Neil Young "Jesus' Chariot"

Sometimes, in the modern age of too much information, I feel like learning too much about an album/artist really takes away from making a fair and proper judgement of the work.

I mean, when I was in the Sistine Chapel, I wasn't looking at the ceiling thinking, "I wonder if Michaelangelo's recent breakup had a major effect on the tone of this work?"  Or even, "I wonder what kind of research Michaelangelo did when plotting out this piece?"

No, I was more thinking, "Holy smokes this work of art is incredible!"

So there is a part of me that wants to shut out all the extraneous noise about a record, and just hear the record as the artist's statement, rather than hear the artist in an interview making a statement explaining his statement.

On the other hand, sometimes hearing from the artist can improve your view of the art's intentions. 

I heard an interview that cause me to reconsider Neil Young's "Americana" and to disabuse myself of a previously-conceived notion.

Yes, Young has a reputation for being a provocateur---whether that means writing an anti-War album in the middle of a War, or excoriating Pop-Sacred-Cows on songs like "This Note's For You."

And when I heard "Americana" my first impression was that the Neil was messing with us.  Why record an album of Folk songs, using his most rocking, loud backing band, Crazy Horse?  Why plunk away at some of the most childish, rudimentary tunes around, for anything other than a lark?

My initial feeling was that this was not unlike Bob Dylan's "Christmas In The Heart" album, which seemed to have been created to deliberately defy expectations of what and who the artist is supposed to be.

Then I heard Young on Fresh Air, and I thought that I should reconsider my position.

Here's where the light-bulb went on:  Neil Young might be a provocateur, he might be occasionally cantankerous, he might willfully defy expectations . . .

But if there is one thing he is not, it's insincere.

I don't think he's messing around with us.  I don't think he did these songs on a lark.  I don't think he finds these songs rudimentary (in a bad way).

I think he's sincerely interested in the melodies, and the lyrics, and the origins of these songs.  And I think he's sincerely interested in sharing what he's discovered through playing them.

So I'll listen again.  Will I like the album?  I don't know.  Not necessarily.

But at least I now feel like I'll hear the album, in a manner closer to how Young intended.


"Jesus' Chariot" is "She'll Be Coming Round The Mountain" closer to its original form.  Where I remember it as kind of a dumb tune about a woman on a wagon, Young peels back the lyrics to reveal that this is actually an old spiritual, about full of symbolism relating to the return of Jesus . . .


Hear the song on Youtube.

neil young

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