The 2 Neil Young songs David Gilmour said he is a fan of

David Gilmour and Neil Young are two of the greatest musicians of all time, but they differ in the way they usually write music. Neil has always been both a songwriter and lyricist, while the Pink Floyd member did not always write his own lyrics during his career.

Despite those differences, David has been deeply inspired by the Canadian artist over the decades and remains an avid fan of his work. He has spoken about Neil many times and has mentioned two of his songs among his favorites.

The 2 Neil Young songs David Gilmour said he is a fan of

“A Man Needs a Maid”

When interviewed on BBC’s Desert Island Discs in 2003, David Gilmour mentioned “A Man Needs a Maid”, first released on Neil’s 1972 album “Harvest”, as one of the songs he would take to a desert island. “‘A Man Needs a Maid’ by Neil Young,” he said. Then the radio host commented: “Which is a deeply politically incorrect (one)”. Gilmour replied: “Oh, I’m being non-gender specific of course when I’m on my desert island. It could be a man friday. It’s Neil Young, it’s very beautiful. It’s a particularly beautiful instrumental orchestral passage in the middle, which is the bit we’re leading into,” David Gilmour said.

Curiously, the piano and vocals on that track were recorded by Young, and the strings were played by the London Symphony Orchestra. The version was recorded at Barking Town Hall in London. It is interesting that David Gilmour chose the song more for its musical aspects than for its lyrics. Because he has always been more of a music writer than a lyricist. Roger Waters, on the other hand, who is also a big fan of Neil, has always been more interested in what Young had to say in his songs.

Neil is also a fan of Pink Floyd as he revealed in his website, answering a fan that wanted to know his opinion on the band. “Yes. They are a great band TOTALLY on their own turf,” he said. Over the years, many fans have pointed to a possible connection between Neil’s “Down by the River” and Pink Floyd’s “Breathe”, noting that the two songs share some similarities.

“Ohio”

Another Neil Young song mentioned by him as one of his favorites was “Ohio”, written by the musician and later recorded with Crosby, Stills & Nash. David Gilmour mentioned that track in BBC’s “Tracks Of My Years” in 2006.

“We were on tour in America when this came out. There was all this thing about the Kent State University. The four kids who got killed there in the rioting, the demonstrations against the Vietnam war. So it’s just a great song. They were always fantastic with that added to a little bit of Neil Young strength with the whole thing with Crosby, Stills & Nash great voices. Still a big fan,” David Gilmour said (Transcribed by Rock and Roll Garage).

Although he and Neil never played together, he had the chance to perform that track with Graham Nash and Stephen Stills. They were part of Gilmour’s 2006 album “On an Island” and when they joined him at the Royal Albert Hall for a show they performed CSNY’s “Find the Cost of Freedom”, which was the b-side of “Ohio” single. Besides loving his early work, Gilmour continues to follow Neil’s career and is always interested in hearing what he releases.

He said:

“I always listen to a new Bob, Neil or Leonard record. But I don’t listen to much new music. When I have the radio on it all sounds dreadfully formularised to me, but I’m not its audience. When you get to sixty-nine you’re not spending every day seeking out new pop music.”

“Obviously there are whole layers of music away from what we get on the radio and telly. It’s like that thing they say about rats: ‘You’re never more than six feet away from a rat in London’. You’re probably never more than a hundred yards from someone doing a great gig somewhere. But I’m just not aware of it. If a new Pink Floyd came along now I wouldn’t know it had happened,” Neil Young told Classic Rock.