The classic song Neil Young wrote “about rock and roll”
Aptly named ‘The Godfather of Grunge’, Neil Young has seen many different musical eras come and go. One of the survivors of the classic rock age, the Canadian troubadour remains one of the wisest sages on popular music, with nearly seven decades of experience to draw on. From the soaring highs that saw him cement himself as one of the definitive countercultural artists to the overdose and death of his Crazy Horse bandmate Danny Whitten, Young has experienced both sides of the coin in his time in the industry.
Understandably, Young’s personal life has made its way into his work, with him crafting some of the most profound moments in rock music. Whether it be ‘Old Man’ about the aged caretaker of Broken Arrow Ranch, or ‘Danger Bird’, which details the break up from Carrie Snodgress after her infidelity, Young’s honest songwriting was a significant factor in his meteoric rise and why he has remained so important, despite the many changes of the zeitgeist.
One of his most impactful songs is ‘Hey Hey, My My (Into the Black)’, the closing track of 1979’s Rust Never Sleeps. A widely influential piece, it was cemented in pop culture law by Nirvana frontman Kurt Cobain referencing the line, “It’s better to burn out than to fade away”, as part of his 1994 suicide note.
When speaking to veteran journalist Dan Rather in April 2023 for AXS TV, Young discussed the meaning of ‘Hey Hey, My My’. Asked by the interviewer: “Is it better to burn out than or just fade slowly away?” Young gave his account of the nature of the music business and explained that he wrote the 1979 song specifically “about rock and roll”.
He said: “Well, for rock and roll, Jimi Hendrix burned out, okay, bang, he was gone. Kurt Cobain burnt, bang, gone. Buddy Holly, bang, gone. Great Ritchie Valens, bang, gone. They went at their peak, and that’s the way everyone remembers them, and that’s what rock and roll’s all about, that edge, the peak, the thing. So, you look at that and you go, ‘Well, maybe it is better to just burn than it is to fade away – for rock and roll.'”
Young then made a distinction between rock and roll and life. Continuing: “And this song’s about rock and roll. It’s not about life. Life has children, it has family, it has relationships, it has nature, it has beauty, it has all of these other things that rock and roll is part of. But rock and roll is its own thing. It’s an animal all unto itself. So I was singing about rock and roll. But for rock and roll, if that’s all you are, and that’s all you wanna do, exploding is not bad. But there’s a lot more to life than just rock and roll.”
The interviewer noted that there’s a lot more to Young’s music than rock and roll. The Canadian musician agreed, maintaining: “But I love to rock, and I’m glad to be here”.
