Origin of Song: “Out on the Weekend” | Crawdaddy!
Quite a fascinating rundown on Neil Young's song “Out on the Weekend” from Crawdaddy!'s Origin of Song series by Denise Sullivan.
Neil Young's “Out on the Weekend” seems to be seeing a resurgence with the hipster crowd these days. Last year, we even blogged on the phenomenon when Lady GaGa covered it (before we even really realized that she was MEGA HUGE with the kids).
So what's cool about the Crawdaddy! article is how many folks are covering one of Harvest's stellar tracks making it the "most-covered among the contemporary indie-folk and rock set".
Those covering “Out on the Weekend” besides Lady Gaga include Conor Oberst/Bright Eyes/Monsters of Folk, Iron and Wine's Sam Beam, Broken Social Scene, Pete Doherty, Elliott Smith and Citizen Cope, among others in a long list of musicians influenced by Neil Young.
Out on the Weekend / Pipey Magraw - Peter Doherty @ Mass, 17th June 2008
More on musicians influenced by Neil Young.
(Thanks Angie & cosplusisin/The Martingales!)
by thrasher@PermaLink: 8/31/2010 12:27:00 PM
8 comments
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8 Comments:
One of my favourites, of course!
Another great artist who covered it was Elliott Smith. You can find his cover of it, along with a bunch of other nice covers (and another Neil cover) here:
http://www.rawkblog.net/2009/02/elliott-smith-the-complete-live-covers/
I go by cosplusisin on rust and previously on here, but using my google account now to be non-nonymous.
I realize non-nonymous doesn't make sense. I just meant "not anonymous", but thinking about the structure of the word, I'm pretty sure the "a" in the front means "not", and then the "nonymous" has something to do with "having a name". So "non-nonymous" would sort of have the same meaning as "anonymous".
I should have just said "nonymous". Yeah.
Sorry!
This is my favorite song on Harvest, possibly my favorite Neil Young song. It just speaks to me so perfectly.
All the songs on Harvest, that also featured on live at Massey Hall are great, somehow I just love songs about loneliness... it is a real pity the song is not on the NYA.
Out on the Weekend is one of my all time favorites - so simple, yet so melodic and filled with angst...
As for the Martingale's comments..
Grandpa died a hero.
Trying to stop the media.
Fighting for freedom of silence.
Trying to be anonymous...
and with Long Grain's passing, I am reminded of his most famous and prescient words:
"That guy just keeps singin'!
Can somebody shut him up?
I don't know for the life of me
where he comes up with that stuff"
Anonymity, loneliness, and self deprecation - all hallmarks of Neil's rich and storied legacy
Not to get too far off topic, but I was trying *not* to be anonymous because it is part of the new policy on thrasherswheat here.
As you said, Grandpa was "fighting for freedom of silence" and "trying to be anonymous". Those two come together. As long as you are silent, then you will be anonymous. Grandpa didn't invite the "TV crews and cameras". He had no desire to have his voice heard, so he had every right to remain anonymous.
When we post comments here, we are choosing not to be silent, and hence we don't have the right to be anonymous anymore.
I think Thrasher has it right. The way the internet (not only this site) has developed, with people being allowed to be anonymous has made everyone *meaner* to each other. People don't think they have any reason to be kind to their fellow man (or woman) just because no one will know who they are. I guess it's the "it's only wrong if you get caught" philosophy. When no one can see their face, many people feel they can be as selfish and rude as they want.
And anyway, Thrasher is not forcing people to use their real names. It is just about having some sort of face so people know who's saying what.
Lastly, I love "Grandpa's Interview". I once tried to make a list of my top 10 Neil songs. It was VERY difficult to whittle the list down to 10. Top 50 wasn't *too* hard, but top 10? But "Grandpa's Interview" was on it.
And back on topic - "Out on the Weekend" was also on my top 10!
Well, unless you call yourself by your real name, then you are, for all real intents, still anonymous. Having a handle simply gives your anonymity a recognizable individual characteristic. Heh!
Yes, but that's what makes the difference, I think.
ANYWAY, don't you LOVE how the bassline in the chorus of "Out on the Weekend" is just the same note over and over? I love that. All the guitar chords change around it, but that bass note, following the bass drum, is just an A every time. And Ben Keith's pedal steel plays that A as well.
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