The Last 20 Seconds of Neil Young's “Cinnamon Girl” | Recliner Notes

Rare Neil Young "Cinnamon Girl" 45 RPM Picture Sleeve
Recorded Live at The Fillmore East, New York City, March 7, 1970
  (Click photo to enlarge)
 "I wanna live with a cinnamon girl
I could be happy the rest of my life
With a cinnamon girl"

Everyone  wants to live with a cinnamon girl so that they can be happy the rest of their life, right?  Who wouldn't?

From The Last 20 Seconds of  Neil Young's “Cinnamon Girl” | Recliner Notes: 

There is one aspect of “Cinnamon Girl” that remains overlooked: the last 20 seconds.

“Cinnamon Girl” is powered by a riff that launched a thousand ships as countless bands and Young himself have adopted the same crunchy, guitar-based template. A heckler once yelled at Young that all of his songs sounded the same and Young famously responded: “It’s all one song.” There’s a strong argument that “Cinnamon Girl” is in fact that one song, serving as an urtext for grunge and indie rock for generations to come.

Young plays the song in a drop-D tuning, meaning that he starts with a guitar’s standard tuning and lowers the low and high E strings to D notes. Young had employed the tuning before on Buffalo Springfield’s “Mr. Soul,” but it is in “Cinnamon Girl” that he grasps the true power of this technique, providing Young with a low drone, whether heard or implied, that permeates the song with a deep intensity and weight.

The drone is heard plainly at the 2:37 mark of “Cinnamon Girl” as Young and Crazy Horse finish playing the central riff of the song one last time. Young holds the low D after the other guitar and bass fade out. The last 20 seconds of the recorded time of “Cinnamon Girl” acts as the coda of the song. In music theory, a coda is a concluding statement within a song or larger movement. It’s a wrap-up and usually serves as an addition or extension of the principle motif or arrangement of the piece. In this coda, Young plays a flurry of notes by hammering the strings on the fretboard of the guitar to produce the sound rather than using a pick. Over the course of these 20 seconds, he plays 11 different flurries, each a variation on a theme. It’s not the central riff of “Cinnamon Girl” anymore, but this new theme feels connected and even an enhancement on the song’s main riff. This outbreak of notes played by Young in the coda is tumultuous and frenzied and then suddenly finishes as Young lets the sustained drone of the low D ring out. As the drone continues towards its vanishing point, Young hits natural harmonics on the guitar twice just before the song ends, providing a twisted high complement to the drone. 

With that, the music fades out, ending the coda and “Cinnamon Girl.”

Full post @ The Last 20 Seconds of  Neil Young's “Cinnamon Girl” | Recliner Notes.

 

More on Is This The Story of "Cinnamon Girl"?  The Story Behind Neil Young's Iconic Song Revisited

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Neil Young's 79th Birthday Today, November 12 - Happy Birthday Neil!!!

Neil Young on his 74th - November 12, 2019
via Instagram

 
UPDATE: Neil says "THANKS!" for the wishes.

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First off, Neil Young is 79 years young today, November 12. So Happy Birthday Neil!!! 

image via Rusted Moon

 

As noted on Neil Young's 75th birthday, his outstanding moral character can be demonstrated with his efforts for The Bridge School (USA) and Farm Aid (USA), as just two examples.

Neil Young & Bridge Kids
@ Bridge School Benefit Concert 2011
Photo Gallery by By Jay Blakesberg Photography
Farm Aid: The Music Industry’s Longest-Running Philanthropic Concert
Farm Aid executive director CAROLYN MUGAR (center), w/ DAVE MATTHEWS, JOHN MELLENCAMP, WILLIE NELSON and NEIL YOUNG (from left).
2008 - Mansfield, Mass., Photo by Mark O'Stow
We know that Neil Young is a humanitarian rebel with causes.


Neil Young
MusiCares Person Of The Year - 2010

 

In 2011, Neil Young was honored with the Allan Waters Humanitarian Award at Canada's Juno Awards. The award honors a Canadian artist whose humanitarian contributions have positively enhanced the social fabric of Canada and recognizes Young's compassionate legacy behind events such as Farm Aid, Live 8, and Bridge School Concerts.

