| "Heart of Gold" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single by Neil Young | ||||
| from the album Harvest | ||||
| B-side | "Sugar Mountain" | |||
| Released | January 1972 (U.S.) | |||
| Recorded | February 6–7, 1971 | |||
| Studio | Quadrafonic Sound, Nashville, Tennessee | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 3:07 | |||
| Label | Reprise | |||
| Songwriter(s) | Neil Young | |||
| Producer(s) |
| |||
| Neil Young singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Audio sample | ||||
"Heart of Gold" is a song by Canadian singer-songwriter Neil Young. From his fourth album Harvest, it is Young's only U.S. No. 1 single. In Canada, it reached No. 1 on the RPM national singles chart for the first time on April 8, 1972, on which date Young held the top spot on both the singles and albums charts. Billboard ranked it as the No. 17 song for 1972.[5]
In 2004, Rolling Stone ranked it No. 297 on their list of the 500 greatest songs of all time,[6] No. 303 in an updated 2010 list,[7] and No. 259 in 2021.[8]
YouTube Encyclopedic
-
1/5Views:2 853 293325 5358 024 730587 673706 041
-
Neil Young - Heart of Gold (Official Audio)
-
Neil Young - Heart Of Gold (Lyrics)
-
Neil Young - Heart of Gold (Live) [Harvest 50th Anniversary Edition] (Official Music Video)
-
Heart of Gold
-
Heart of Gold
Transcription
Description
The song, which features backup vocals by James Taylor and Linda Ronstadt, is one of a series of soft acoustic pieces which were written partly as a result of a back injury. Unable to stand for long periods of time, Young could not play his electric guitar and so returned to his acoustic guitar, which he could play sitting down. He also played his harmonica during the three instrumental portions, including the introduction to the song.[9][10]
"Heart of Gold" was recorded during the initial sessions for Harvest on February 6–8, 1971, at Quadrafonic Sound Studios in Nashville, Tennessee.[11] Ronstadt (who herself would later cover Young's song "Love Is a Rose") and Taylor were in Nashville at the time for an appearance on Johnny Cash's television program, and the album's producer Elliot Mazer arranged for them to sing backup for Young in the studio.[12][13]
Young played this song in 1971 solo shows before recording it. At a January 19 concert (preserved on Live at Massey Hall 1971, released in 2007) he played it on piano, starting with "A Man Needs a Maid" and then segueing into this song. By the time of Harvest, he had separated the two songs and played "Heart of Gold" on guitar and harmonica.
Young wrote in the liner notes of his 1977 compilation album Decade: "This song put me in the middle of the road. Traveling there soon became a bore so I headed for the ditch. A rougher ride but I saw more interesting people there." This statement was in response to the mainstream popularity that he gained as a result of the number-one status of "Heart of Gold".
Young has stated that this song, as well as "Harvest" and "Out on the Weekend" from the same album, were inspired by his then blossoming love for actress Carrie Snodgress.[14]
In 1985, Bob Dylan said he disliked hearing the song, despite always liking Young:[15]
The only time it bothered me that someone sounded like me was when I was living in Phoenix, Arizona, in about '72 and the big song at the time was "Heart of Gold". I used to hate it when it came on the radio. I always liked Neil Young, but it bothered me every time I listened to "Heart of Gold." I think it was up at number one for a long time, and I'd say, "Shit, that's me. If it sounds like me, it should as well be me."
Upon the single release, Record World said that "Dylanesque harmonica and lyric content give this one more of a folk feel than [Young's] most recent work."[16]
Notable covers
- Boney M covered the song to widespread acclaim on the album Nightflight to Venus, released in 1978
- A cover by Willie Nelson peaked at No. 44 on the Billboard Hot Country Singles chart in 1987[17]
- Roxette covered the song on their MTV Unplugged in 1993
- Richard Rossi covered the song in the concert film "Live At Graffiti's" in 1994.[18]
- Bettye LaVette covered the song on her compilation album Souvenirs, released in 2000
- Black Label Society included a cover of the song on their 2-disc live album Alcohol Fueled Brewtality Live!! +5, released in 2000.
