Love In Mind - Neil Young
Song of the Day #27
Apple Music link: https://music.apple.com/us/album/love-in-mind/1173689398?i=1173689791
Spoti-err, never mind
A wonderful little gem that often gets overlooked on the most underrated album of his classic period, Time Fades Away. As much as I love albums like After The Gold Rush, the true Neil Young really came out ditch period, where his personal troubles and disillusionment seeped through and his music became the most honest, vulnerable, and beautiful. This is a perfect example of his ditch-style confessional ballads, where his dizzying array of emotions comes out of him in an impressionistic, steam-of-consciousness flow. The lyrics do not have a coherent message, each phrase relating to some deep psychological facet he was exploring. Even then, the lyrics are beautifully written, especially the lyric "it was rainin' outside, but my love still shined / kept me warm till my plane touched the sky."
Yet, as it usually goes, the true power and genius of Neil still lie in how he performs the song. Give this song to almost anyone else, and it wouldn't be nearly as heartbreaking. That little pause he gives before delivering each shivering verse shows how broken down he was around this time, the lonesome piano chords giving an overwhelming feeling of isolation. The transition to the climax is not only cathartic but also completely organic, taking the same fragile tone to even more desperate heights. We have no idea what Neil Young is actually singing about, but when he repeats "what am I doing here?" with such painful honesty, I can't help but shed tears right beside him. Few artists are so fearless to allow themselves to lay themselves entirely bare, and fewer of them can do this so incredibly powerfully in front of a live audience. Even outside of the context of this era, "Love In Mind" is an emotional rollercoaster, and the fact that this was merely a small trifle to Neil shows the extent of his musical genius. Yes, I do think it's time for me to relisten to much of this album again, and you should go do the same.
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