by Neil Young & Crazy Horse
We interrupt our "unplanned/forced sabbatical" here at Thrasher's Wheat, with an update on the new song from BARN -- the upcoming album by Neil Young & Crazy Horse -- "Song Of The Seasons" which is previewing now on Neil Young Archives.
(WBR PR) Redwood, California: October 21, 2021
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
WBR artist Neil Young, caving in to fan pressure for the first time in history, is set to release a new song written after agonizing over fan response to his new song "Song Of The Seasons" from his upcoming album BARN album with Crazy Horse. (Release Date: Dec 10)
Says Young:
"You know the pressure of everyday stardom has begun to really bother me, so, in an effort the placate the 250 or so PATRON-ZOOM-RUST fans that I have left, I decided to really concentrate on their opinions of my new stuff. I can't believe I haven't been sensitive to their wants and desires over the past 40 years. I cried to my wife Daryl for hours over this. Finally after the tears dried, I was able to really commit to something so powerful that I couldn't deny it anymore. I really hope they like this new one."
Young has allowed release of these new lyrics in advance of the song. Finally, we can all agree that Neil Young has written a true masterpiece.
"I've been alive forever, and I wrote the very first song
I put the words and the melodies together
I am music and I write the songs
I write the songs that make the whole world sing
I write the songs of love and special things
I write the songs that make the young girls cry
I write the songs, I write the songs
My home lies deep within you
And I've got my own place in your soul
Now, when I look out through your eyes
I'm young again, even though I'm very old
Oh my music makes you dance
And gives you spirit to take a chance
And I wrote some rock 'n' roll so you can move
Music fills your heart
Well, that's a real fine place to start
It's from me it's for you
It's from you, it's for me
It's a worldwide symphony"
Well, obviously, this was modified from an earlier April Fool's joke back in 2009 in response to Neil's Fork In The Road album. (Thanks for the vintage rust memories SONY!)
As a first impression, some rusty readers here have been underwhelmed by the gentle, mellow calming gorgeousness of "Song Of The Seasons". (More on our thoughts on SotS on Thrasher's Wheat Radio 2.0 Vodcast - Episode #11) Or maybe they were expecting a full blown, raw, crunchy barn burner Crazy Horse rocker jam out!? Reportedly, the album BARN will contain extended epic sonic jams.
BARN
by Neil Young & Crazy Horse"10 new songs that capture the raw, idiosyncratic rock and roll spirit
and lyrical beauty that epitomizes a classic NYCH collaboration.
Recorded this summer under a full moon, in a restored off-grid 19th
century barn high up in the Rockies, the Horse was right at home and the
album’s stunning love songs, reflective ballads and powerhouse rockers
naturally burst into life." Here's what the inestimably humble Dan commented as first impressions of "Song Of The Seasons":
This new song has all the familiar elements Neil has used before (with
the exception of the accordion which is the driving force here) and like
a lot of his songs, this one required a few listens (for me anyway)
before it started to really sink in.
This has been the case for me with
a lot of Neil’s songs over the years.
Sometimes I feel that instant
connection with a song but with others it takes a while before it hits
me. I’m not even sure if that makes any sense really, but I wasn’t sure
what to think about this one on the first listen. It wasn’t like I
disliked it, but perhaps it just felt almost too familiar at first.
After about the third time through things started to fall into place,
and I made a connection with what his intention was.
The song
is definitely observational, although I don’t quite understand the verse
about the queen and how it relates to the other elements of the lyrics.
Perhaps it has to do with Canada I suppose. I’m certainly open to any
other interpretations anyone else might have on the subject. [Maybe see "God Save The Queen" by Neil Young & Crazy Horse | Americana]
He’s
looking through a different window on each verse except the last one,
and it’s clear that his love for Daryl is key to how he sees the world
around him. My favorite line is “I see nature makes no mistakes”. That
one line says it all really.
A song written by someone who has lived a
long life and learned much along the way, and knows what is truly
important. Love.
Peace 🙏
To which we often say to Dan's comments, thank you so much for your thoughts, contributions and steadfastness in these seas of madness.
SONG OF THE SEASONS
"The film of the same title - BARN captures this legendary band in
their element - in the wild, their easy humor, their brotherhood, their
humanity, and of course, the music, live, recorded in their unique
spontaneous way. A Blu-ray of the film directed by Daryl Hannah, will be
available as a stand-alone release."
Which really brings us to the whole point of this post: What exactly does an artist owe to their audience?
To which another of our ever enlightening TW contributors Dionys commented in response to the initial lukewarm reactions:
Nobody ever said to Van Gogh: 'Paint the Starry Nights
again'" (Joni Mitchell on Miles of Aisles).
Van Gogh later painted
farmhouses with a few barns thrown in, windmills and a lot of fields and
cottages. But he completely lost his ability to paint starry nights.
How a good guy who had 30 years of painting ending in 1889 can fall to
such mediocre to bad depths... You get it.
By the time Beethoven composed The
Ninth Symphony, he had completely lost his hearing, but today
nobody said that he should have written something like the Fifth
Symphony again instead.
Not that I would rank Neil Young in these
spheres of artistry, but I do believe that he is well beyond "these hook
and ladder dreams".
My idea of an artist's existence is that he or she
permanently has to re-invent him- or herself, doing what they want.
That's not only a right of the artist, it's his or her raison d'être.
"It's easy to get buried in the past".
So if you lose your curiosity
listening to Neil Young, it's not decided who lost what.
Dionys, it is these deeply profound & thoughtful responses here
@ TW that help inspire us to pick the torch back up again someday.
Dionys' excellent analogies of Van Gogh and Beethoven were later followed up by Abner who commented:
Faulkner's biographer titled his book "Ten Matchless Years"- the years
that included "The Sound and the Fury," "As I Lay Dying," "Absalom!
Absalom!" "Light in August" and "Go Down Moses."
What followed was a
gradual decline.
The works were still vital and worthy but they were not
at the same level of achievement. I don't think we should think of this
as failure, this is just human. Remember that Neil Young is now an old
man, there is no avoiding this fact, even though I sometimes would like
to.
He manages in various ways to keep elements of youth, but ultimately
that fades as well.
This subject of "what an artist owes to their audiences" (& see Artists who challenge their audiences)
has been a long running passion here @TW over the decades. and it will become even more
pertinent as time marches ahead relentlessly and predictably.
MORE BARN!!!
So will BARN be another FITR? Who knows, of course. Looking back at FITR back in 2009, we here @ TW were so stunned and ecstatic to hear lines so close to our hearts ("keep on bloggin' til the power goes out/batteries dead") that little else mattered. And we still crank FITR on our road trips.
Thank you Dionys, Dan and so many others for being here and keeping the neil-rust conversations burning during our "unplanned/forced sabbatical"!
Read more on an artist who challenges his audience, commentary and Greendale reviews. It'll be like deja vu all over again. Also, see more on obligations to audiences on Artistic Freedom and Commerce.
You either "get Neil" or you don't. it's really that simple. and yes everyone is allowed to have their own opinion on all things always ...
"Just Singing A Song Won't Change The World" -
Neil YoungDeja Vu Press Conference - Berlin, February, 2008
Labels: album, archives, crazy horse, neil young, nya, song, track
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