- Tori Amos covered the song on her album Strange Little Girls, released in 2001
- Johnny Cash covered the song (with Red Hot Chili Peppers) on his 2003 posthumous box set Unearthed
- Kacey Musgraves covered the song on her demo album Kacey Musgraves, released in 2007
- James Taylor covered the song live at Young's award ceremony for MusiCares Person of the Year in 2010
- Superfly covered the song on their 2010 album Wildflower and Cover Songs: Complete Best[19]
- A cover by Charles Bradley was released in 2011 by Daptone Records[20]
- Michael Sweet covered the song on his 2014 album I'm Not Your Suicide. An alternate version was released as a video and bonus track featuring Electra Mustaine.
- Canadian Diana Krall covered the tune on her 12th studio album Wallflower: the complete sessions bonus tracks in 2015.
- in September 2017, Ruth B performed Neil Young's "Heart of Gold" for his induction into the Canadian Songwriters Hall Of Fame.[21]
- Passenger covered the song on his covers album Sunday Night Sessions, released in 2017
- Midnight Shine covered the song with elements of their Indigenous language, Mushkegowuk Cree, on the album High Road, released in 2018
- Ilsey & Bon Iver released a duet cover in June 2023
Recognition
In 2005, "Heart of Gold" was named the third greatest Canadian song of all time on the CBC Radio One series 50 Tracks: The Canadian Version.[22]
Charts
| Chart (1972) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australia (Kent Music Report)[23] | 14 |
| Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders)[24] | 30 |
| Belgium (Ultratop 50 Wallonia)[25] | 17 |
| Canada Top Singles (RPM)[26] | 1 |
| France (IFOP)[27] | 31 |
| Ireland (IRMA)[28] | 12 |
| Japan (Oricon)[29] | 28 |
| Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)[30] | 9 |
| Netherlands (Single Top 100)[31] | 8 |
| New Zealand (Listener)[32] | 10 |
| Norway (VG-lista)[33] | 4 |
| South Africa (Springbok Radio)[34] | 8 |
| UK Singles (OCC)[35] | 10 |
| US Billboard Hot 100 | 1 |
| US Billboard Easy Listening[36] | 8 |
| US Cashbox Top 100 Singles[37] | 1 |
| US Record World Top 100 Singles[38] | 1 |
| West Germany (Official German Charts)[39] | 6 |
Certifications
| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| Italy (FIMI)[40] | Gold | 50,000‡ |
| Spain (PROMUSICAE)[41] | Gold | 30,000‡ |
| United Kingdom (BPI)[42] | Gold | 400,000‡ |
| United States (RIAA)[43] | Gold | 1,000,000^ |
|
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. | ||
Personnel
- Neil Young — lead vocals, acoustic guitar, harmonica
- Teddy Irwin — guitar
- Ben Keith — pedal steel guitar
- Tim Drummond — bass
- Kenny Buttrey — drums
- James Taylor — backing vocals
- Linda Ronstadt — backing vocals
References
- ^ Haeems, Neil (June 25, 2020). "Neil Young's sorrowful 'Homegrown' finally surfaces after 45 years". The Daily Californian. Retrieved October 21, 2020.
Thanks to Helm, 'Separate Ways' sits perfectly beside Young classics such as 'Cinnamon Girl' and 'Heart of Gold' as one of the greatest contributions to folk-rock.
- ^ Rosenbaum, Ron (February 27, 2006). "The Two Neil Youngs: Demme's Film Shows A Saccharine Singer". The Guardian Observer. Retrieved October 18, 2020.
with a few older 'country-rock' throw-ins like "Heart of Gold."
- ^ "Sound Familiar? 10 Famous Cameos That May Surprise You – 60s and 70s Pop – Oldies Music". May 26, 2015. Archived from the original on May 26, 2015.
- ^ "Harvest". Discogs. February 1972. Retrieved 2015-07-21.
- ^ "Billboard Top 100 – 1972". Archived from the original on 2016-02-16. Retrieved 2011-01-02.
- ^ The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time Rolling Stone. Issue 963, December 9, 2004.
- ^ The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time - Neil Young, Heart of Gold. Rolling Stone. 2010.
