One of the most prolific and influential songwriters of all time, Neil Young wrote a huge number of songs that became favorites for millions of fans worldwide. Over the decades, he has always been quite sincere about the kind of music he likes and dislikes. He has mentioned many artists who influenced him, as well as tracks that were especially important to him.
In his book “Waging Heavy Peace,” he mentioned five songs, including tracks by Bob Dylan and Jimi Hendrix, that were very inspirational to him and remain some of his favorites.
5 songs Neil Young listed as some of his favorites of all time
JJ Cale “Crazy Mama”
“Although I have not written any songs in a while, a few songs that mean a lot to me and may have shaped my songwriting are listed here: “Crazy Mama” by JJ Cale is a record I love. The song is true, simple, and direct, and the delivery is very natural. JJ’s guitar playing is a huge influence on me. His touch is unspeakable. I am stunned by it,” Neil Young said.
The song mentioned by him was part of JJ Cale’s debut studio album “Naturally”, released in 1971. Neil has always been a big fan of J. J. Cale and even once compared him to Eric Clapton, saying he “played it all” before the British guitarist. He was referring to “Cocaine” and “After Midnight,” both written by Cale and later made famous by Clapton.
“What is it about J. J. Cale’s playing? I mean, you could say Eric Clapton’s the guitar god, but what the fuck does that mean? I mean he can’t play like J.J. J.J.’s the one who played all that shit first. Most of the songs and the riffs—the way he plays the fucking guitar is so … great. I think we’d play great together. There’s no doubt, if it was just the two of us, it’d be somethin’ special.”
Neil Young continued:
“And he doesn’t play very loud, either—I really like that about him. He’s so sensitive. Of all the players I ever heard, it’s gotta be Hendrix and J. J. Cale who are the best electric guitar players. J.J.’s my peer, but he doesn’t have the business acumen. He doesn’t have the idea of how to deal with the rest of the world that I do. But musically, he’s actually more than my peer, because he’s got that thing. I don’t know what it is.”
I must have it, too—but I don’t recognize it, okay? But I know J.J. has it. I’m only saying I have it because, after thirty years I must have something. I’m just doin’ what I like to do. Really, is it original? I dunno… I know it’s what I like, and I know what I like is what other people have done. I’m just doin’ my versions. My music is just a bunch of stuff that comes from other people’s music—and my life,” Neil Young said in his biography “Shakey” (2002) by Jimmy McDonough.
Bob Dylan “Like a Rolling Stone”
“’Like a Rolling Stone’ by Bob Dylan is as fresh as the first day I heard it—I can still remember that afternoon in Toronto. It changed my life. The poetry, attitude, and ambience of that piece are part of my makeup. I absorbed it,” Neil Young said. The track mentioned by the musician was part of Dylan’s groundbreaking 1965 album “Highway 61 Revisited”.
Neil has always revered Dylan as one of the greatest songwriters of all time and had previously mentioned the same song as an example.
“I love Bob Dylan, I think he is great. In the very beginning I knew he was great. I was walking on down the street and there is this guy in a Lincoln Navigator or continent. I can’t remember, was one of those black cars. He is in there and he is blasting ‘Like a Rolling Stone’ and singing at the top of his lungs. It’s an afro-american guy sitting there, he is about 30 years-old in a suit, just rocking.”
Neil Young continued:
“I heard Bob’s voice and I went ‘This is Bob, you know, this is the essence of his feeling and everything. The moment that he was delivering that song is so powerful, you can’t keep that’. That comes and goes through you. You can’t strive to be that, there is no way you own it. I’ve heard Bob say that he doesn’t know who wrote, he doesn’t know the guy who wrote those songs anymore. I understand what he was saying, the feeling behind it.”
“I look at it and I go ‘Well, I must been in a really different place doing that. But I was, I wrote those words, I sat down and I believe it,” Neil Young told Charlie Rose (Transcribed by Rock and Roll Garage) in 2008. Dylan is also a fan of Neil and had already covered “Old Man” live in concert. He once said the Canadian musician had a “God-given talent” and that he was not someone in his same category.
The Ronettes “Be My Baby”
“Be My Baby” by the Ronettes has a sound I always will love. It is in my soul. Ronnie sings it so great. The groove, the beautifully resonant background vocals, the track: It is all one thing. Phil Spector is a genius. Jack Nitzsche is a genius,” Neil Young said.
One of the most influential songs of all time, “Be My Baby” was written by Jeff Barry, Ellie Greenwich and the producer Phil Spector. It was first recorded by the Ronettes on their only album “Presenting the Fabulous Ronettes”. The song was an instant hit, peaking at number 1 in the United States and performing very well in other countries such as Canada, Belgium, the United Kingdom and New Zealand.
In his book, Neil also talked about the famous “Wall of Sound” technique used by Spector and Jack Nitzsche on recording like that one. “Imagine all of these people getting together in the room, setting up, and then Spector in the control room with Jack in the corner with his charts. Legendary. This was real music, mixed with that magical echo. Goose bumps were felt every night, at every session,” he said.
Roy Orbison “Evergreen”
“’Evergreen’ by Roy Orbison is one of the most beautiful sentiments ever recorded. I can still hear Roy’s voice and feel my girlfriend’s love,” Neil Young said about the song released in 1962. Neil has been a huge fan of Roy Orbison since he first heard his music and has been impressed by the uniqueness of his songwriting and singing. “I loved Roy Orbison from the beginning—’Only the Lonely,’ that was big when we were visiting that lady at the record store.”
“Great singing, great arrangements, great records. Roy was the closest thing to Bob in rock and roll. He was just so … sincere and he just stood so tall. His fuckin’ records were brilliant. They were revolutionary records. Hit after hit after hit … totally off the wall. Voice like a fucking opera singer—singing these ballads with a Ravel’s Bolero type of beat. What the fuck? Where did that come from, y’know? ‘Evergreen.’ ‘Blue Bayou.'”
“I loved that fuckin’ record, I played that record over and over and over. I just loved the fuckin’ track. And the vibe—the way he sings that song. That is a fuckin’ song. There’s a songwriter who sings about tragedy to such a fuckin’ degree it’s almost impossible to comprehend the depth of that soul. It’s so deep and dark it just keeps on goin’ down—but it’s not black. It’s blue, deep blue. He’s just got it. The drama. There’s something sad but proud about Roy’s music,” he said in an interview featured in the book “Shakey: Neil Young’s Biography”.
Ian & Sylvia “Four Strong Winds”
“’Four Strong Winds’ by Ian & Sylvia speaks to me always. It occupies part of my heart. There is a feeling in it. I love the prairies, Canada, my life as a Canadian. Of course I love songwriting, so I know someday I will write again,” Neil Young said.
In an interview for the book “Shakey”, written by Jimmy McDonough, Neil talked about this particular song. “’Four Strong Winds’ by Ian and Sylvia. It meant a lot to me. I remember playin’ it down at Falcon Lake where Jack and Pam and Pat and I were, listening to it over and over. Just the song, melody, the whole thing. It had a message too, y’know—leaving things behind. That feeling of something’s not gonna work. There’s a feeling in the song that I related to,” he said.
The track mentioned by Neil is by the Canadian duo formed by Ian Tyson and Sylvia Tyson. They started playing together in 1959 and got married in 1964, but their musical partnership also ended when they divorced in 1975. During those years, they released 12 studio albums, and other well-known songs by them include “Early Morning Rain,” “Someday Soon,” and “You Were on My Mind.”