As we have noted previously, rarely -- if ever -- has a single artist supported so many causes, for such a sustained period, raising considerable funds and awareness while reaching out to millions and millions around the world. When reviewing a listing of benefit concerts that Neil Young has played over the years, one is struck by the sheer diversity of causes he has supported over his 45+ year career.

One could contend that no other artist has made such an impact on causes involving social justice -- or a better moral character. As we documented in 2010, The Charitable Mr. Neil Young Keeps On Giving & Giving & Giving.

Neil Young
MusiCares 2010 Person of the Year

In 2010, Neil Young was honored as the 2010 MusiCares Person of the Year in Los Angeles, two days before the 52nd Annual GRAMMY Awards. An impressive roster of musicians lined up to honor Young which included Booker T. Jones, Jack Black, Jackson Browne, T Bone Burnett, Crosby, Stills & Nash, Sheryl Crow, Everest, Patty Griffin, Josh Groban, Ben Harper, Emmylou Harris, Elton John, Norah Jones, Lady Antebellum, k.d. lang, Dave Matthews, John Mellencamp, Ozomatli, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Leon Russell, James Taylor, Wilco, and Lucinda Williams.

Here is just a partial list of benefit concerts that Neil Young has played over the years that we posted on the Rust list back in 1994. And the diversity of causes is particularly striking. Of course, the two primary beneficiaries of Neil's generosity have been the Bridge School Benefit Concerts and Farm AID. The Bridge School concerts began in 1987 and are to benefit the school for children with severe speech and physical impairments. The Farm Aid concerts began in 1985 and benefit the small American family farm. Farm Aid is the longest running event of its type in music history.

Neil has performed annually for decades at both the Bridge and Farm Aid shows and has raised considerable sums for these causes. The performances at these two annual benefits are well documented.


The Farm Aid 4
Dave Matthews, John Mellencamp, Willie Nelson, Neil Young

You get the idea. He's got a heart of gold.

Pegi & Neil Young at Bridge 2005 Concert
photo by Craig Abaya

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Neil Young Night 

 Tonight's The Night Because Every Night is Neil Night

Happy Birthday Neil Young!!! Long May You Continue To Run & Run.

"Happiness is the valuable commodity and that's what makes life good." 

~~Neil Young 
Photo by Matt Furman for The Wall Street Journal
(Click photo to enlarge)

So Happy Birthday Neil!

Long may you run. It's all just a magical ride. enjoy.

Also, check out Scotsman's 2023 posting on Neil's birthday @ Patreon.

A Neil Young Birthday Tribute
by Ian

 

A MESSAGE FROM NEIL | NYA (on his birthday in 2021) 

 

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Comments of the Moment: Neil Young's "Quintessential" Greendale

The Inconvenient Truth of
Greendale

 

Recently, we posted over to the ever-so irrepressible Scotsman's Patreon on Dynamite Tracks #18: Busting out of Jail regarding Neil Young's album Greendale and it's significance.

First, a comment by Ron on the above post:

I hope no-one will be offended if I say am trying hard, but I still don't get what it is they think is important about Greendale - sorry.

The lyrics tell a tale that is interesting, the characters are all relatable, but I don't see or hear anything revelatory or new - and I don't think I did when it was first released 20 years ago either. And I listened to it a lot when it first came out and remember having fun exploring the accompanying Greendale web site.

I can see that there are likely aspects of Neil's character and personality in a lot or maybe all of the characters, I can see that it touches on a lot of the problems of the world, but is there an important insight? Some important message?

Did we not already know then that there was corruption on the highest floor? That Mr Clean was dirty too? That the Government is all bought and paid for? That we need to save the planet?

There is the 'Be The Rain' call to action but hadn't people and organisations been saying similar for many years already? Greenpeace come to mind but I am sure there were many others.

Ok, very fair question Ron and thanks for conveniently asking in comments.

Sun Green 

Neil Young's Greendale Concert Tour - 2003

 

Which brings us to the Comment of the Moment by none other than Scotsman himself on Neil Young's "Quintessential" (thanks Dionys) album Greendale:  

Thanks all for the lovely and perceptive comments.

I like people who enjoy Greendale because I get the sense we're on the same wavelength. We'd probably get on well in the real world should we meet up for a ginger beer, strong coffee, or pint of real ale.

And one of many reasons I like Greendale is because it's its own world.

