"Downtown" | |
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Single by Crazy Horse | |
from the album Crazy Horse | |
B-side | "Crow Jane Lady" |
Released | February 1971 |
Recorded | 1970 |
Genre | Rock |
Length | 3:14 |
Label | Reprise |
Songwriter(s) | |
Producer(s) |
"Come On Baby Let's Go Downtown" | |
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Song by Neil Young and Crazy Horse | |
from the album Tonight's the Night | |
Released | June 20, 1975 |
Recorded | March 7, 1970 |
Venue | Fillmore East, New York City |
Genre | Rock |
Length | 3:35 |
Label | Reprise |
Songwriter(s) |
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Producer(s) |
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"Come On Baby Let's Go Downtown", also known as "(Come On Baby Let's Go) Downtown" or "Downtown", is a song written by Danny Whitten, possibly in collaboration with Neil Young, that was first released on Crazy Horse's 1971 album Crazy Horse . A live version was later released on multiple Neil Young albums, most famously on his 1975 album Tonight's the Night , and then on his 2006 album Live at the Fillmore East . Phish has covered the song in concert.
The lyrics of "Come On Baby Let's Go Downtown" deal with a drug addict looking to score heroin. [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] Another line assures us that "sure enough they'll be selling stuff when the moon begins to rise." [6] The refrain describes how the singer is "dealing with the man" who is "sellin' stuff." [3]
Cash Box described the single as "a Young-tinged rock side pegged as the track at FM stations" that could reach the Top 40. [7] Music lecturer Ken Bielen described the song as "an up-tempo track" with "a barrage of electric guitar chords." [3] Pitchfork critic Mark Richardson described the song as a "joyous rave up" despite the somber theme. [8] Allmusic critic William Ruhlmann praised Whitten's writing of the song, as well as his "rocking out" in his performance on the Crazy Horse album. [4]
The writing credits on Tonight's the Night credited the song to both Whitten and Young, but on Crazy Horse's debut album and Live at the Fillmore East the song was credited solely to Whitten. [9] Upon the Crazy Horse single release, Record World said that Young "assisted in the writing" of the song. [10] Young has stated in concert that the song was written mostly by Whitten. [11]
"Come On Baby Let's Go Downtown" was included in the set list of concerts that Young was performing with Crazy Horse at the Fillmore East in March 1970 with Whitten taking the lead vocals. [1] [3] [12] [5] Young had recorded 9 songs for the Tonight's the Night album in 1973 but did not feel the album was finished, and so the album sat unreleased for two years. Young's manager Elliot Mazer suggested adding three older songs to the album - "Come On Baby Let's Go Downtown" as well as "Borrowed Tune" and "Lookout Joe." [5] [13] With those three songs added, Young eventually decided to release the Tonight's the Night album in 1975, instead of Homegrown , which he had recently recorded. [13] "Come On Baby Let's Go Downtown" was released as a single from the album. [1]
Music critic Nigel Williamson stated that although Young does not sing on "Come On Baby Let's Go Downtown," the song is integral to the concept of the album, most of which was written and recorded in the shadow of the deaths of Whitten and Young's roadie Bruce Berry to drug overdoses. [2] Young referred to those sessions as being essentially a wake for Whitten and Berry. [2] Whitten died of a heroin overdose on November 18, 1972, after Young had fired him from the Time Fades Away project, possibly with drugs he bought with money Young had given him. [2] Music critic Johnny Rogan similarly stated that the performance "intensifies the mood" of the album and said that "hearing Whitten in this context on lead vocal is a poignant reminder of all that was lost to the needle and works even more effectively than would another Young song on the same theme." [12] Rolling Stone Magazine critic Dave Marsh stated that the performance "serves as a metaphor for the album's haunted, frightened emotional themes" and said that "musically, Whitten's guitar and voice complement, challenge and inspire Young." [14] Allmusic critic Matthew Greenwald stated that this version is "a fabulous country barnburner, which encapsulates Crazy Horse's loud-and-proud appeal." [15] He also noted that it was a sensible song to include on the album since it deals with drug culture but "with a lighter touch than some of Young's songs on the album." [15] Music journalist Andrew Grant Jackson stated that despite the tragedy that led to the song's inclusion on the album, "the euphoria [Whitten] and Young share on the harmonies is palpable." [16] Although Tonight's the Night producer David Briggs felt that the material added to the original album recordings detracted from the mood of the album, Young biographer Jimmy McDonough disagreed, saying that "when gone-dead Danny Whitten's voice jumps out of the speakers singing 'Come On Baby Let's Go Downtown,' it just hits you in the gut that much harder." [5] Pitchfork reviewer Mark Richardson stated that "Whitten’s death seems impossible when this song crackles with so much life. It’s both a celebration and a lament. Hearing their voices in unison on the chorus is a kind of prayer, two music lifers realizing in a moment the power of what they could do together." [8] Music journalist David Downing called it "great rock 'n' roll," saying that Whitten singing it in this context gives the song added resonance. [6] Far Out Magazine critic Mick McStarkey rated this as Young and Whitten's best live performance, stating that "the guitars are vintage Young-Whitten" and that the song demonstrates that Whitten "was an incredible vocalist as well as an axeman." [17]
