Art and music, in particular, are one of the most interesting societal aspects. This is because it serves several critical purposes. For example, music in any given context serves an entertainment purpose. Musicians entertain their audiences through the aesthetic touch of musicality in their musical compositions. Besides entertainment, musicians also educate their audiences on a range of societal issues (Nicholls, 2023). Therefore, with this knowledge, it is vital to explore one of the legendary songwriters and singer Neil Young as he offers a range of insights on various sociological issues. Firstly, it is worth noting that Young is a legendary artist who began his music career in the nineteenth century (Mcdonough, 2003). It is equally important to note that Young built his career by creating informative and revolutionary songs, often advocating for social justice. Some of the critical societal issues that Young addresses are murder, brutality, and racism, to mention but a few (Halliwell, 2015). Therefore, this piece explores some of Young’s songs, such as Rockin’ In The Free World, Down By the River, Alabama, Powder Finger, Cortez the Killer, etc., to illustrate the thematic concern of social justice, specifically focusing on murder, violence, brutality, racism, drug abuse as he portrays them thereby raising awareness on various social issues.
“Rockin’ In The Free World”
“Rockin’ In The Free World” is one of the most informative songs by Young. The rock song was released in 1989, along with other songs in his album titled Freedom. In this song, Young addresses various social issues such as poverty, drugs, substance abuse, and the welfare of children. He sings in the first stanza that /There’s a lot of people sayin’ we’d be better off dead/ (Young, 1989) therefore illustrating the dissolution that poverty brings about in people’s lives. As the song advances, he satirically notes /We got a thousand points of light/ For the homeless man/ In this song, Young creates awareness of the adverse effects of poverty on society. He also links poverty as a thematic concern to other societal issues, such as drug and substance abuse and children’s welfare.
“Down By the River”
“Down by the River” is one of Young’s songs in his 1969 album titled Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere. In this song, Young addresses several social issues, such as love, desperation, and murder. In the first stanza, Young sings of a man, a lover, who is desperate for a woman’s love noting /Be on my side. I’ll be on your side, baby/There is no reason for you to hide/It’s so hard for me staying here all alone,/When you could be taking me for a ride/ (Young, 1969). Upon the man realizing that the woman cheated on him, he murders her. He is later regretful of his deeds. In this song, Young raises awareness of intimate partner violence and murder. His aim is to warn people to avoid violent acts no matter how justifiable the violence seems to be.
“Alabama”
In 1974, Young released his second album titled Second Helping, which features several songs, including “Alabama.”In “Alabama,” Young addresses several social issues, such as racism. The song addresses the then Governor of Alabama Governor George Wallace. He sings /Oh Alabama — can I see you and shake your hand/ (Young, 1972). In this song, Young creates awareness of racism and actually extends a call to racists for peace.
“Powder Finger”
In his album titled Rust Never Sleeps, released in 1979, Young presents several captivating songs. Among them is Powderfinger,” whereby Young sings the song in the form of a posthumous narration. The lyrical composition depicts a young man who dies just as he enters adulthood. He sings, /Just think of me as one you never figured/ Would fade away so young/ With so much left undone/ Remember me to my love; I know I’ll miss her/ (Young, 1979). Basically, Young’s main message is the disillusionment brought about by premature death, as in the case of the song’s persona.
“Cortez the Killer”
“Cortez the Killer” is one of the songs that feature in his 1975 album titled Zuma. In this song, Young creates awareness of the importance of peace. He sings /Hate was just a legend/ And war was never known/ The people worked together/ And they lifted many stones to illustrate the importance of peace to his audience (Young, 1975).
“Southern Man”
In 1970, Young released yet another captivating album titled In the Gold Rush, whereby he featured several equally captivating songs. “Southern Man” is one of the songs in this album. In this song, Young addresses several societal issues, among them racism. Young condemns racism in the song by noting the unfairness that people of color had to endure. He sings /I saw cotton, and I saw black/ Tall white mansions and little shacks/ Southern man, when will you pay them back?/ I heard screamin’ and bullwhips cracking/ How long? How long? How?/ (Young, 1970). He raises awareness of the societal concern of racism and also encourages people of color that change will come someday.
“Hippie Dream”
In “Hippie Dream,” Young offers advice to young people directing, dedicating the song, especially to his former bandmate David Crosby. Young warns his friend of the dangers of drugs and substance abuse. He sings, /’Cause the tie-dye sails/ Are the screamin’ sheets/ And the dusty trail/ Leads to blood in the streets/ And the wooden ships/ Are a hippie dream/ Capsized in excess/ If you know what I mean/ (Young, 1986). He, therefore, raises the awareness of a critical social issue of drug and substance abuse which directly implies abuse of one’s own body, a social injustice against oneself.
“Ohio”
Lastly, “Ohio” is an interestingly informative song by Young. In this song, Young voices his concerns about the murder of four unarmed university students. The murder was due to a shooting on May 4th, 1970, at Kent State. In the first stanza, Young sings /Four dead in Ohio/ Gotta get down to it/ Soldiers are cutting us down/ Should have been done long ago/ What if you knew her and/ Found her dead on the ground?/ How can you run when you know?/ (Young, 2010). In this song, Young aims to create awareness of police brutality, which often leads to murder. He explicitly urges for an end to such indecent acts. It is vital to note that police and security systems are supposed to protect life and not cause death, especially to innocent people.
Conclusively, Young adequately illustrates the issue of social justice in society through his songs (Neil Young Under Review – 1976-2006 – Part 1. 2014). Therefore, he raises awareness on various sociological issues such as brutality, murder, and racism. With this knowledge, and through detailed analyses of some of his songs, including Southern Man, Hippie Dream, Ohio, etc., one can justifiably conclude that Young is truly a legend.
References
Halliwell, M. (2015). Neil Young: The American Traveller. Reaktion Books.
Mcdonough, J. (2003). Shakey: Neil Young’s biography. Anchor Books.
Neil Young Under Review – 1976-2006 – Part 1. (2014). Www.youtube.com. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T_tENA66WQ0&list=PL8flSFeCsFvIAcs2UnPmZODrcQWbO37Eo
neilyoungchannel. (2012). Neil Young – Rockin’ In The Free World. In YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TnAgc1kgvLc
Nicholls, T. (2023). Music and Social Justice | Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy. Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy. https://iep.utm.edu/music-sj/
Young, N. (1969). Neil Young and Crazy Horse – Down By the River (Live at Farm Aid 1994). Www.youtube.com. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TiX8Rz5C3LY
Young, N. (1970). Neil Young – Southern Man. Www.youtube.com. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MFSxw9Kmk70
Young, N. (1972). Neil Young – Alabama (Official Audio). Www.youtube.com. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d1neNOmxGAc
Young, N. (1979). Neil Young – Powderfinger (Official Music Video). Www.youtube.com. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qJPq4daZKEk
Young, N. (1986). Neil Young — Hippie Dream. Www.youtube.com. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bcj9WVpXkNc
Young, N. (1991). Neil Young & Crazy Horse – Cortez the Killer ( live 1991 ) HD. Www.youtube.com. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x-XnPXL_HMA
Young, N. (2010). Ohio- Neil Young [YouTube Video]. In YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hkg-bzTHeAk
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