Neil Young first came to our attention in the 1960s while playing with Buffalo Springfield, a folk-rock group out of Los Angeles. The musician from Canada relocated to the West Coast of America to pursue his love of music and meet other musicians. However, he would always have a soft spot for the countryside. In the timeless hit “On the Beach,” he confessed, “I need a crowd of people / But I can’t face them day to day.”
The line that follows, “The world is turning / I hope it don’t turn away,” will stick in the minds of fans. These lines encapsulate Young’s contradictory feelings precisely. He is a social being who loves to share his art and is dependent on others as an entertainer. However, he also yearns for the peace of the countryside. Young’s lengthy and varied discography is filled with numerous expressions of this passion.
Young never fails to channel his inner rancher, whether it’s creating grunge with barbed wire intensity in “Hey Hey, My My (Into the Black)” or portraying horrifying scenes in “Down by the River.” But none of his albums showcase this aspect of the musician more than Harvest, which is Young’s fourth solo album.
Young recalled writing for Harvest while residing on Broken Arrow Ranch in the documentary Heart of Gold. He purchased the lovely farmland in Woodside, California, after making a breakthrough in his career. Then he used it as a retreat from the hustle and bustle of Los Angeles. Young was given a ride by the elderly ranch caretaker, Louis Avila when he first moved there.
Old Farm Manager took Young to a vantage point near a lake that irrigated the pastures, perched above the ranchland. How does a young man like you have enough money to purchase a place like this, he asks? Young remembered. “Well, Louis, just lucky, I thought to myself. “Well, that’s the darndest thing I ever heard,” he exclaimed. And this song, I composed for him.
“Old Man,” a song that Young wrote, embodies the essence of his rustic spirit. Aside from the lyrics, James Taylor’s banjo, Ben Keith’s pedal steel, and Young’s six-string provide earthy acoustic textures for the song. There aren’t many songs in popular music that quite like the sound of an American ranch.
After years of musical exploration—from the heavy rock sounds of Crazy Horse to the bluesy licks of On the Beach—Young returned to the sonic pastures of Harvest in Harvest Moon in 1992. One of Young’s greatest hits, the title track, elevated the album, which featured his reunion with Ben Keith.
When Young discussed his career with AXS in 2016, he said that the songs that stick with him are always the ones that have an impact on his fan base. He chose “Harvest Moon” as one of his favorite works as a result. He clarified, “It’s a real song about real feelings.”
Young said that “singing the song” was always enjoyable and that “it blew my mind how well it all turned out” when Linda Ronstadt entered the room and added her lovely vocals. Above all, he enjoys the song because of its rural wedding vibe, which tends to unite lovers and families. “People approach me now and say, ‘We played that at our wedding’. You know, ‘That song was playing when we first met,'” Young said in closing. The song has a romantic vibe to it; there’s something about it that makes people feel that way. It’s fascinating. It’s encouraging to observe.
