"God Save The Queen" by Neil Young & Crazy Horse | Americana
Art by Gary Burden and Jenice Heo
Is this the story of Johnny Rotten?"
--Neil Young
Today, Prince Philip died at age 99.
So here's the video of "God Save The Queen" by Neil Young & Crazy Horse from album Americana (2012) featuring Prince Philip and Queen Elizabeth.
From the Liner Notes for Americana by Neil Young & Crazy Horse:
God Save The Queen
Written in the 18th century with possible melodic roots in the 17th century, this anthem has been sung throughout the British Commonwealth and may have been sung in North America before the American Revolution and Declaration of Independence in 1776, which rejected British sovereignty. The Americana arrangement draws from the original melody and changes some melody and lyrics in the folk process, also adding lyrics of the same melody taken from “My Country ’Tis Of Thee”, in recognition of the war of Independence and America’s transition to freedom.
Now that is interesting that the melody of "God Save The Queen" and
“My Country ’Tis Of Thee” are the same?! How could that be? (See comments below)
Mixed media (stencil, silkscreen, and collage) on canvas
43 1/2 x 30 inches
Image courtesy of the artist and Perry Rubenstein Gallery, Los Angeles.
© Shepard Fairey/OBEY GIANT ART
(See Shepard Fairey and Neil Young: The 'Americana' Collaboration )
UPDATE: See more reaction and discussion @ VIDEO DEBUT: "God Save The Queen" by Neil Young & Crazy Horse. Also, see God Save The Neil Young Fans (& Thrasher's Wheat).
Be sure to check the astounding comments on this video back in 2012. or God save the rusties. Well, things certainly were livelier around here back in 2012, for sure. wow.
(You can now Order "Americana" on Amazon.com
ps - This note's for Fort Mac!
Labels: analysis, crazy horse, God Save The Queen, neil young, video
by thrasher@PermaLink: 4/09/2021 11:19:00 AM
38 comments
>> Pre-Order on Amazon.com << 
Human Highway
Concert Review of the Moment
This Land is My Land
FREEDOM In A New Year
*Thanks Neil!*
![[EFC Blue Ribbon - Free Speech Online]](http://www.thrasherswheat.org/gifs/free-speech.gif)
The Unbearable Lightness of Being Neil Young
Pardon My Heart
"We're The Ones 
Thanks for Supporting Thrasher's Wheat!
This blog 
(... he didn't kill himself either...)
#AaronDidntKillHimself
Neil Young's Moon Songs
Civic Duty Is Not Terrorism
Orwell (and Grandpa) Was Right
What's So Funny About 
38 Comments:
Now that is interesting that the melody of "God Save The Queen" and “My Country ’Tis Of Thee” are the same?! How could that be?
As noted in earlier comment by Arthus:
This song,really needs the video to get it's point across.
The main reason America exists at all was to get away from English rule and good ol' King George.
Apparently, this song was still being sung here in the colonies,with added verse, like what we hear with NY&CH? If not, it shoulda' been!
The way it's delivered here (sans the sedan) musically by CH, isn't the point at all.
It's the message.
We're a nation, forged in blood and treasure, to live with the inherent and inalienable right to liberty and freedom. That's what this is about.
Neil Young and Crazy Horse are going to the TOP of the mountain with AMERICANA, and screaming it!
So turn it up folks!
Let 'em ALL know what we're about!
The King is DEAD. As it should be. Royals. What are they good for?
At 5/27/2012 08:05:00 PM, Blogger no one said...
I'm not sure Americans can understand.
I spent fourth grade in a small Canadian town in 1961. They called us, U.S. military kids, Americans. Never could understand why...
and every morning the teacher would enter the room and we would all stand and sing. We alternated between "Oh, Canada" and "God Save the Queen." it was an odd group of kids - a couple military brats, six or seven Canadian Indians from a local reservation, and a couple dozen white Canadians.
There was never any discussion of the significance of the songs, we just stood and sang them.
