Best Neil Young Songs Of All Time - And Why

Harvest Moon (album) (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

By Kenny Selcer

Without a doubt Neil Young is one of the greatest artists in American music of all time.

His music, as well as his approach to music, has influenced millions of people and has helped shaped popular music as we know it today. I am personally a big fan of the man and his music.

When the question of "what the best Neil Young songs of all time were," recently came up in conversation in a group of my friends, it got me thinking about it.

Here's what I came up with in my musing about it. Of course, I lean towards earlier Neil Young - my bias, what can I say? Not in any particular order:

1. Down By The River - When he rocked, he rocked with Crazy Horse, his rockin' band. I still sing this song, when I least expect it (to my self). One of those I shot my baby songs, like Hey Joe. He pays for his crime though.

2. Heart Of Gold - How can I not include this one? I still play this once in a while. People still love it. Great lyrics:

Keep me searching
for a heart of gold
You keep me searching
for a heart of gold
And I'm growing old.
I've been a miner
for a heart of gold.
And I'm getting old too!

3. Harvest Moon - Nice romantic song. Cool lyrics:

Because I'm still in love with you
I want to see you dance again
Because I'm still in love with you
On this harvest moon.

Very visual lyrics. This might be a stretch, but it reminds me, lyrically of Creole Belle by Mississippi John Hurt and later verses written by Taj Majal.

4. Old Man - A song about a son and his father and young and old. I love these songs about age. When I first listened to it I was a kid. It was poignant then and now that I'm an old man, it's even more applicable to me. "Old man look at my life, I'm a lot like you were." Twenty Four and so much more is a great lyric.

Simple, touching and insightful - When I was 24, I didn't particularly think about how much more living I had to do, especially compared with older people.

One more:

5. Rockin' In The Free World - This one acknowledges the political realities. I like that. It rocks, of course. It just seems to say what I would want to put in a song. It has it all. It's no wonder that so many artists have covered this song.

Whether you agree with my choices for the best Neil Young songs of all time, or not, There is no disputing that Neil Young is one of our best singer/songwriters of all time.

If you like Young, you might also check out Kenny Selcer
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