Not all albums or tracks are like this. Alabama from Tuscaloosa, for instance, with no added context, is objectively an out-of-tune din. Subjectively, it's a dreadful performance. What elevates it to being perceived as a work of art is because we see it in the *context* of Neil Young's life and career in the golden 70s. It's part of the legend.

But with Greendale, although there is lots of Neil Young in it (perhaps more than any other album), all we need to appreciate it is to notice ourselves within this town he has created for us. Dionys and Dan Swan get to the heart of this, above.

Some will relate to Sun Green (seeking to break out and fulfil her potential), some to the artist Earl (trying to juggle the drive to create with the need to survive), some to Grandpa (on the Earth long enough to have seen a lot, done a lot, survived through a lot).

Many here, I think, will relate to all three. They will also relate to the grief of Carmichael's widow, and Jed, too: because like Jed, we've all made mistakes. (If we're lucky, they're the kind of beneficial mistakes that help us learn, and not the kind of mistakes that permanently derail us, or hurt anybody else.)

"Change comes slow in the country". And a big part of the success of this record is Neil is writing from his own experience of living in the middle of nowhere.

The clubs and bars in major cities might change every year — as might the political leaders. Parts of rural England, meanwhile, haven't changed in 200 years or more. The people haven't changed much, either.

The Sun Greens of the world often find peace (and the space to create and think and dream) in the countryside, but need to get out to the city to find inspiration, or to make an impact. Because that's where the change they seek to make is most likely to happen. (In the 21st century, the internet is it's own kind of city.)

So I agree with all you guys that Greendale touches on politics themes. But I don't see it as a political album, not *as such*, because the word "politics" for me brings to mind two things:

A) A sense of top-down power, sometimes rigged against those of us with a sense of ethics (on both sides of the political spectrum)

And:

B) a force that divides us into polarised groups lobbing spears at each other.

Grandpa, meanwhile, strikes me as the kind of guy who "doesn't trust any of the b*stards". The more time you spend on Earth, the more you seem unfold... And eventually, you tune it all out.

Sun Green, too, is the kind of the person who'd be out there making a positive ruckus regardless of who is in power.

Quite wonderfully, we're left with an album that retains it's relevance through the ages, no matter who's in power, no matter whether they represent us or not.

We can still go out and make a difference.

Greendale, I think, speaks most strongly to those who really believe in this. Lovers of this album want to get up and really make a positive contribution, and probably have done numerous times in their lives already. They are do-ers, not just talkers.

(The boss of this very website will certainly relate: he started the first Neil Young blog not in 2016 or 2022, like me, but in 1996 — ahead of just about everybody in the blogging world.)

I'll submit what some will interpret as a smug or deluded opinion, but I'd prefer it to be interpreted as just a bit cheeky:

Having a passion for Greendale says something very complimentary about us.

Scots.

So back to Ron's original question and Scots justifications on Greendale  being "quintessential".

"Truth is all I seek" - Sun Green

 

Not to repeat ourselves, but -- as many of our long time readers here at Thrasher's Wheat know -- we have long since declared: "The Inconvenient Truth of Greendale".

Neil Young’s Greendale
Written by Joshua Dysart, Illustrated by Cliff Chiang
The inconvenient truth of Neil Young's Greendale is that Neil Young was right -- and his message is even more relevant today than upon Greendale's original release.

Greendale is "Everything You're Looking For" - Bandit

The inconvenient truth of Greendale is its uncomfortable confrontation with themes such as the power of mass media and global corporations, loss of personal freedoms and privacy, destruction of the environment, rampant fraud and corruption, an out of balance government and breakdown of the family. All of which we've detailed before here, here, and here.

"a little Mayberry livin' can go a long way"
GREENDALE 2020 HINDSIGHT by James Mazzeo

More on Sun Green in the "compelling", "controversial" and "audiences challenging" concert opera "Greendale" by Neil Young.

"This is Greendale" Brochure - Part #1
Tomorrow's Town - Today (1948)

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Neil Young's Dynamite Tracks #18: Busting out of Jail

From the irrepressible Scotsman on Dynamite Tracks #18: Busting out of Jail:

Bob Dylan said:

“Hearing Elvis for the first time was like busting out of jail.”

Bob’s words ring true. And whether the jail-break is instigated by Elvis Presley or Bob himself, busting out of jail is one of my favourite themes for music... and art in general.

