Neil Young, Son of Famed Reporter, Records "Impeach the President" Song

editor & publisher ^ | who cares

[dr_who_2]

It would be a scream if Crosby, Stills, and Nash joined him in a charity concert for impeaching the president. That would be scream (especially if one of them has died the way imfamous rockers typically die).

[Captainpaintball]

Young has always been a maverick politically as well as musically. Although he has recorded a few songs with a "liberal" slant, he also drew criticism from the left for pro-Reagan comments many years ago. Most of his albums contain few if any political songs. Herein lies Young's motivation:

The best way to earn the admiration of your peers and reap critical acclaim from the elite of your industry is to do something liberal. That's all. It doesn't even have to be good. Just left-wing. Some evangelizing for your religion.

[Revolting cat!]

I remember reading articles about Young in the so-called "alternative" press, maybe a dozen or more years ago that painted him as a political maverick, leaning conservative or libertarian. They couldn't bring themsleves to criticize him, after all, he was a Woodstock boy, and he didn't express support any nasty fascist Republicans. But to me he sounded like another joe palooka, as he does today, not well read, or particularly deep, just against certain things we all ought to be against, but for no reasons in his case that were intelligently articulated or well thought out. As I said, joe palooka.

[Captainpaintball]

Right. But as someone else posted earlier, he was beaten down in the mid 80s by the Geffen/Pink Mafia and has been trying to atone for it ever since. I would like to do a little research on this and see what he did between his lawsuit and 1989's Freedom, which started his comeback, of sorts.

[SaintDismas]

Finally. Somebody who does appreciate the good stuff, but my favorite is Cowgirl in the Sand

[Liberty Valance]

Out on the weekend

---

Think I’ll pack it in and buy a pick-up
Take it down to l.a.
Find a place to call my own and try to fix up.
Start a brand new day.

The woman I’m thinking of, she loved me all up
But I’m so down today
She’s so fine, she’s in my mind.
I hear her callin’.

See the lonely boy, out on the weekend
Trying to make it pay.
Can’t relate to joy, he tries to speak and
Can’t begin to say.

She got pictures on the wall, they make me look up
From her big brass bed.
Now I’m running down the road trying to stay up
Somewhere in her head.

The woman I’m thinking of, she loved me all up
But I’m so down today
She’s so fine she’s in my mind.
I hear her callin’.

See the lonely boy, out on the weekend
Trying to make it pay.
Can’t relate to joy, he tries to speak and
Can’t begin to say.

[bagadonutz]

This article has it overblown, knowing Neil's past work I'm sure the "political content" of these songs will cut both ways. Mark my words. When the CD comes out, we will post the lyrics here and let the flaming begin.

Harvest, Rust Never Sleeps and Harvest Moon were great albums! Prairie Wind isn't bad either. I don't care if he plays one note - Live Rust was the best concert film of the 70's. Don't forget Crazy Horse. Pure Rock!

Pompous asshole? no doubt. But great sounds over the years.

[Liberty Valance]

Rockin' In The Free World
by Neil Young

---

There's colors on the street
Red, white and blue
People shufflin' their feet
People sleepin' in their shoes
But there's a warnin' sign on the road ahead
There's a lot of people sayin' we'd be better off dead
Don't feel like Satan, but I am to them
So I try to forget it, any way I can.

Keep on rockin' in the free world,
Keep on rockin' in the free world
Keep on rockin' in the free world,
Keep on rockin' in the free world.

I see a woman in the night
With a baby in her hand
Under an old street light
Near a garbage can
Now she puts the kid away, and she's gone to get a hit
She hates her life, and what she's done to it
There's one more kid that will never go to school
Never get to fall in love, never get to be cool.

Keep on rockin' in the free world,
Keep on rockin' in the free world
Keep on rockin' in the free world,
Keep on rockin' in the free world.

We got a thousand points of light
For the homeless man
We got a kinder, gentler,
Machine gun hand
We got department stores and toilet paper
Got styrofoam boxes for the ozone layer
Got a man of the people, says keep hope alive
Got fuel to burn, got roads to drive.

Keep on rockin' in the free world,
Keep on rockin' in the free world
Keep on rockin' in the free world,
Keep on rockin' in the free world.

[Liberty Valance]

I do not agree with Neil about the "Impeach Bush" tune. But i must say it is his right...wait a minute.....is he a Canadian or American or (the blessed among us) dual citizenship? Oh well, I certainly like his music and have heard some really good things about him and his family. I'll give him the benefit of the doubt, not that he needs that.

[Liberty Valance]

neil young
Lets roll

---

I know i said i love you
I know you know its true
I got to put the phone down
And do what we got to do
One's standing in the aisle way
Two more at the door
We got to get inside there
Before they kill some more

Time is runnin out¡­ lets roll
Time is runnin out¡­ lets roll


No time for indecision we got to make a move
I hope that were forgiven for what we got to do
How this all got started i'll never understand
Hope someone can fly this thing and get us back to land

Time is runnin out¡­ lets roll
Time is runnin out¡­ lets roll

No one has the answer but one thing is true
You got to turn on evil when it's coming after you
You gotta face it down and when it tries to hide
We gotta go in after it and never be denied

Time is runnin out¡­ lets roll

Lets roll for freedom
Lets roll for love
Going after satin on the wings of a dove
Lets roll for justice
Lets roll for truth
Lets not let our children grow up fearful in their youth

Time is runnin out¡­ lets roll
Time is runnin out¡­ lets roll
Time is runnin out¡­ lets roll

[RightOnline]

Neil, you are so 1969. Just shut up and sing about drugs and cinammon girls and such, k?

[catfish1957]

Do you mean Reagan?

that poster is correct, I remember a televised news report where Neil Young endorsed Reagan over Walter Mondale in the 1984 presidential election.

[catfish1957]

http://www.thrasherswheat.org/ptma/reagan.htm

[BunnySlippers]

Yes, I did, duh. That's what happens when you don't preview.

[Psycho_Bunny]

the whole thing is a classic beautiful protest record

In the unlikely event it actually is, it would be the first because there is no such other record.

[veronica]

The angry loony left strikes again...

[sportutegrl]

The idiots do not refer to all yankees, only those who look down on us southerners.

[Darkwolf377]

Sorry, Young was a great, great songwriter. Skynyrd had their moments, but their whiney response to Young's song in Sweet Home Alabama just made them sound defensive. Who cares if someone makes a political song we don't agree with--free speech is about making controversial statements. Let's be real here, Young was addressing people who really DO exist, so let's not pretend he just invented them out of whole cloth and the South was "slandered" or something.

For a period in the 70's Young was bursting with creativity and good tunes. Since the 80's, he's had occassional successes, but he's an example of one of those artists who has to work at what used to come naturally.

Are we all supposed to think Skynyrd were great because they said "Yeah, well we don't like YOU either!" in response to an interesting, original song that had some relevence to the time when it was penned? I won't buy this song or CD, and I think Young is uninformed and stupid about this situation. But while Skynyrd had a good tune or two they were pretty plain, a glorified bar band. In terms of originality, creativity and artistry, he kicks Skynyrd's butt all over the place, his ignorant politics notwithstanding. We shouldn't let politics determine our "loyalty" toward musicians. IMHO, of course.