A column about history, culture, policy, and things in between.
I have long maintained that Canada's two greatest exports to this country have been Wayne Gretzky and Neil Young.
Perhaps some day I will write about Gretzky and try to capture the utter domiance he achieved in hockey, which stands unrivaled by any other athlete from the history of team sports. If so, we would also have the chance to evaluate his off-ice legacy; a life of grace and dignity that stands as testament to what a sports role model can be. A life that as much as his hockey prowess, earned him his legendary nickname "The Great One".
But it is a different Canadian I write about this morning - Neil Young. Few artists have been as prolific and enduring and his work stands up to anyone's in the pop/rock hall of fame. Few artists have been as effecive in and comfortable with a range of musical venues as diverse as the sizzling guitar rock of his band Crazy Horse, the exquisite harmonies of Crosby Stills Nahs and Young, or the folk based ballads and love songs of his solo career. Like Bob Dyblan and the Rolling Stones, Neil Young is now in his sixties. Like them, he is still making music that people are choosing to listen to and buy. And like them, he is still performing live, risking his name by putting it out there for audiences half his age.
Whether exploring racism in the deep south (Alabama), the death of two close friends via overdose (The Needle and the Damage Done), America's plague of fatherless children (Crime in the City), the heartache of lost love (Four Strong Winds), concern for the environment (After the Goldrush), or just some rollicking good fun (Roll another Number), no one wove fabrics of such imagery and story telling into their music; qualities so sadly lacking in more contemporary offerings. Young started his career by founding the legendary band Buffalo Springfield. Together with Stephen Stills, who he met in the bars of Southern California, he formed this short lived but highly influential band. It was Young's music which birthed the Seattle-based "grunge rock" movement; the funk based, twangy sounds of songs like "Everybody Knows" inspiring Eddie Vedder of Pearl Jam as he visited the coffee houses of that music rich city.
What got me thinking about Young was a Saturday morning listening session. After a very long and tiring week, I sought some relaxation by turning to his one of his best sellers, the CD "Harvest". It was recorded in Nashville in 1971 by Young and some studio musicians, who readied themselves for the sessions with hours of billiards playing and tequilla drinking, just to "set the mood". It was released in 1972 and quickly became a smash number one album in the year of Richard Nixon's re-election. It holds several great songs, but its signature cut is Heart of Gold.
Like an Australian racing yacht, Heart of Gold's beauty lies in its simplicity. No techno-funk sound, no synthesizer-generated noise; just the softly intricate combination of a folk guitar, drum, harmonica, and Young's other-worldly voice. It tells the story of his search for a "heart of gold", a search that takes him to "Hollywood", "Redwood", and the "across the ocean". It reflects the search we are all on to become better, more whole people. The music is so breezily pleasant that it belies the world-weariness and determiniation that lie right below its surface. After just one studio take, Young demonstrated the master's touch by rejecting suggestions for several more tries, saying, "no - leave it be. We got it right".
They sure did. Insistent yet soothing, challenging yet affirming; if there is a better effort in the history of pop-songdom I don't know what it is. In addition to its broad and easy appeal, it soothes and encourages, and who can't use some more of those comforts in their life?
So pull out this old classic and give it a fresh listen. And as the song closes, with its tightly woven knit of guitar, harmonica, and Young's humming lingering in your ear, say a prayer of thanks for artists who have been gifted with such talent that can take us to different, and oftentimes better places.
And oh yeah - thanks to Canada as well.
