Old Man

Neil Young | Format: MP3 Download
From the Album Greatest Hits

Product Details

• Original Release Date: November 16, 2004
• Label: Atlantic Records/ATG
• Copyright: 2004 Reprise Records for the U.S. and WEA International Inc. for the world outside the U.S.
• Duration: 3:22 minutes
• Genres: Pop/Singer-Songwriters, Rock/Country Rock, Rock/Folk Rock, Rock/Singer-Songwriters
• ASIN: B0018AKBHI
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,159 Paid in MP3 Songs (See Top 100 Paid in MP3 Songs)
  • #11 in MP3 Downloads > MP3 Songs > Rock > Folk Rock
  • #14 in MP3 Downloads > MP3 Songs > Rock > Country Rock
  • #49 in MP3 Downloads > MP3 Songs > Folk

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The track that made me finally notice Neil Young, June 12, 2008

By 

Chris "The BBC American" (Austin, TX) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Old Man (MP3 Download)

A beautiful, touching musical microcosm of life, written for an old foreman on a ranch in California Young had bought from "these two lawyers". Every element in the song - tempo, rhythm, melody, accompaniment, lyrics, and Young's vocals - all drive the main theme and mood of the song masterfully. The main musical phrase starts off melancholy, ambling - like someone wearied of life, and then changes up to a brighter, more hopeful, though much briefer musical phrase. This dichotomy goes back and forth maintaining a balance of sadness and joy that is echoed in the lyrics and melody.

Aside from the quiet profundity and rural poetry in the lyrics, the way the song is written is a deeply touching metaphor of life in general, and the lives of, in particular, the two people in the story of the song (viz. the singer and the old man) and their relationship, and all of that is what makes it such undeniable genius.

There are plenty of legendary artists I still have yet to "get" -- e.g. The Rolling Stones, Elvis, The Beatles (hmm, are there any bigger 3?), Dylan -- and I hadn't experienced Neil Young until this song. "Old Man" answered, in 3 and a half minutes, whatever question I had about whether or not Young is worthy of his status: He resoundingly is.