Random Top Ten

Random Top Ten!!

Top Ten Neil Young Songs

1o. “It's a Dream” – Young at his slowest and most reflective. This is my favorite Young mood, as the list to continue will attest.

9. “Ohio” – Angry political songwriting at its best. Sometimes lyrics need not be more complicated than “Four dead in Ohio.” (But the classicist in me still cringes horribly at the awful mis-scan of the word “Ohio.” We say “OH-higho,” not “oh-HIGH-o”)

8. “Are You Passionate?” – Languid and evocative. The album (of the same name) this song comes from, a consistently critically mocked album, is one of my favorite Neil Young albums, actually.

7. “Heart of Gold” – Great harmonica part, here.

6. “Hey Hey” – In that classic live version everybody loves, of course.

5. “Needle and Damage Done” – Eloquent, straight-faced cautionary drug tale.

4. “Razor Love” – A lost cut from the mostly acoustic Silver and Gold album and a gem of a song, all humble, shuffling rhythm and delicate singing.

3. “Harvest Moon” – The song that got me into Young in the first place. A wistful, pastoral lullaby of a song.

2. “Rockin' in the Free World” – Angry, loud Young. Surprising how high I rate this given how much I obviously love quiet acoustic Young.

1. “Philadelphia” – It’s gotta be some kind of sin to name a soundtrack song as my favorite Neil Young song, but the heart wants what it wants, and it wants this devastatingly sad, reflective piano ballad that by all rights should have blown its fellow album-mate, Bruce Springsteen’s “Streets of Philadelphia” out of the water at Oscar time.

Until Whenever