I think the ritual was similar to the Pledge of Allegiance, but, obviously, there is nowhere in the Pledge where you're imploring God to save an elderly English woman with a Crown and bad taste in hats. This all occurred in the days before irony became the emotional currency of the times, but I'm remembering that the solemnity of the recitation would have defeated irony anyway. The point being,
I would only trust a Canadian to interpret Neil's interpretation of the song.
At 5/31/2012 10:08:00 PM, Blogger (D.) Ian Kertis; The Metamorphic Rocker said...
To be technical, they'd probably have been singing "God save the king" during the early colonial years, assuming we're not stretching back to the Elizabethan years or the reign of Bloody Mary here! Maybe I'm historically challenged, but I can't think of any female British monarchs between them and Queen Victoria.
But that's a nitpick in this context.
As to the track itself, although I haven't of course heard it in context of the album yet, I think can understand what Neil was going for. It's the last track on the listing, and seems to be designed as a musical and thematic denouement. It's over-the-top possibly, but certainly sounds like authentic Neil Young to me. I have to say that, even with the marching drum, even with the zany, ersatz quality that sometimes comes from this track, I do love the overall sound of the 'Americana' tracks thus far.
There's something very cool about the musical/sonic result of transplanting antique folk songs into Crazy Horse rock. The sound reminds of Neil's '70s CH albums: the vocal harmonies, the texture of the electric guitars--"groovy" is the word that comes to mind. It's as though 1800s folk music has met aesthetics and sensibilities of mid-20th century protest rock, both of which kinds of music Neil carries in his creative idiom and has maintained throughout his artistic evolution.
The idea to juxtapose both sets of lyrics is clever and, I think, works on its own. It's something I'm glad *someone* did at some point anyway. It touches on both the musical and political evolution found in these songs.
So far I've heard 'Oh Susannah', 'Jesus' Chariot' , and now this track. Although the comments make clear that several others have been released in various places, I think I'll limit my preview to these three, as I want to have somewhat of a fresh experience with the full album next week.
And I'm certainly waiting until I've heard the entire album in context, in sequence before I make any sort of judgement on it.
See more reaction and discussion @ VIDEO DEBUT: "God Save The Queen" by Neil Young & Crazy Horse.
Also, see God Save The Neil Young Fans (& Thrasher's Wheat).
Be sure to check the astounding comments on this video back in 2012. or God save the rusties. Well, things certainly were livelier around here back in 2012, for sure. wow.
The melody of "God save the King (or Queen)" is not exclusively a British heritage. Since the end of the 18th century there have been not less than 13 different texts to that melody in German language alone, even the Swiss Confederation had their own version. The most prominent one is the so-called Prussian Kaiser-Hymne (imperial hymn) which used to be played in honour of the, you guessed it, Kaiser after 1871. As the Bavarians always entertained some healthy mistrust (and do so until today, for good reasons)regarding all things Prussian they had their own version, too. It is only since the end of 19th century that "God Save the King" is recognized as a British symbol.
@ Dionys : My dad’s family came out of Prussia, thanks for the historical information. I really appreciate it, sincerely. Fascinating stuff.
Peace 🙏
"in the days before irony became the emotional currency of the times"
now that is wisdom right there
For me anyway, Americana is a masterpiece. It’s as fresh today as it was when it was released. The album really holds up well and it’s one of my favorite albums from Neil & the Horse. I find it an inspired release. As well as a awesome lead up to Psychedelic Pill, which is also a masterpiece as well. For me anyway......
Peace 🙏
@ Dionys - thanks, did not know that. fascinating.
they say the sun never sets on the British Empire's songs ...
sort of gives new meaning to the term "British Invasion of the 1960's" w/ Beatles, Stones, Kinks, Who, etc.
@ Jonathan - and that was way back in 2012, too?!
@ Dan - likewise. it was definitely a Crazy Horse of a different color for sure.
Just going back to 2012 and reading all the trashing of the album and songs by rusties is somewhat revelatory, shocking and surprising.
another thing that became clear is that everyone slamming GSTHQ didn't even watch the video or really listen to the lyrics who missed entirely the Neil twist.
The twist which gave it all new meaning.
Like you said, if nothing else, American opened the barn door for the Horse & Psychedelic Pill.
