The loner
| The loner | |
|---|---|
| Neil Young | |
| publication | 1968 |
| length | 3:05 (single version) 3:55 (album version) |
| Genre (s) | Rock music |
| Author (s) | Neil Young |
| Label | Reprise Records |
| album | Neil Young (1968) |
The Loner is a song by Neil Young and his first solo single. It appeared on his Neil Young debut album in November 1968 and a single three months later. It missed the charts, but became an integral part of his concerts.
The song also appeared (like the B-side Sugar Mountain ) on the compilation Decade (1977) and on Live Rust (1979).
history
The Loner was written in the final stages of the band Buffalo Springfield . The song has often been thought to be about Stephen Stills , but it is more likely autobiographical.
It was recorded with former Springfield members Jim Messina (bass) and George Grantham (drums) who were not mentioned on the album cover. It was the first Young track produced by David Briggs (1944-1995) and with whom Young worked until Briggs death. The strings were arranged by David Blumberg, whom Young met through Briggs. Young's guitar is in Dropped-D tuning .
The song was used in the soundtrack of the film Bloody Strawberries and is included on the film's soundtrack album.
reception
The Rolling Stone praised the song: " 'The Loner' is a contemporary suit, showing a nice mix of Neil's guitar with unobtrusive strings, and the Young's balanced ice ax voice enables effective for the audience to play."
The song is still played live. Stephen Stills played the song live with and without Young.
Cover versions
- 1968: Three Dog Night on their debut album, Three Dog Night
- 1974: Richie Havens on Mixed Bag II
- 1976: Stephen Stills on Illegal Stills
- 1979: Boxer on her album Bloodletting
- 1990: Henry Kaiser on Heart's Desire
- 2008: Nils Lofgren on his tribute album The Loner - Nils Sings Neil
- 2018: Ty Segall on his cover album Fudge Sandwich
Individual evidence
- ^ Nigel Williamson: Journey Through the Past: The Stories Behind the Classic Songs of Neil Young. Hal Leonard (2002). Pp. 21-22. ISBN 9780879307417 .
- ↑ Scott Young: Neil and Me . McClelland & Stewart, 2009, ISBN 978-1-55199-335-5 ( google.de [accessed August 11, 2019]).
- ↑ HyperRust: It's All One Song! - Neil's tunings. Retrieved August 11, 2019 .
- ↑ Gary Von Tersch, Gary Von Tersch: Neil Young. In: Rolling Stone. April 5, 1969. Retrieved August 11, 2019 (American English).
- ^ Three Dog Night - Three Dog Night | Songs, reviews, credits. Retrieved August 11, 2019 (American English).
- ↑ Mixed Bag II - Richie Havens | Songs, reviews, credits. Retrieved August 11, 2019 (American English).
- ↑ Illegal Stills - Stephen Stills | Songs, reviews, credits. Retrieved August 11, 2019 (American English).
- ↑ Blood Letting - Boxer | Songs, reviews, credits. Retrieved August 11, 2019 (American English).
- ↑ Heart's Desire - Henry Kaiser | Songs, reviews, credits. Retrieved August 11, 2019 (American English).
- ^ The Loner: Nils Sings Neil - Nils Lofgren | Songs, reviews, credits. Retrieved August 11, 2019 (American English).
- ↑ Fudge Sandwich - Ty Segall | Songs, reviews, credits. Retrieved August 11, 2019 (American English).