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.
It's Not Supposed to Be That Way
Steve Young Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
You're supposed to know I love you
But it don't matter anyway
If I can't be there to control you
It's like the other little children
You're gonna dream a dream or two
But be careful what you're dreamin'
It's not supposed to be that way
You're supposed to know that I love you
But it don't matter anyway
If I can't be there to console you
When you go out to play this evenin'
Play with fire flies till they're gone
And then rush to meet your lover
And play with real fire till the dawn
But it's not supposed to be that way
You're supposed to know that I love you
But it don't matter anyway
If I can't be there to console you
The lyrics of Steve Young's song, "It's Not Supposed To Be That Way" highlight the complexities and challenges of love and relationships. On the surface, the song seems to express frustration and a sense of helplessness in the face of the distance and lack of control that the singer feels towards his partner. He wants to be there to love and console her, but he is unable to. However, as one delves deeper into the lyrics, one begins to see that the song speaks to a fundamental truth about love - that love is not about control, but rather about trust, freedom, and acceptance.
In the first verse, the singer acknowledges that he loves his partner, but it seems like his love is not enough to bridge the distance between them. He seems to be struggling with the idea that he cannot control his partner's actions or thoughts, and this is a source of frustration for him. However, the singer also seems to be aware that control is not the same as love, and the two cannot be conflated.
In the second verse, the singer draws a parallel between his partner and other children. He acknowledges that dreaming is a part of growing up and discovering oneself, but warns her to be careful what she dreams of because soon her dreams may take over her reality. The singer seems to be suggesting that his partner is at a stage in her life where she is still figuring out who she is and what she wants, and he is powerless to influence her. Again, the singer seems to be grappling with the idea that love is not about controlling the other person, but rather about supporting them in their journey, even if it takes them away from us.
In the final verse, the singer urges his partner to go out and enjoy life, to play with fireflies and to find a lover. He acknowledges that she will do what she wants to do, and he cannot stop her. However, he also wants her to know that he loves her and will be there for her, even if he cannot console her. The singer seems to be acknowledging that love is not about being there all the time, but rather about being there when it matters the most, even if that moment comes at dawn after a night of playing with fire.
Overall, Steve Young's "It's Not Supposed To Be That Way" is a poignant reminder of the complexities of love and the importance of accepting and supporting our loved ones, even if we cannot control them.
Line by Line Meaning
It's not supposed to be that way
The situation we are in is not supposed to happen that way.
You're supposed to know I love you
You should have known that I love you and care for you.
But it don't matter anyway
In any case, it doesn't make a difference.
If I can't be there to control you
If I am not around to be with you and guide your actions.
It's like the other little children
Just like other children, you too will have dreams.
You're gonna dream a dream or two
You will have a few aspirations and hopes.
But be careful what you're dreamin'
You need to be cautious about what you want to achieve.
Soon your dreams'll be dreamin' you
Eventually, your desires will possess you.
When you go out to play this evenin'
When you step out to have some fun tonight.
Play with fire flies till they're gone
Have a good time with the glowworms until they disappear.
And then rush to meet your lover
And hurry up to meet your partner.
And play with real fire till the dawn
Then indulge in some exciting activities until morning.
But it's not supposed to be that way
This kind of behavior was not intended to happen.
You're supposed to know that I love you
You should have understood that I care for you.
But it don't matter anyway
In any case, it doesn't make a difference.
If I can't be there to console you
If I am not around to comfort you.
Contributed by Grace T. 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!