(The Hit Hammer is where I'm reviewing each #1 song on the Billboard Hot 100. Starting from when the chart started in 1958 and eventually working my way to the present. To see my inspiration and more information about this blog, please CLICK HERE)
Neil Young - "Heart of Gold"
Hit Number 1: March 18, 1972
Stay at Number 1: 1 Week
Crosby, Stills & Nash are one of the biggest wonders of music. Take three guys who were in different bands, have each of those guys not only leave their respective bands but meet each other at a party by chance, and then they form a band together after finding out how well they could sing together. Those harmonies are, quite possibly, the greatest harmonies in the history of music. For a short time, though, Neil Young was a member of the band, and they called themselves Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young. Young was bandmates with Stephen Stills in Buffalo Springfield, and they got as high as #7 with "For What It's Worth" in 1967. (It's a 10) However, Buffalo Springfield broke up not too long after that, and Young pursued a solo career, signing a deal with Reprise Records where his friend Joni Mitchell was recording her music. While Young was starting up his solo career, his old friend Stephen Stills, along with David Crosby and Graham Nash, formed Crosby, Stills & Nash. The band, with their mesmerizingly beautiful harmonies, saw instant success with their debut album Crosby, Stills & Nash, which spawned two top 40 hits, with the more notable one being the folk rock masterpiece "Suite: Judy Blue Eyes", which made it to #21. (It's also a 10)
After "Suite: Judy Blue Eyes" and the rest of the success of the band's debut album, they received the award of Best New Artist at the 1969 Grammys. Neil Young then tampered with the idea of reuniting with Stills and actually received an offer to join them as a sideman, but Young told them he'd only join if he could be a full-time member. They then agreed to just let Young join, and that's when the group was renamed to Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young. Young didn't end up with the band for long, but he was responsible for "Ohio", the song Young wrote after his outrage at the Kent State shootings situation in May 1970. That song ended up being the biggest hit Young wrote while he was with the supergroup, and it peaked at #14. (It's a 7) However, there was constant feuding between Stills and Young, and reportedly the two constantly fought over control of the band. So, Young decided to quit the band and continue his pursuit of a solo career. That's when he began to work on Harvest.
Harvest was different from Young's past material, as it was more of a focus on acoustic guitar work rather than electric guitar. The reason for this was because of a bad back, and unlike his acoustic guitar, Young couldn't play his electric guitar sitting down, which was better for his back. He recorded Harvest in Nashville, Tennessee, and on the "Heart of Gold" sessions he was joined by Linda Ronstadt and James Taylor, who were already in town for an appearance on Johnny Cash's television show. (Ronstadt will eventually show up in this blog. Taylor already has) On "Heart of Gold", Young plays the guitar and the harmonica, showcasing a real sense of musical talent. Little did he know, after everything he had gone through the past few years, that "Heart of Gold" would become the biggest song he's ever written.
Lyrically, "Heart of Gold" is about searching time and time again for a faithful woman, but worrying about how the older you get, the harder it will be to find one. It should be noted that while Young was recording "Heart of Gold", he was single after his divorce from his first wife. The song's constructed in a mellow pattern, with Young supplying gentle harmonica weeps and a recognizable guitar strumming pattern. I think the song really captures the kind of mood Young was in at this time. He was worn down, dealing with the saga of the Crosby, Stills & Nash situation and the sudden life of being single after being married for three years. It's a song full of sorrow, but one also full of hope. I'm not sure if Young wrote the song about himself, but he had to be thinking about his life while he was writing it.
I think the biggest reason why "Heart of Gold" works and is so celebrated is because of how relatable it is. For some, being single is rough, but it's even more rough when you're thrust into the single lifestyle after already being married. "Heart of Gold" is a deserted island sort of song, a song where the narrator feels isolated and alone, but holds out some optimism that things will turn around. He knows he's getting older by the day, but still "keeps searching for a heart of gold." It wasn't intended to be a powerful song, but somehow, that's what it ends up becoming. It's simple folk rock, but it's more than that too. I can just picture Young playing his harmonica; lost in his own world while he reflects on his life. I love songs where I can picture things like that.
As for Young, he won't appear in this series again, but that doesn't mean he disappeared from the music industry. Every now and then I like to look at reviews on Pitchfork of albums that were just recently released, and I was amazed to see that Young, at 75 years of age, is still releasing new music. That's pretty amazing! I'm just hoping to make it to 75. As for his heart of gold search, he seemed to have found one in Pegi Young, who he was married to in 1978, but they divorced in 2014. He married his third wife, Daryl Hannah, in 2018. Maybe she's the true "heart of gold."
GRADE: 9/10
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