Some music is about wallowing in despair, a comfort food of sorts. I prefer tracks that provoke positive action.

Sun Green is the classic, probably definitive Neil Young song about busting out of jail. A dynamite track not just in its performance, but in its very conception.

On one level, Greendale as a whole is basically the “guidebook to Neil Young”: and Sun Green is the bit where everything reaches boiling point. Obstacles within are demolished, and the spirit reaches its potential. A journey to freedom.

On a more down-to-Earth level, Greendale is about a bunch of very normal people—and a few abnormal ones—living their lives. And because Neil created them all, he’s in all of them.

He’s the curmudgeonly, world-wise Grandpa, but he’s also the ever-youthful Sun Green.

Remember how in the Wizard of Oz the real characters from Dorothy’s life on the farm appear in Oz, but they’re not quite the same? Parallel, but not identical? Greendale is like that:

 In the character of Jed, we see an echo of Danny Whitten. And the track Carmichael tells a vivid story of a grief and mourning that is essentially the 2003 version of Tonight’s the Night.

…not identical, but parallel.

Greendale is not a political album, thank God… nor is it an environmental one. (The excellent final song kicks open the door to an environmental avenue).

It’s an album about living. And of course, there’s a lot of death in it, too. Death adds tension to Greendale, inspiring the survivors to live their lives more fully.

 

Full post @ Scotsman on Dynamite Tracks #18: Busting out of Jail.

More on "Sun Green" and GREENDALE by Neil Young & Crazy Horse.

 
Neil Young & Sun Green
Radio City Music Hall, New York, March 18, 2004
Photo by thrashette

#BeTheRain

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Remember, Remember the 5th of November: VOTE - Freedom vs Tyranny

"I'm Happy To Report In. Vote Your Conscience."Neil Young in 2020

 

Obviously, -- at least so we would like to think -- everyone votes their "Conscience", as Neil Young urged in 2020.

That is voting their conscience for "Freedom" and voting against "Tyranny".

Or, maybe not ... a terrifying realization. Or,  even worse -- those who think they  are voting for "Freedom" but -- in reality -  they're mistakenly actually voting for "Tyranny".  Quite a state of affairs, eh?

As usual, Neil Young has quite a bit to say about Presidents and politics.

Who's Going To Stand Up and Save The Earth?
Neil Young
2014-07-12, Hyde Park, London, England
Photo Paolo Brillo |Facebook 

Many of us were introduced to Mr. Young back in 1970 with the song "Ohio" and the lyrics:

"Tin soldiers and Nixon coming,
We're finally on our own.
This summer I hear the drumming
Four dead in Ohio." 

CSNY's "Ohio" single with the United States Bill of Rights
Highlights the right to peacefully assemble

Richard Nixon: "Campaigner"

"I am a lonely visitor 

I came too late to cause a stir 

Though I campaigned all my life towards that goal 

I hardly slept the night you wept 

Our secret's safe and still well kept 

Where even Richard Nixon has got soul 

Even Richard Nixon has got Soul"

 

And Mr Young has not slowed down on the subject of Presidential politics since 1970.

 

Ronald Reagan

In the 1980's, there were the infamous "Reagan interviews" where -- depending on one's perspective -- either Neil Young was a Ronald Reagan supporter, detractor or undetermined.

From Boston Globe's 1990 Neil Young interview:

Young's been in hot water with certain elements of the press for what's been perceived as his support of Ronald Reagan. Imagine, Neil Young -- the man who wrote that wonderful antiwar, anti-Nixon anthem "Ohio," a longterm environmentalist and activist . . . supporting the most right-wing of presidents.

The neo-Reaganite tag affixed to him during the mid-'80s, Young insists -- quite vehemently -- was taken out of context, blown out of proportion. ''The Reagan-supporting era," sighs Young. "I don't think there is one president that's come down the line that hasn't done something good somewhere." Young says a "sleazeball journalist" nailed Reagan and then forced Young to his defense.

"Some people put down all presidents no matter what," says Young, "like once you get to be president you're a . . . idiot. So if you say anything good about any of them, they think you're supporting everything they do."