I agree Dan: Americana is brilliant
I remember hearing the first preview single from it - Oh Susannah - and within seconds hearing that particular glorious sound only the horse can conjure out of Neil
And it was the first time since broken arrow in ‘96 that we got hear Poncho, Billy, Ralph and Neil all in the studio together (still standing by here for Toast...........)
The Americana blu-ray is definitely worth a look too
@ Dionys there's a bigger German connection than just music - the current family calls itself the House of Windsor, but when it came to the throne in 1901 was originally the "House of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha" - one of Victoria's many children scattered around Europe - the name change occurred in 1917 due to anti-German sentiment during WW1. I imagine using the tune would be a way to cement the links & confirm your loyalty to your "new" country with an anthem understood by all sides.
and yes the irony isn't lost that so many British nationalists point to this family as a demonstration of the importance of tradition and conveniently forget they are are partly European immigrants.
I've always thought Neil including GSTQ was as much an autobiographical reference to his own journey from Canada to the U.S. As Blogger said back in 2012 Canada effectively had two national anthems until 1980 so that paradox would have loomed large in Neil's upbringing. Including it as the last song on a folklore inspired album reduces it from an anthem deemed to have importance to just another song *and* describes his own musical and physical path to success.
I love the first half of the album but feel that it fades a little toward the end. I have a soft spot for Gallows Pole and enjoy the social history you can pick up watching A Day at the Gallery.
Also just to be a shade pedantic here, the last King of the United Kingdom died in 1952. That has not changed in the last 48 hours.
Hambone (in the UK and not watching any live TV but relying on independent streaming radio and NYA)
Be careful thrasher, it’s one thing to wish the end of monarchy as an institution, but your comment is getting close to gloating over the death of an old man who was in no way a tyrant. One can disagree with a political system without wishing death upon the proponents of it, otherwise it’s getting close to the insanity of those fools who violently invaded the capitol because they disagreed with the way the election went!
There are numerous points in history when many of the European nations could have had and sung a common song. The Norwegian, the Swiss, Icelanders, the Russian Empire, the Danes, the Swedes and Greece, used the same melody. British exceptionalism is a self-serving and cacophonious myth, cousin Boris, like all exclusive thought.
The spread of the melody is a result of the European nobility's attempt to balance the Powers on the continent by inter-marrying. With the First World War that security structure apparently had overstrained it's stability. (Western) European integration since 1945, with all it's negative effects, secured peaceful relations among nations for more than 70 years now, longer than any other system. And it allowed for a certain Neil Young to undertake many tours throughout the continent. It is going to be innaresting how the British event / concert industry, which used to be at the heart of all Neil Young tours in Europe, will cope with the fact that they now are subject to business regulations beyond the participation of their government. Sugar Mountain lists 67 shows for the UK, but 244 for the EU. One European NY & CH tour (in 2012 or 13) had the respective national anthems as show openers, a half-ironic nod to the location and the background of the audience. Coming around next time I would like to hear the "Marseillaise" in Germany, "Wilhelmus" in Austria and "Fratelli d'Italia" in Denmark. The German anthem? Well, they can play it in Monaco, maybe, it's not exactly a Greatest Hit since the 40's.
@ Hambone - all of this historical context is quite fascinating.
It's been awhile since we visited A Day at the Gallery. Might have to re-trace those steps again sometime.
@ Thos - thanks for noting the caution. appreciated.
yes, we did walk a line on that one. frankly, we actually did pull a punch here. but since you've brought this up, we'll expand a bit.
As a good old fashioned red-blooded American -- as they --say. we have healthy distrust of all things royal. Yes, we do wish an end of monarchy as an institution.
And we know the demise of one prince does not mean the end of royals.
No, we do not gloat on the death of an old man.
However, again, since you mention this, we must also bring up this quote by Prince Philip in an article by The Guardian newspaper:
"In the event that I am reincarnated, I would like to return as a deadly virus, to contribute something to solving overpopulation."
https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2009/jun/21/quotes-by-prince-philip
So, yes, we disagree with a political system. But when someone says the above about his "subjects", then it is only a matter of self defense to seek the demise of such reprehensible non-human thinking.
regarding the above quote, did some other royal reincarnate as a deadly virus? Is it not odd that a deadly virus seems to be working on this "over-population". afterall, who made him god to decide who lives and dies.
