A To Z Challenge, Music Blog

That’s Entertainment – Letter Y

Nancy's Notes 🖊️🎶

Welcome back to “That’s Entertainment!” –
The A To Z Challenge.
I hope you enjoy my musical selections.
Let’s see what’s up today!

© NAR
Artwork by Ernest Federspiel

NEIL YOUNG – In 1958, when Neil Young was a 13-year-old living in Toronto, his father gave him a ukulele for Christmas. He graduated to banjo, then soon after to guitar; he was a natural. By 1964, Neil was arranging and writing music for his new band, the Squires. Having performed in bands since his teens and later as a soloist in Toronto coffeehouses, Young was both a folkie and a rocker, so when he arrived in Los Angeles in 1966 he was ready for Buffalo Springfield, which he co-founded alongside Stephen Stills, Richie Furay, Bruce Palmer, and Dewey Martin. He co-wrote and contributed to the band’s music, including the hit song “For What It’s Worth“, but left the group after two years. Young’s departure from Buffalo Springfield occurred shortly before the band was scheduled to perform on The Tonight Show, due to a combination of factors including disagreements within the band and his own personal struggles. Following his departure, Young embarked on a solo career, eventually forming the band Crazy Horse, and later joining Crosby, Stills and Nash to form Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young. The group briefly became CSN&Y for the double live album Déjà Vu and their appearance at Woodstock in 1969. Personality clashes and Young refusing to follow the easy commercial path led him back to a solo career which kept right on rolling with the album Harvest and songs such as “Old Man” and “Heart of Gold”. Harvest remains Neil Young’s best-selling album and “Heart of Gold” is the only #1 single of his continuing career. 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 Young sustained while working at his ranch; this was followed by surgery and a period of limited mobility. 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 the piano and his harmonica during the three instrumental portions, including the intro to the song. 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. In 1985, Bob Dylan said he disliked hearing the song, despite always liking Neil Young: “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, but it bothered me every time I listened to ‘Heart of Gold’. It was up at #1 for a really long time, and I’d say, ‘Shit, that sounds like me! If it sounds like me, it should as well be me’.”

This is “Heart of Gold” by Neil Young


Please join me again tomorrow for the final installment of “That’s Entertainment” and the WordPress 2025 A To Z Challenge!

I’m Nancy and I’ll see you on the flip side. 😎

NAR©2025

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47 thoughts on “That’s Entertainment – Letter Y”

    1. Now that’s a comment!! 😂

      Oddly enough, Yes was on my list along with the Yardbirds and Yanni but, for a variety of reasons, each one got eliminated, leaving only Neil Young. Honestly, I couldn’t go with anyone other than Young. I knew all along to leave Neil Young out of the challenge would have been wrong. He’s just too important to the world of music.

      Thanks for your enthusiastic comments, Christian …. not just tonight but throughout the month. They and you are much appreciated.

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    1. Excellent comment, Jim. Neil Young writes songs and sings about the things that matter to him and should matter to all of us. There were other names on my Y list but none as timely or as important as Neil Young. Thank you for a great comment, Jim, and for following my challenge all month. I appreciate you.

      25 down, 1 to go!

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  15. A great Y choice, but could there have been anyone else! I played Harvest to bits: it came out just before I went to uni and of the 12 of us on my first residences corridor there, 7 of us had the album!

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    1. Besides Neil Young, there were three other names on my list: Yes, the Yardbirds, and Yanni. Each one was impactful in their own way. The Yardbirds sounded like a couple of other groups I already featured. Same is true for Yes. That left Yanni and Neil Young on the list …. a no brainer for me. At no time was Neil Young ever not a viable option. Welcome to the inner workings of my brain! 😂

      He’s simply the best and I was astounded to read that Heart of Gold is his only #1, ever. In a career spanning more than 60 years (solo or with some of the greatest groups around) that’s freakin’ ridiculous. Thanks, Clive. I’m very pleased to know you enjoyed this one today.

      25 down, 1 to go!

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      1. I think you went for the right one, especially as I have no idea who Yanni is (or are). Neil has made so much great music and I think he fully deserved to be your choice for today.

        Looking forward to Z!

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  16. I’ve been a Neil Young fan since I was a teenager (a long time ago) and I still play his music on a regular basis … meanwhile down here in Aussieland, I have something extra special for you, Nancy … the truly amazing Geoffrey Gurrumul Yunupingu, singing his song “Wiyathul”
    Geoffrey Gurrumul Yunupingu (22 January 1971 – 25 July 2017), (he was born blind) commonly known as Gurrumul and also referred to since his death as Dr G. Yunupingu, was a Yolŋu Aboriginal Australian musician. A multi-instrumentalist, he played drums, keyboards, guitar (a right-hand-strung guitar played left-handed) and didgeridoo, but is best known for the clarity of his singing voice. (“he sang with the voice of an angel”). He sang stories of his land both in Yolŋu languages, such as Gaalpu, Gumatj, or Djambarrpuynu (related to Gumatj), and in English. He began his career as a member of Yothu Yindi and later Saltwater Band, and his solo career brought him wider acclaim; he was the most commercially successful Aboriginal Australian musician at the time of his death. As of 2020, it is estimated that Yunupingu has sold half a million records globally.
    Enjoy, my friend … 🎵💜🌏

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    1. My dear Ivor! I wondered where you were; I found you in spam and just fished you out. This is an unbelievably touching video you have chosen to add to my soundtrack. I cannot thank you enough for being my dear friend and sharing your local music with me …. music I might otherwise never have heard. I welcome it and look forward to these incredible sounds. A friendship such as ours is one of the best parts of WordPress. From the bottom of my heart, thank you, dear Ivor. 🌏☺️🎶♡🌎

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  17. I am a longtime fan of Neil Young, the songs he has written and the sounds of his music. For a singer who has been around as long as he has, his voice is, I guess I’d have to say, well-suited for his songs perhaps in the same way that Dylan’s voice is well-suited for his songs.

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    1. Absolutely right. They both write/sing about the things that matter to them and should matter to us. Some people think Neil Young’s songs all sound the same; ditto Dylan. I don’t know what those people are listening to but it’s not the same thing I’m hearing. I had a couple of other options for Y but really, Neil Young was the only choice.

      Additionally, Young is publicly critical of ‘dynamic pricing’ and ‘platinum status’ for concerts tickets. He will not deal with Ticketmaster and other tickets scalpers and has taken steps to eliminate all ticket price gouging from his tours. That’s something I respect.

      Thanks very much for following my challenge, Fan. I appreciate you and your comments.

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