Leadon and Gram Parsons.
Through 12 albums and countless live performances, Steve Young's music has remained fresh and aggressive, with a sense of deepening spirituality, and a consistent intellectual and artistic challenge, to himself and to his audience.
Many of the stars of the music industry have recorded Steve Young songs, and in some cases forged a career image around them. "Lonesome, Orn'ry & Mean," for example, became the signature tune for 'Outlaw' Waylon Jennings. Hank Williams Jr.'s cover of "Montgomery In The Rain" remains a classic.
Certainly the most-covered Steve Young song of all is "Seven Bridges Road," which has been recorded at various times by artists like Joan Baez, Rita Coolidge, Ian Matthews, the Eagles, Ricochet, and, most recently, Dolly Parton.
While Steve Young songs have brought commercial success to others, Young has never been close enough to the mainstream to sustain his occasional brushes with stardom . He has been unwilling to accept the loss of artistic control that the industry expects of its stars.
And while Steve has lived in country music towns like Nashville and Austin, and his songs have had a strong impact on the direction of country music, he rejects the country label for himself. Young is in many ways a cultural dynamic in himself.
Part Cherokee (from his father) by birth, steeped in Baptist fundamentalism as a child, yet attracted to a Zen spirituality, the young man from the South with a nomadic spirit went on to create a unique form of American roots music with a truly global perspective.
Steve Young has literally toured the world. He has performed in many countries of Europe, in Australia and New Zealand, in Micronesia, China and Mongolia, in Egypt and East Africa and beyond. Wherever he has gone, he has filled the dual role of ambassador for American music and student of the cultures of others.
Young's live performances express the depth and power of his vision. He draws on his own songs, on Southern folk songs from varied traditions, on collaborations and on the best of contemporary songwriters such as J.D. Loudermilk, David Olney and others.
Steve passed away on March 17, 2016 at age 73
2. 'Steve Young' is also a pseudonym of Peter Friel, ambient tape musician.
Drift Away
Steve Young Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Yet I look for the light through the pouring rain
You know that's a game that I hate to lose
And I'm feelin' the strain
Ain't it a shame
Oh, give me the beat boys and free my soul
I wanna get lost in your rock and roll and drift away
I wanna get lost in your rock and roll and drift away
Beginning to think that I'm wastin' time
I don't understand the things I do
The world outside looks so unkind
And I'm countin' on you
To carry me through
Oh, give me the beat boys and free my soul
I wanna get lost in your rock and roll and drift away
Yeah, give me the beat boys and free my soul
I wanna get lost in your rock and roll and drift away
And when my mind is free
You know a melody can move me
And when I'm feelin' blue
The guitar's comin' through to soothe me
Thanks for the joy that you've given me
I want you to know I believe in your song
And rhythm and rhyme and harmony
You've helped me along
Makin' me strong
Oh, give me the beat boys and free my soul
I wanna get lost in your rock and roll and drift away
Give me the beat boys and free my soul
I wanna get lost in your rock and roll and drift away
Oh, give me the beat boys and free my soul
I wanna get lost in your rock and roll and drift away
Hey, give me the beat boys and free my soul
I wanna get lost in your rock and roll and drift away
Na na na, won't you, won't you take me
Oh, take me
The song "Drift Away" by Steve Young is about feeling lost and confused in life and seeking comfort in the power of music. The lyrics describe the singer's struggle with understanding the world around him and feeling the strain of trying to make sense of it all. He is being pulled down by the weight of his own thoughts and emotions, but he looks for a way out by turning to music. The chorus of the song is a call for the beat boys (musicians) to free his soul and let him get lost in their rock and roll, allowing him to forget about his problems and drift away.
The second verse of the song delves deeper into the singer's feelings of confusion and uncertainty. He talks about feeling like he's wasting his time and not understanding why he does the things he does. The world outside seems harsh and unkind, and he turns to someone he trusts to carry him through it all. The lyrics suggest that the singer has an intimate relationship with music, and he believes that when his mind is free, a good melody can move him and soothe him when he is feeling blue. In the final verse, the singer expresses his gratitude for the joy that music has given him and acknowledges that it has helped him become a stronger person.
Line by Line Meaning
Day after day I'm more confused
I'm getting more lost and uncertain with each passing day.
Yet I look for the light through the pouring rain
Despite my confusion, I'm searching for hope amidst the difficulties.
You know that's a game that I hate to lose
I don't like feeling defeated by my struggles.
And I'm feelin' the strain
These challenges are weighing heavily on me.
Ain't it a shame
It's unfortunate that things have turned out this way.
Oh, give me the beat boys and free my soul
I'm seeking liberation through the rhythm of music.
I wanna get lost in your rock and roll and drift away
I want to escape from my worries and find comfort in the sound of rock music.
Beginning to think that I'm wastin' time
I'm starting to believe that my efforts aren't leading to anything.
I don't understand the things I do
I'm confused by my own behavior and decisions.
The world outside looks so unkind
I feel like the world is harsh and unforgiving.
And I'm countin' on you
I'm relying on someone else to help me through these challenges.
To carry me through
I need someone to support me and guide me forward.
And when my mind is free
When I'm not weighed down by my worries...
You know a melody can move me
... music has the power to lift my spirits.
And when I'm feelin' blue
When I'm feeling sad...
The guitar's comin' through to soothe me
... hearing a guitar playing can be very comforting.
Thanks for the joy that you've given me
Thank you for bringing happiness into my life.
I want you to know I believe in your song
I really appreciate and admire the music you create.
And rhythm and rhyme and harmony
The elements of music that make it so beautiful and powerful...
You've helped me along
... have been a source of strength and comfort for me.
Makin' me strong
Your music has helped me become a stronger person.
Na na na, won't you, won't you take me
I'm still looking for that escape and asking someone to help me find it.
Contributed by Gabriella D. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Kim Young
on Lonesome, On'ry and Mean
The lyrics posted here are not actually correct and I don't understand why they are not. If you listen to Steve's vocal you will hear what they should be. This song is truly about getting clean and sober, according to what Steve told me!