Neil Young - Song of the Day

11/17/18

Don't Let It Bring You Down (from: After the Gold Rush)

in my life, I have never seen anything like this.

lots of love

 

Kind of heartbreaking. "Don't let it bring you down, it's only castles burning."

 

11/18/18

Country Girl (from: Déjà Vu)

I am a lucky man and hope for the best. ( this song
is from the distant past----but it came to mind.)

 

11/19/18

I'm The Ocean (from: Mirror Ball)

Too may times in this life, we miss what is going on
right in front of us......I try but sometimes i don't
see.

Lots of love to you searchers...

n

 

Whoa!! This a song! A song with a groove of its own. Makes one sit right up and take notice > What is that!!! Very much a stream of consciousness feel that just seems to be sponged up by one's psyche.

 

Natural Beauty

 

11/20/18

Sun Green (from: Greendale)

Where is Sun Green? We need her now, more than
ever. have faith that she will come back ....

lots of love,

n

 

My morning has been a whirlwind so I'm going with Like A Hurricane.

 

11/21/18

The Old Country Waltz (from: Hitchhiker)

I never could dance very well. I was too self
conscious. but every once in a while.....

 

11/22/18

Bandit (from: Greendale)

Maybe this was the song of the day a couple of days
ago, but I'm not sure. The rains are coming. the
rocks are falling. We left our land for a while.
For some reason BANDIT just came into my head and
it will not leave. So that's the song of the day.

Love and Peace.

 

To every thing there is a season. Some songs are for every day; some are for when needed; some are for tomorrow; some are for yesterday; etc. When we need them we can go to them to help us on the path/paths we travel > "the long road" . "Let there be songs to fill the air."

 

11/23/18

Birds (from: After the Gold Rush)

I don't know how I wrote this. I must have been
free and not thinking. That's not the easiest place
to get to.

love to you...

thanks!

n

 

I don't know how I wrote this. I must have been
free and not thinking. That's not the easiest place
to get to.



...But probably a little easier when writing about a lover, instead of GMOs or renewable energy or presidents. Different subjects that have required a different approach.

 

A gorgeous song from my favorite album pretty much by anyone - After The Goldrush - rich in imagery, loving, caring, tenderness. In addition, having a huge interest in the birds that frequent my yard feeders and nesting boxes I see them in this song as well. I rely on this song a lot over the past nearly 50 years. Ronstadt did a beauty of a version as well.

 

I agree, I think it's perhaps the loveliest melody of any song I know.

 

11/24/18

Grandpa's Interview (from Greendale)

In Greendale, home of Sun Green, the story of
Grandpa will arrive with film in December,

love

n

 

Not in this particular song but from "Falling From Above" one favorite thing Grandpa says on the whole album is "I won't retire, but I might retread." Love it! It's what I've been doing the past 15 years since I retired from full time teaching, and it keeps me going, keeps me alive. I also like the play on words > "won't retire but might retread" > I imagine a lot of those much younger perhaps did not understand/get/ remember the days of buying retread tires instead of new tires for one's car. Retreads were often crap but often all we could afford > sometimes they would literally just disintegrate while on the road. Scary!

 

11/25/18

Let Your Fingers Do the Walking (from: A Treasure)

I wrote this after a bad phone call. . . . way before
the internet.

love

NY

 

11/26/18

Flying on the Ground Is Wrong (from: A Treasure)

I wrote 'Flying on the Ground' in the first place I
rented in LA. It was a one room apt in Hollywood
called the Commodore Gardens. Buffalo Springfield
was playing at the Wiskey on Sunset Strip so i was
making enough to move out of the house Barry
Friedman (our first manager) had been sharing with
the 5 of us in the Springfield. I had finally made
the big time after driving down to LA from Canada
in April, 1966. Some of us have been together since
those days and I am happy to have been there with
you!

I did not sing on the original. Richie Furay and
Steve Stills were the main singers in the
Springfield on the first album and I was the
guitar player, along with Stills, one of the
greatest guitarist ever. . . .. I really enjoyed
singing this song with the Harvesters, almost 20
years later. I hope you like 'Flying on the Ground'
as it appears on 'A Treasure', one of my all-time
favorite albums (of the ones I have made).

lots of love,

Neil

 

It's a great song of course, but I can't say this is my favorite version of it, and I've never been fully on board with "Country Neil." Obviously his music has had country influences since the beginning, but when he goes all-in on the persona like this, it feels like an affectation. Something about it just feels less than genuine to me.

That said, I love this comment card about it. One of the best SotD comments yet.

 

I like the song and the live version Neil highlighted. There are times when he overdoes the country thing which to my tastes negates the song/music. I'm Neil's generation, and when we listened to the radio in those days - even up here in New England - country music was a huge thing on the emerging rock radio market with artists like Conway Twitty, TE Ford, Johnny Cash, etc. but when Neil starts heading towards canned Nashville sound I go the other way. And Furay, of course, had his country stylings as well but I've always enjoyed those.

 

Yes, "canned Nashville" is a good way to put it. Feels like he's forcing a sound on it instead of letting the song find its own sound.

 

Just listening to that one now. It has that lovely first line of the verse lilt that is so Neil. Just lovely.

 

11/27/18

Falling From Above (from: Greendale)

'Falling from Above' is the first song of 'Greendale'.
During the next few weeks 'song of the day' will
reveal the whole Greendale tale. Videos are attached
to each 'Greendale' song's info card, so if you watch
the videos, the 'Greendale' story will evolve
episodically.

Welcome to NYA!

neil

 

Thanks for starting this great thread!
It’s very convenient to have it here