Friday Night Jukebox, Vol. LXXX--Neil Young: Like a Hurricane

In August of 1983 I saw Neil Young in concert for the first time (in Bloomington, Indiana, with my kid brother who I had to talk into going and was only eventually able to sway because our Dad paid for the tickets) and about halfway through the show he played a ditty called "Like a Hurricane" (which I was somewhat familiar with from his greatest hits package, Decade) and after hearing it I went from being a Neil Young fan to being a Neil Young disciple.  That's a bit of hyperbole--the whole show was fantastic--but I kid you not when I tell you that both my brother and I listened to shitloads of Neil Young over the next couple of years after that show.

Neil Young has had quite the storied career and quite the tragic personal life, a lot of both which have ended up on his records.  Starting out in 1960 in his native Canada, Young has been performing for more than 55 years now, being a member of Buffalo Springfield (classic hit, "For What It's Worth"), Crosby, Stills, Nash, and Young,  (where he wrote the seminal protest song, "Ohio"), and releasing 35 studio albums as a solo artist.  He's in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame twice (solo and as a member of Buffalo Springfield), has won Grammy Awards, Juno Awards, still tours regularly (and he's in his seventies now), was Village Voice's artist of the decade for the 70's, is considered the Godfather of Grunge, and for some odd ass reason is probably one of the most overlooked rock and roll icons still going today.  Part of it is Young himself--his musical output has been nothing if not eclectic (releasing albums that were electronica, rockabilly, country, folk, grunge, and rock, among others) and it's often hard for folks to keep up with so many changes (or keep up with a prolific output--I haven't bought a Neil Young album in 15 years). 

Young has also been surrounded by quite a bit of sorrow throughout his life--he had polio as a child, his two sons both were born with cerebral palsy, his daughter is epileptic (as is Young himself), and he suffered a brain aneurysm which almost cost him his life in the early 2000s.  Through it all Young has kept releasing music which both thrilled and mystified fans and disciples alike.  He probably won't get quite the deified send off that Prince got when he passed earlier this year (much deserved, and, in fairness, sudden and untimely celebrity deaths sell a lot more commercial time than old rock and roll geezers going to the great rock and roll concert in the sky), but he is certainly as worthy.

Released on his American Stars 'n Bars album in 1977, "Like a Hurricane" is a different breed of song for me--I grew up on top forty radio (WLS out of Chicago to be exact) and any song longer than three and a half minutes is far too long and extended guitar solos are for geeks who are positive that some morning  they'll wake up and have become Jimi Hendrix/Eric Clapton/Eddie Van Halen.  Well, "Like a Hurricane" lasts eight minutes and features not one, but two lengthy guitar solos.  Sigh--when a song grabs you it grabs you.  "Hurricane" is basically an ode to falling just a little too far in love and features some wondrous vocals from Young in his one of a kind alto singing voice.  While I generally hesitate to use the word "epic" when it comes to songs (The Iliad is epic--rock and roll songs are...uh...cool?), I would definitely call "Like a Hurricane" an epic--from the beginning guitar intro, through Young's two guitar solos, to its fade out, the music is grandiose, overarching, and spellbinding (if hurricanes had a soundtrack it'd probably sound just like this song).  It's another in a long line of songs in the classic rock pantheon--and like much of Young's work says multitudes with its sheer simplicity.

Lyric sheet:  "I am just a dreamer but you are just a dream..."

Enjoy:

Peace,

emaycee