Heart of Gold (Neil Young song) explained

Heart of Gold
Cover:Heart of Gold by Neal Yound single cover.jpg
Type:single
Artist:Neil Young
Album:Harvest
B-Side:Sugar Mountain
Released:January 1972 (U.S.)
Recorded:February 6–7, 1971
Studio:Quadrafonic Sound, Nashville, Tennessee
Length:3:07
Label:Reprise
Producer:
Prev Title:When You Dance I Can Really Love
Prev Year:1971
Next Title:Old Man
Next Year:1972

"Heart of Gold" is a song by Canadian singer-songwriter Neil Young. From his fourth album Harvest, it is Young's only U.S. No. 1 single. In Canada, it reached No. 1 on the RPM national singles chart for the first time on April 8, 1972, on which date Young held the top spot on both the singles and albums charts, and No. 1 again on May 13.[2] Billboard ranked it as the No. 17 song for 1972.[3]

In 2004, Rolling Stone ranked it No. 297 on their list of the 500 greatest songs of all time,[4] No. 303 in an updated 2010 list,[5] and No. 259 in 2021.[6]

Description

The song, which features backup vocals by James Taylor and Linda Ronstadt, is one of a series of soft acoustic pieces which were written partly as a result of a back injury. Unable to stand for long periods of time, Young could not play his electric guitar and so returned to his acoustic guitar, which he could play sitting down. He also played his harmonica during the three instrumental portions, including the introduction to the song.[7] [8]

"Heart of Gold" was recorded during the initial sessions for Harvest on February 6–8, 1971, at Quadrafonic Sound Studios in Nashville, Tennessee. Ronstadt (who herself would later cover Young's song "Love Is a Rose") and Taylor were in Nashville at the time for an appearance on Johnny Cash's television program, and the album's producer Elliot Mazer arranged for them to sing backup for Young in the studio.[9] [10]

Young played this song in 1971 solo shows before recording it. At a January 19 concert (preserved on Live at Massey Hall 1971, released in 2007) he played it on piano, starting with "A Man Needs a Maid" and then segueing into this song. By the time of Harvest, he had separated the two songs and played "Heart of Gold" on guitar and harmonica.

Young wrote in the liner notes of his 1977 compilation album Decade: "This song put me in the middle of the road. Traveling there soon became a bore so I headed for the ditch. A rougher ride but I saw more interesting people there." This statement was in response to the mainstream popularity that he gained as a result of the number-one status of "Heart of Gold".

Young has stated that this song, as well as "Harvest" and "Out on the Weekend" from the same album, were inspired by his then blossoming love for actress Carrie Snodgress.[11]

In 1985, Bob Dylan said he disliked hearing the song, despite always liking Young:[12]

The only time it bothered me that someone sounded like me was when I was living in Phoenix, Arizona, in about '72 and the big song at the time was "Heart of Gold". I used to hate it when it came on the radio. I always liked Neil Young, but it bothered me every time I listened to "Heart of Gold." I think it was up at number one for a long time, and I'd say, "Shit, that's me. If it sounds like me, it should as well be me."

Upon the single release, Record World said that "Dylanesque harmonica and lyric content give this one more of a folk feel than [Young's] most recent work."[13]

Notable covers

Recognition

In 2005, "Heart of Gold" was named the third greatest Canadian song of all time on the CBC Radio One series .[19]

Charts

Chart (1972)Peak
position
Australia (Kent Music Report)[20] 14
Canada Top Singles (RPM)[21] 1
France (IFOP)[22] 31
Japan (Oricon)[23] 28
New Zealand (Listener)[24] 10
South Africa (Springbok Radio)[25] 8
US Billboard Hot 1001
US Billboard Easy Listening[26] 8
US Cashbox Top 100 Singles[27] 1
US Record World Top 100 Singles[28] 1

Personnel

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Harvest. February 1972 . Discogs. July 21, 2015.
  2. Web site: RPM Top 100 Singles - May 13, 1972.
  3. Web site: Billboard Top 100 – 1972 . January 2, 2011 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20160216000410/http://longboredsurfer.com/charts/1972.php . February 16, 2016 .
  4. https://web.archive.org/web/20080625061023/http://www.rollingstone.com/news/coverstory/500songs/page/3 The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time
  5. https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-lists/500-greatest-songs-of-all-time-151127/neil-young-heart-of-gold-49478/ The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time - Neil Young, Heart of Gold
  6. Heart of Gold ranked #259 on Rolling Stone 500 Greatest Songs List. Rolling Stone. September 15, 2021 . September 23, 2021.
  7. McDonough, Jim, Shakey, Random 2002, pp. 352-354, 370.
  8. Crowe, Cameron, Neil Young, the Last American Hero. Rolling Stone, February 8, 1989, webpage found November 29, 2007.
  9. "Thrasher", Neil Young's Heart of Gold, web page found November 29, 2007.
  10. Mazer, Elliot, Neil Young's Heart of Gold . In Mix, May 1, 2001, webpage found November 29, 2007.
  11. Neil Young. February 1, 2022. Sirius XM. Neil Young Radio.
  12. https://www.interferenza.net/bcs/interw/85-dec.htm Bob Dylan: Not Like a Rolling Stone Interview
  13. Single Picks. Record World. January 22, 1972. 10. April 2, 2023.
  14. Web site: RPM Top 50 AC - December 30, 1972.
  15. Book: Whitburn, Joel. Hot Country Songs 1944–2012. Record Research, Inc. 238. 2013. 978-0-89820-203-8.
  16. Web site: Live At Graffiti's . YouTube . Amazon . January 25, 2024.
  17. Web site: Superfly: Wildflower & Cover Songs: Complete Best . Discogs . September 2010 . April 24, 2020.
  18. Web site: Here's what you missed at the 2017 Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame. CBC News . December 15, 2022 . September 24, 2017.
  19. https://web.archive.org/web/20050412002329/http://www.cbc.ca/50tracks/essentialcanadianmusic.html '50 Tracks' list of essential Canadian music, 2005
  20. Book: Kent, David . David Kent (historian) . . Australian Chart Book . St Ives, N.S.W. . 1993 . 0-646-11917-6.
  21. RPM. RPM100 Singles. April 8, 1972. April 12, 2020.
  22. Web site: Toutes les Chansons N° 1 des Années 70 . InfoDisc . February 10, 1972 . December 22, 2019 . fr.
  23. Book: Okamoto, Satoshi . Single Chart Book: Complete Edition 1968–2010 . 2011 . Oricon Entertainment . . 978-4-87131-088-8 . ja.
  24. Web site: Flavour of New Zealand, 15 May 1972 . July 13, 2017 . February 17, 2019 . https://web.archive.org/web/20190217030256/http://www.flavourofnz.co.nz/index.php?qpageID=search%20listener&qartistid=1287#n_view_location . dead .
  25. Web site: SA Charts 1965–March 1989. September 5, 2018.
  26. Book: Whitburn, Joel . Joel Whitburn . 1993 . Top Adult Contemporary: 1961–1993 . Record Research . 263.
  27. Web site: CASH BOX MAGAZINE: Music and coin machine magazine 1942 to 1996. April 3, 2021. worldradiohistory.com.
  28. Web site: RECORD WORLD MAGAZINE: 1942 to 1982. April 3, 2021. worldradiohistory.com.

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