Powderfinger (song)
| Powder fingers | |
|---|---|
| Neil Young | |
| publication | 2nd July 1979 |
| Genre (s) | Rock music |
| Author (s) | Neil Young |
| Label | Reprise Records |
| album | Rust Never Sleeps |
Powderfinger is a Neil Young song released on the 1979 album Rust Never Sleeps .
In 2014 it was named best song in the Rolling Stone special issue Neil Young . The Australian rock band Powderfinger named themselves after this song.
text
Powderfinger is the first song on the second, electric, side of Rust Never Sleeps .
The story of a 22-year-old man is told who is home alone when a gunboat approaches. His father is gone and his brother is out hunting. So he finally takes his father's rifle. When the first shot is fired, he aims at the boat and is instantly killed:
"Then I saw black and my face splashed into the sky."
In death he sees it as a wrong decision to have used the rifle:
"Protect me from the powder and the finger
Cover me with the thought that pulled the trigger."
So the song name Powderfinger refers to the powder and the finger that carried out the fatal decision that led to the narrator's death.
history
Young recorded a solo acoustic version of Powderfinger in September 1975 at Indigo Studios in Malibu, California . He originally wanted to use it for his album Chrome Dreams , which was planned for 1977 but then remained unreleased .
He later sent the tape to his friend Ronnie Van Zant of Lynyrd Skynyrd , who wanted to use the song on their next album. However, Van Zant died in a plane crash in October 1977 and Lynyrd Skynyrd never recorded the song.
Young then re-recorded the song with his backing band Crazy Horse .
Musician
- Neil Young : vocals and lead guitar
- Young's backing band Crazy Horse :
- Frank "Poncho" Sampedro: guitar, backing vocals
- Billy Talbot: bass, backing vocals
- Ralph Molina: drums, backing vocals
reception
Allmusic critic Jason Ankeny wrote:
"Although the lively, poetic tale Powderfinger is reminiscent of traditional folk -telling , the recording with Crazy Horse is pure rock music, and Young's captivating guitar solos add mythical proportions to the piece until the song reaches its harrowing climax."
Writer Johnny Rogan described it as one of "Young's great narrative songs" and "almost cinematic in execution".
Cover versions (selection)
- 1985: Beat Farmers
- 1990: Cowboy Junkies
- 2004: Rusted Root
literature
- Johnny Rogan: The Complete Guide to the Music of Neil Young. , Omnibus Press 1996, p. 85, ISBN 0711953996 .
- Nigel Williamson: Neil Young - Journey Through the Past: The Stories Behind the Classic Songs of Neil Young , Hal Leonard Corporation 2002, ISBN 978-0879307417 .
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b c neil-young.info: Translation Powderfinger
- ↑ geetarz.org: Neil Young - Chrome Dreams (Rust Edition)
- ^ Nigel Williamson: Neil Young - Journey Through the Past: The Stories Behind the Classic Songs of Neil Young , Hal Leonard Corporation 2002, ISBN 978-0879307417 .
- ↑ allmusic.com: Powderfinger
- ^ Johnny Rogan: The Complete Guide to the Music of Neil Young. , Omnibus Press 1996, p. 85, ISBN 0711953996 .