It is this "elite thinking" which causes we the lowly masses to decry royals or worse. In fact, we do see many elites mocking and bypassing the rules that the little people must follow. certainly you're familiar with those examples. does that not tell us that something is going on here although it still is not clear?
there is a reason there was American Revolution and it was this type of thinking by Philip types which brought together our forefathers such as Jefferson, Washington, Paine, Mason, Madison, Franklin, Henry, and many others.
These royals have no clothes. They are not benevolent, but in fact, truly disgustedly malevolent.
we do not cheer nor do we cry no tears.
but thank you for the opportunity to clarify. peace
@ Dionys - thank you.
as we have often remarked here, once again, your observations demonstrate that Neil fans/rusties are some of the most knowledgeable and articulate music fans out there.
an honor to share this common space.
I always thought that the Americana album was inspired by the Ontario Public School Songbook for grade six students. It brings me back to music class in grade six but with good rockin'
My dad recalls an official dinner, with Prince Philip presiding, bragging about the special German wine they would have for that occasion, which turned out to be some "Liebfrauenmilch" a cheap mass product that even back in the 70's nobody in Germany would have served their guests, and most likely the Prince Consort knew that.
Every once in a while I go to a liquor store in North America and see what they have for German wine. And sure enough: in any case there will be "Himmlisches Moseltröpfchen" and "Liebfrauenmilch"
So everything is cheaper than it looks. And don't the Americans have their own royalty, if memory serves it was even called Camelot, back then when the Kennedys were around...? If the British would have to vote for their queen or king, whom would they elect? I bet an euro against a donut, it would be Elizabeth. The institution is not the problem (see the Netherlands, the Scandinavians), the British class society is. And Brexiteer Roger Daltrey of course.
America has its own class society, we call them Democrats & Republicans which includes billionaires and corporate executives.
Peace 🙏
Fair play and thanks for the clarification/ justification Thrasher. But I would take that quote with a pinch of salt - I’m certain he said it, but he had a very black sense of humour by all accounts so I suspect it was a joke. Through his charitable work he spent a lot of time and effort trying to improve the life chances of young people from underprivileged backgrounds which doesn’t really chime with wishing to de-populate the earth!
Anyway I can understand Americans being cautious of a system they have sensibly rejected when history called for it.
However for some of us the idea that the top elected official doesn’t have ultimate authority has been quite comforting during the Trump years when we would wake up every day wondering if he was going to randomly nuke somewhere just because he felt like it!
Hey ultimately all systems are flawed and us little people just have to make the most of our situation in life while looking out for those around us. I think Neil Young and his activism and commitment to environmentalism is a good example in that regard.
Take care!
@ Lloyd - interesting. Going back to the reaction to AMERICANA back in 2012, as mentioned above was quite astonishing.
The song seleections really ignaited all sorts of debates.
The modern day slamming of classic folk songs was staggering.
We did find that the NY Times (neil's not new york's) stated:
AMERICANA is collection of classic, American folk songs. In their day, some of these may have been referred to as "protest songs", "murder ballads", or campfire-type songs passed down with universal, relatable tales for everyman.
well that was the idea: relatable tales for everyman. Funny, how that didn't work out for some.
@ Dionys - too funny on "Liebfrauenmilch".
back in our less sophisticated, under age days, where we drank practically anything we could get our hands, we do recall the Liebfrauenmilch. Sweet as heck best we recall.
Yes, America did have a Camelot phase brought to end very quickly in Dallas, Texas.
To be clear, Americans do venerate a royalty class of celebrities from film, tv, sports, etc.
heck, some say this blog bows to the throne of Neil. You can actually find a Tribute in our back pages titled "Annual Kneel to Neil Benefit".
http://neilyoungnews.thrasherswheat.org/2010/11/6th-annual-kneel-to-neil-benefit.html
so there you go.
