The Real Story of Neil Young's "Like A Hurricane?": Celebrating the Song's 50th Anniversary

"Like A Hurricane"Neil Young - Hammersmith Odeon, March 1976
Photo by Tony Fahy

So who knows what "The Real Story of Neil Young's 1975 song 'Like A Hurricane?' " might be?  If you've ever wondered about the song's origins, here's an informative essay by Robert Broadfoot over on https://www.facebook.com/groups/ny.unreleased.nyu/

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Neil Youngphoto courtesy of  Robert Broadfoot

LIKE A HURRICANE – THE 50TH ANNIVERSARY

November 29 sees the official 50th anniversary of ‘Like A Hurricane’, one of Neil’s most iconic songs.

The story of its creation has taken on near mythical proportions, starting with a drug-fueled night out with the boys with Neil scribbling the lyrics on a handy newspaper, followed by a sleepless night bent over his Stringman synthesizer “playin’ away like Beethoven” looking like a “fuckin’ maniac”.  The backing track with Crazy Horse took shape almost accidentally and for several months it didn’t even have any vocals. And in between Neil underwent an operation on his vocal cords and couldn’t sing at all. It is certainly a fascinating story. However, in my view the ‘accepted’ dates for the writing and recording of the song are not correct. Everyone, including Neil himself, places the whole story after the throat operation in October 1975.

The evidence however suggests this is wrong.

It may not matter to many, but that whole period was such an important and wildly creative phase in Neil’s life. He emerges from the ‘ditch’, from the demands of his involvement with Crosby, Stills & Nash, and the shards of his tempestuous relationship with Carrie Snodgress, to rediscover himself and his music with a reformed and reenergised Crazy Horse. The summer of 1975 was a crucial period in which he created other major songs such as ‘Cortez The Killer’ and ‘Danger Bird’ and which saw the earliest known recordings of ‘Powderfinger’ and ‘Pocahontas’ for example. It seems important to get the chronology right.

‘Like A Hurricane’ was written during work on the album Zuma. Once finished, it became the  standout anthem of the amazing series of Crazy Horse shows in 1976, when I first saw Neil and the band live. That is one reason why the song is so important to me and why I think it is important to set the record straight. In my article, The Real Story Of Like A Hurricane?, you can judge the evidence for yourself.

I hope you find it interesting. 

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1j8Oa8vWbSg1GhI8UHizmcBW6FlS9bwap/view?usp=drive_link

Robert Broadfoot

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Thanks again Robert for all the invaluable research! Definitely helps clear up a few of the myths and legends surrounding "Like A Hurricane".  (Also, see Rare Photo: Neil Young -  Hammersmith Odeon, March 1976.)

More of Robert and NYU research on Neil Young Archives: Answer to Answers #4 by Broadfoot/NYU. 

Also, here are details on Robert's other Neil Young unreleased music research:

DOWNLOAD FILE @ 

#NYU - Neil Youngs Missing Recordings V4.0 (c) Robert Broadfoot 2021.pdf (right click to "Save As")

If you see any corrections or updates, please share a comment below.

Neil Young's Unreleased Songs:
The Unofficial Archive - UPDATE Version 7 (Abridged): 12 November 2019

Also, see Neil Young's Unreleased Songs: UNCLE EDDIE'S CUPBOARD + The Unofficial Archive - UPDATE Vers. 7 + COTM.

Also, see Neil Young's Missing Recordings | NYU.

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And many, many eternal thanks to all the unsung researchers and their labors of love. 

... gone but NEVER forgotten ... 

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Micah Nelson Awaits:DangerBird/StringMan Descends for "The Hurricane"August 10, 2025 - Richmond, VA
photo by thrasher (Click photo to enlarge)

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