Freedom (1989) by Neil Young -
"The rock and roll coda of the Cold War"

 

In the late 1980's, Neil Young penned the song "Rockin' In The Free World"  lyrics:

"We got a thousand points of light
For the homeless man
We got a kinder, gentler,
Machine gun hand"

The lyrics are a direct reference to President George Bush's (#41) campaign pledge to create a compassionate citizenry volunteering to help cope with society's ills. The "thousand points of light" symbolize the American citizen's spirit and a shining example of giving selflessly to care for one another's neighbor and brother. Along with "a kinder, gentler hand", Bush believed that each American could contribute to helping make the United States -- and the world -- a better place to live and work. 

Jump to 2006 and "Living with War" and Neil Young's song "Let's Impeach The President".

                      

In 2008, the song "Lookin' for a Leader" with lyrics:

"And maybe it's a woman
Or a black man after all"

Referencing Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama, the official music video was prefaced by: "Every American President has left an impact on his country and the World. This musical history lesson from Neil Young takes a look at the past, present and future of US leadership."

Hillary Clinton & Barack Obama

After all, we're still lookin' for a leader.

Americana and The American Dream via Neil Young w/ Crazy Horse Album

Which brings us to 2016 and Donald Trump & Neil Young...

 

Donald Trump & Neil Young - 2014

 

And so began our long running coverage of these two men and their apparent love/hate relationship.

   

Neil Young's Open Letter To President Trump 

‘The Visitor’
by Neil Young + Promise of the Real

In 2017, Neil Young announced his latest new album titled ‘The Visitor’ -- and sharing the 1st preview track of the song “Already Great”.  The song “Already Great” is the response to those complaining about America and the need for it to be "great again". 

Also, see:

• Neil Young: "I don't hate Trump. I do hate that he is President
  
• Neil Young to Donald Trump: This note is NOT for you!
• Full Statement by Neil Young on Donald Trump's Use of Song "Rockin in the Free World"
• Neil Young Weighs In On US Presidential Election
• "Fuck You, Donald Trump" Says Neil Young Onstage; Posts Video Clip to His Facebook Page
• "Got A Man of The People Says Keep Hope Alive": Neil Young’s "Rockin' In The Free World"
• Bernie Sanders Campaign Video of Neil Young’s Song "Rockin’ In The Free World"
• INTERVIEW: For Neil Young, the Trump Era Feels a Lot Like the '60s | Mother Jones
• Neil Young Discusses His New Album, Trump, Future of Pono | Rolling Stone
• Neil Young Discusses Donald Trump  + Donald Trump Discusses Neil Young
• "Rockin' In The Free World" Lyrics Analysis

In 2020, Neil Young was still "Lookin' for a Leader", because "The Times" were a changin'.

JOE BIDEN IS THE GREATEST - Aug 8, 2023

T-C | Neil Young Archives 

In October 2024, Neil Young endorsed VP Kamala Harris for President, per a statement on Neil Young Archives. Young wrote: "Cast your vote for a beautiful future for your family."

"Why I Love Kamala Harris" |  Neil Young Archives  

WHY I VOTED FOR KAMALA HARRIS - Nov 4, 2024T-C | Neil Young Archives 

 

So. From the "tin soldiers and Nixon" in 1970 to "loving" the current Vice President in 2024, Neil has covered the spectrum -- both as a Canadian and a U.S. citizen.

Not that music can change the world or anything like that afterall.

Because one person's perspective on freedom of speech is another's right to dissent.

Sigh. We have all been here before. Sometimes you have to lose to know how to win ... maybe.

Lastly, we bring to you one of the most viral posts in Thrasher's Wheat history: George & John, Donald & Neil + Bob: Sooner or Later, It All Gets REAL ... As in Now.

GEORGE Magazine - 1997; U.S. Citizen Neil Young - 2020

George & John, Donald & Neil + Bob: Sooner or Later, It All Gets REAL ... As in Now 

This one has it all rolled into one ... if you dare.  Why? Because the future proves the past.

"FUTURE PROVES PAST"

Alchemy ... Past, Present, Future. We're all on a journey through the past while time fades away.

More on politics and music and  The Politics of Music or the Music of Politics?

Regardless of the results of the 5th of November, remember empathy and try to focus on our common humanity rather than our often trivial differences. And remember peace, of course.

To be honest and transparent here, we're no longer just "Lookin' For A Leader", mainly because "We're The Ones We've Been Waiting For".

"We're The Ones
We've Been Waiting For"
#WT1sWBW4"

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