OTOH, WWNYD?
http://neilyoungnews.thrasherswheat.org/2007/10/what-would-neil-young-do.html
@ Dan - thanks, add to list.
@ Thos - glad you came back on this.
wasn't too sure how that would go over. Glad you didn't take that the wrong way. so we're going to avoid following the white rabbit down the hole here on the subject.
regarding us munchkins and making the most of our situation, you're right that we are better off loving one another than taking on the elite class.
the elite want divide & conquer amongst the masses so that we do not turn our torches and pitchforks on them.
likely not the last word here, but probably our most important childhood fable was Hans Christian Anderson's "The Emperor’s New Clothes".
we still feel that we are that little boy sometimes pointing out the obvious to no avail.
altho never here @ TW, of course. wink
"I'm not sure Americans can understand.
I spent fourth grade in a small Canadian town in 1961. They called us, U.S. military kids, Americans. Never could understand why...
and every morning the teacher would enter the room and we would all stand and sing. We alternated between "Oh, Canada" and "God Save the Queen."
Real interesting and so typical of the Americana bubble of the World revolving around the USA .
My Canadian experience during the same period ... in grade school , before hockey games ... in the movie theatre ... we rose to our feet in respect as proud members of the Commonwealth !
Long live our Gracious Queen !
Neil's Americana interpretation of the reverent anthem continues to be a disgrace and spit in the face of the memory of our forefathers that died so that I may be free to say these words .
You bow down to Trump ... we honour our Gracious Queen !
Agreed! Alan in Seattle
We don’t bow to Trump or to anyone else. Long live Neil Young!
Good stuff Thrasher! Alan in Seattle
Ya Alan .... have ya ever heard that Warren Zevon tune ... in response to Skynard ?
A timeless retrospect of your Americana porch action .... Eh ?
It seems like your Americana way of life is returning to normal ... more vaccines ...people are out n about ... the return to the Americana mass shootings and yer beloved 2nd amendment right to hunt humans with machines made for War .
I own guns ... and use them to harvest food .
Age old question eh .... the difference between a Canadiana vs Americana ?
I always liked Americana; it has much Horse power and I can’t understand why people were negative about it. I guess not everyone is open minded or loves the smell of the Horse. I bought it on Blu ray.
Ya, the Royals want to cull some people. Bill Gates is a Royal too. Down with mindless bowing to the upper crust. Ti Hell with Monarchy & Oligarchy! Alan in Seattle
Ironic timing, Fort Mac. I was just talking with a friend from this blog earlier today about Zevon. We are big fans. I just boiled down my favorite Zevon songs again, to 21 tracks. And he has so many great songs that that song in particular was on the fence. I have met David Lindley, the slide player on that track, a few times. Nice guy. Thank you for using your guns safely. I hope we all have reason to be more optimistic about North America and the world soon. Hang in there. Alan in Seattle
Not much difference if you ask the Natives.
Neil Young and the concept of Rock'n'Roll royalty deserves some in depth thinking. "The king is gone, but he's not forgotten. This is the story of Johnny Rotten." might be a good start. There are many sources that in their structure establish something very similar to all these genealogical tables of nobility, e.g. a book like Pete Frame, The Complete Rock Family Trees. I see Americana as an attempt similar to His Bobness's strategy to write one self into the Great American Songbook, to actively seek canonization and lastly even sanctification. (as if the likes of Bob Dylan and Neil Young of today needed that) An all saints litany of the "Murder Most Foul" kind is more than just name dropping or a description of the vast stream of cultural phenomena that shaped the world of several generations and way beyond The United States, it is setting up a traditional typology with the narrator at its center. It appears to be a phenomenon of getting old to deal with "the road we came".
Having written that I return to my Corona-project digitizing all the photos and documents of my own family, establishing our 19th and 20th century narrative.
