Saturday, December 29, 2012

Four Strong Winds

"Four Strong Winds" by Neil Young from his album Comes A Time (1978):


I blew my chance to see Neil Young around this time at a small Madison venue called The Church Key because I was under 18 (I could have snuck in). I just love this song and the feeling it evokes. Young's version is a cover of Ian Tyson's song (another Canadian). I once read somewhere that Neil Young loved this song so much as a teen that he used to play it over and over on the jukebox while playing pinball.

2 comments:

  1. The Brothers Four version is the one I'm most familiar with, and I too appreciate the feeling this song evokes, although for me, it links to the sadness I feel in the face of loss, change and disconnect.

    Looking up the Brothers Four led to an interview with Ian, where he says Dylan served as the prompt that caused him to write the song. (2:15) He also tells how the royalty check from Neil Young's use of the song helped him buy his ranch. It's a long interview and he talks slow, but my favorite part happened near the end when Ian was asked what he thought was his greatest accomplishment, and he said, "surviving" and then filled in the blank to "Ian Tyson did what?" with "survived." (at 27:00)

    Happy New Year, El Pollo, and thanks for the post and the memory. If you happen to watch the Brothers Four video, the looks on the faces in the audience and the responsiveness is something to behold.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Very nice comment, MamaM. I only knew of the Brothers Four from Firestone LP Christmas Carols.Of course it makes sense. They were part of that special time in American music late 50's to the British Invasion. I like that period.

    Happy New Year to you!.

    ReplyDelete