What's the story behind the song?

Neil Young turned 66 today.

He was a lot younger when he wrote Old Man:

Old man look at my life,
I'm a lot like you were.
Old man look at my life,
I'm a lot like you were.

Old man look at my life,
Twenty four
and there's so much more
Live alone in a paradise
That makes me think of two.

Love lost, such a cost,
Give me things
that don't get lost.
Like a coin that won't get tossed
Rolling home to you.

Old man take a look at my life
I'm a lot like you
I need someone to love me
the whole day through
Ah, one look in my eyes
and you can tell that's true.

Lullabies, look in your eyes,
Run around the same old town.
Doesn't mean that much to me
To mean that much to you.

I've been first and last
Look at how the time goes past.
But I'm all alone at last.
Rolling home to you.

Old man take a look at my life
I'm a lot like you
I need someone to love me
the whole day through
Ah, one look in my eyes
and you can tell that's true.

Old man look at my life,
I'm a lot like you were.
Old man look at my life,
I'm a lot like you were.
​

What's the story behind one of your favorite songs?

 

This is one of my favorite lyrics because it can be taken two somewhat similar but ultimately different ways. Either as defiant: I don't need your approval to live my life; or content: I'm happy with who I am and that's enough.

 

I kinda liked when I thought it was about Neil's real old man, who was a Canadian sports writing legend - as big a name in his field as Neil has been in his.

Here's the story behind the only recording that matters of my favourite song - so much so that I wrote an article about it.

http://www.ctv.ca/CTVNews/Entertainment/20040412/beatles_twistandshout_040412/

 

Fun article JJ.

Two takes, and they pressed the first one. Incredible.

Write the book.

 

I knew you were gonna say that.

 

It's a great story, you're passionate about it, you already know a lot about it, and there's a huge market for it.

Hey, I love Slap Shot, but there's a shit load more Beatles fans, and they eat shit up about them.

 

Just make sure it's the large print edition.

 

I've pimped this book a couple of times:



http://www.amazon.com/Fire-Rain-Beatles-Garfunkel-Taylor/dp/0306818507

Tells the stories behind some great songs.

 

It would be difficult to do the kind of original reporting I really would prefer to do.

Getting the interview with Paul Newman wasn't easy, but landing McCartney would be next to impossible.

 

I cannot WAIT to get this book. 1970 is my defining year when it comes to music.

I've really been digging early James Taylor (thanks, Wolfgang's Vault), and I've especially liked "Knocking Round the Zoo", which describes James' stay in a psychiatric hospital.

ust knocking around the zoo on a Thursday afternoon,
there's bars on all the windows and they're counting up the spoons, yeah.
And if I'm feeling edgy, there's a chick who's paid to be my slave, yeah, watch out James.
But she'll hit me with a needle if she thinks I'm trying to misbehave.

Now the keeper's trying to cool me/ says I'm bound to be all right,
but I know that he can't fool me cause I'm putting him uptight, yeah.
And I can feel him getting edgy every time I make a sudden move, whoa, yes it's true.
And I can hear them celebrating every time I up and leave the room.

Now my friends all come to see me, they just point at me and stare.
Said, he's just like the rest of us so what's he doing there?
They hide in their movie theaters drinking juice, keeping tight, watch that bright light.
Cause they're certain about one thing, babe, that zoo's no place to spend the night, no.

Just knocking around the zoo on a Thursday afternoon,
there's bars on all the windows and they're counting up the spoons, yeah.
And if I'm feeling edgy, there's a chick who's paid to be my slave, watch out Kootch.
But she'll hit me with a needle if she thinks I'm trying to misbehave.

 

Never been as into what some song supposedly means as I am interested in the creative process whether it was writing or recording, like how Keith Richards woke up in the middle of the night in a Florida motel room with the riff to what would become "Satisfaction" running through his head. Or Springsteen walking around after writing "Thunder Road" wondering where he had stolen it from. Or JJ's great article on the recording of "Twist And Shout".

 

I love this kind of stuff too. In fact, the book I linked to has a ton of that.

Let's hear these stories too.