On the other hand, Canada gave us Neil Young, but he split for California to become famous. Then he became a citizen. I say we win because we have Neil Young. And when I say we, I am not referring to any particular country now, no borders. We, his fans, win the contest. Thanks Neil Young! Alan in Seattle
My one regret about Dylan is that he damaged his voice with cigarettes. I own essentially ALL of his recordings, but Neil Young holds my interest more. Neil has been a better one-man-band for decades, partly due to lack of cigarettes. But we get to have them both. I am pleased Dylan got through his Frank Sinatra chapter finally. You have inspired me to give Rough and Rowdy Ways another listen. His touring band is Hot. Alan in Seattle
What a song! : Red River Shore, Bootleg Series 8, Tell Tale Signs. Dylan wrote Blowin’ in the Wind, and All Along the Watchtower, (and 100’s of other crucial tracks). Only Shakey could plug in and give us a significant version of Watchtower after Hendrix made it his own. Neil has the electric protest songs prize, IMHO. Dylan is king of the acoustic folk classics.
@ Fort Mac - well, what a surprise. actually not.
you must have a Canada + Queen alert for TW, EH?
regarding your departed prince. so he dies on April 9 at age 99.
That would be 999. and if yu flip that, you know what you get, right?
Coincidence certainly that same as address for The Devil in Greendale.
http://neilyoungnews.thrasherswheat.org/2020/05/donald-trump-plays-neil-youngs-song.html
@ Alan - please let us know how you really feel. (actually you already did.) Yes, there's an echo here @ TW.
btw, altho Neil became a US citizen, word has it that he has moved back to canada. Whether a temporary location seems tbd.
@ Dionys - very interesting analogy of Americana and His Bobness.
Also, appreciate your citing the massively overlooked and under-rated "Murder Most Foul".
Now why was that? Sort of a magnum opus Don Mclean "American Pie" on steroids.
Good luck on your family project!
Clementine is certainly classic. This song is as dark as it gets (in a certain genre) and Neil spills its guts all over the ground. In fact, this song makes my hair stand on end. Perhaps the genius here is the manner in which the original intent of the songs is brought back and deepened with reckless and harrowing music. The backing vocals, "oh my darling" at the end spark a grimy irony and speak directly to the violent and perverse shambles of United States Culture (now and then). In short, Neil and Crazy Horse push this into a new realm of "classic" and are on the verge of a new genre. It is not so much deconstruction as it is evisceration. There is little or no reverence for "the original" (whatever that was or is). Incredible set of comments by very astute and informed people on this thread. I have been gone for a bit, nice to be back with all of you.
Welcome back Abner!
Thank you Thos
Before this post or thread goes away, I wanted to clarify and explain my points. By not approaching the songs with reverence, Neil Young and Crazy Horse do at least two things (and this depends on their electric sludge and mayhem). First of all, "coming Round the Mountain" or whatever that song is called, basically gets what it deserves: a sound thrashing. In short they beat the crap out of the song (imagine a nice studio reverent version- which would be the opposite). The song, with its portals and red roosters, is utterly revolting and moronic. No doubt, Neil senses this in his bones and so the video with all the dancing racists. The song got exactly what it deserved (thank God). Clementine, on the other hand, is revealed rather than thrashed. what comes forth in the grimly, slithering noise is the nihilism of the narrator and the overall horror of the song. This song is more grotesque than moronic. Basically, no respect leads to the revelation of the song in all its wretched darkness. The other songs are, in their essence, quite dumb and lead nowhere. I see nothing of real value in "God Save the Queen" except perhaps historical significance. Perhaps an analogy might be a bad novel that gathered some nationalistic, jingoistic, appeal over time. No mercy is an interesting and novel approach to a "cover" and so instead of wanting to really find some place for himself in the canon or in the songbook, Neil seems to be going in the opposite direction. This is why I love the guy and the band. One has to admire the recognition of the songs as wretched. I don't think he brought them back to life, we can only hope that he put a few nails in a few coffins. (Please, no one take this as an attack on their country or culture- I find many US anthems as repulsive and bad. Although, we might all be better off without any kings and queens, as Locke argued a long time ago.)
Thrasher ..... Americana ..... Keep on shooting each other in yer Free World ... Eh !
Another mass shooting ... " what a surprise , actually not "
Post a Comment
<< Home