- ^ "Heart of Gold ranked #259 on Rolling Stone 500 Greatest Songs List". Rolling Stone. 15 September 2021. Retrieved 23 September 2021.
- ^ McDonough, Jim, Shakey, Random 2002, pp. 352-354, 370.
- ^ Crowe, Cameron, Neil Young, the Last American Hero. Rolling Stone, February 8, 1989, webpage found 2007-11-29.
- ^ See video recording on YouTube
- ^ "Thrasher", Neil Young's Heart of Gold, web page found 2007-11-29.
- ^ Elliot Mazer, Neil Young's Heart of Gold Archived 2004-11-22 at the Wayback Machine. In Mix, 2001-05-01, webpage found 2007-11-29.
- ^ Neil Young (February 1, 2022). Neil Young Radio. Sirius XM.
- ^ Bob Dylan: Not Like a Rolling Stone Interview December 1985 Spin.
- ^ "Single Picks" (PDF). Record World. January 22, 1972. p. 10. Retrieved 2023-04-02.
- ^ Whitburn, Joel (2013). Hot Country Songs 1944–2012. Record Research, Inc. p. 238. ISBN 978-0-89820-203-8.
- ^ "Live At Graffiti's". YouTube. Amazon. Retrieved 25 January 2024.
- ^ "Superfly: Wildflower & Cover Songs: Complete Best". Discogs. September 2010. Retrieved 24 April 2020.
- ^ Daptone Records 2011
- ^ "Here's what you missed at the 2017 Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame". CBC News. September 24, 2017. Retrieved 15 December 2022.
- ^ '50 Tracks' list of essential Canadian music, 2005
- ^ Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970-1992. St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
- ^ "Neil Young – Heart of Gold" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50.
- ^ "Neil Young – Heart of Gold" (in French). Ultratop 50.
- ^ "RPM100 Singles" (PDF). RPM. 8 April 1972. Retrieved 12 April 2020.
- ^ "Toutes les Chansons N° 1 des Années 70" (in French). InfoDisc. 1972-02-10. Retrieved 22 December 2019.
- ^ "The Irish Charts – Search Results – Heart of Gold". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved July 11, 2017.
- ^ Okamoto, Satoshi (2011). Single Chart Book: Complete Edition 1968–2010 (in Japanese). Roppongi, Tokyo: Oricon Entertainment. ISBN 978-4-87131-088-8.
- ^ "Nederlandse Top 40 – Neil Young" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40.
- ^ "Neil Young – Heart of Gold" (in Dutch). Single Top 100.
- ^ "Flavour of New Zealand, 15 May 1972". Archived from the original on 17 February 2019. Retrieved 13 July 2017.
- ^ "Neil Young – Heart of Gold". VG-lista.
- ^ "SA Charts 1965–March 1989". Retrieved 5 September 2018.
- ^ "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company.
- ^ Whitburn, Joel (1993). Top Adult Contemporary: 1961–1993. Record Research. p. 263.
- ^ "CASH BOX MAGAZINE: Music and coin machine magazine 1942 to 1996". worldradiohistory.com. Retrieved 2021-04-03.
- ^ "RECORD WORLD MAGAZINE: 1942 to 1982". worldradiohistory.com. Retrieved 2021-04-03.
- ^ "Offiziellecharts.de – Neil Young – Heart of Gold" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts. Retrieved March 6, 2020. To see peak chart position, click "TITEL VON Neil Young"
- ^ "Italian single certifications – Neil Young – Heart of Gold" (in Italian). Federazione Industria Musicale Italiana. Retrieved April 24, 2023.
- ^ "Neil Young - Heart of Gold". El portal de Música. Productores de Música de España. Retrieved January 26, 2024.
- ^ "British single certifications – Neil Young – Heart of Gold". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved March 1, 2024.
- ^ "American single certifications – Neil Young – Heart of Gold". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved February 29, 2020.
| 1950s | |
|---|---|
| 1960s |
|
| 1970s | |
| 1980s |
|
| 1990s | |
| 2000s | |
| 2010s |
|
This page was last edited on 2 March 2024, at 18:25