In 2006, Young released Live at the Fillmore East, which included most of the Young's electric set from the show which included the performance of "Come On Baby Let's Go Downtown" that was on Tonight's the Night. [1] [3] Neil Young FAQ author Glen Boyd stated that it's "really cool to finally hear Whitten's "(Come On Baby Let's Go) Downtown" in its proper context. [1] Spin called the song "a jaunty showcase number about scoring dope" and said of Whitten's performance in this context that it's "sorta chilling in retrospect." [18]
Young and Crazy Horse performed "Come On Baby Let's Go Downtown" live on their Rust Never Sleeps tour, with Young taking the lead vocals. [19]
Phish guitarist Trey Anastasio played "Come On Baby Let's Go Downtown" at a live solo concert on February 15, 1999. [11] Phish began playing it live in concert at a show on September 23, 2000, in Rosemont, Illinois, the same city where Anastasio had seen Young perform live a year earlier and stated that the show was one of the best experiences of his life. [11]
Neil Percival Young is a Canadian and American singer-songwriter. After embarking on a music career in Winnipeg in the 1960s, Young moved to Los Angeles, joining the folk-rock group Buffalo Springfield. Since the beginning of his solo career, often with backing by the band Crazy Horse, he has released critically acclaimed albums such as Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere (1969), After the Gold Rush (1970), Harvest (1972), On the Beach (1974), and Rust Never Sleeps (1979). He was also a part-time member of Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, with whom he recorded the chart-topping 1970 album Déjà Vu.
Tonight's the Night is the sixth studio album by Canadian / American songwriter Neil Young. It was recorded in August–September 1973, mostly on August 26, but its release was delayed until June 1975. It peaked at No. 25 on the Billboard 200. The album is the third and final of the so-called "Ditch Trilogy" of albums that Young released following the major success of 1972's Harvest, whereupon the scope of his success and acclaim became so difficult for Young to handle that he subsequently experienced alienation from his music and career.
Crazy Horse is an American rock band best known for their association with the musician Neil Young. Since 1969, fifteen studio albums and eight live albums have been billed as being by Neil Young and Crazy Horse. They have also released six studio albums of their own between 1971 and 2009.
Weld is a live album by Neil Young and Crazy Horse released in 1991, comprising performances recorded on the tour to promote the Ragged Glory album. It was initially released as a limited edition three-disc set entitled Arc-Weld, with the Arc portion being a single disc consisting in its entirety of a sound collage of guitar noise and feedback. Arc has since been released separately.
Danny Ray Whitten was an American guitarist and songwriter, best known for his work with Neil Young's backing band Crazy Horse, and for the song "I Don't Want to Talk About It", a hit for Rod Stewart and Everything but the Girl.
"Down by the River" is a song composed by Neil Young. It was first released on his 1969 album with Crazy Horse, Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere. Young explained the context of the story in the liner notes of his 1977 anthology album Decade, stating that he wrote "Down by the River," "Cinnamon Girl" and "Cowgirl in the Sand" while delirious in bed in Topanga Canyon with a 103 °F (39 °C) fever.
"Sedan Delivery" is a song written by Neil Young that was first released on his 1979 album with Crazy Horse, Rust Never Sleeps.
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Crazy Horse is the debut album by Crazy Horse, released in 1971 by Reprise Records. It is the only album by the band to feature Danny Whitten recorded without Neil Young, and it peaked at No. 84 on the Billboard 200 album chart.
Live at the Fillmore East is a live album by Neil Young and Crazy Horse featuring guitarist Danny Whitten, released in 2006. It also has the distinction of being the first album released as part of the Neil Young Archives series of archival recordings.
"Cowgirl in the Sand" is a song written by Neil Young and first released on his 1969 album Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere. Young has included live versions of the song on several albums and on the Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young album 4 Way Street. It has also been covered by The Byrds on their self-titled album. Like three other songs from Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere, "Cinnamon Girl", "Down by the River" and the title track, Young wrote "Cowgirl in the Sand" while he was suffering from the flu with a high fever at his home in Topanga, California.
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"Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere" is a song written by Neil Young that was originally released as the title track of his 1969 album with Crazy Horse, Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere. The song was written earlier, and a different version was originally considered for Young's 1968 solo debut album Neil Young.
"Dance, Dance, Dance" is a song written by Neil Young that first appeared on Crazy Horse's debut album Crazy Horse in 1971. Young has released a number of live versions of the song himself, and it has also been covered by other artists, including Dave Edmunds, The New Seekers, The Flying Burrito Brothers and Elvis Costello.
"Tonight's the Night" is a song written by Neil Young that was first released on his 1975 album Tonight's the Night. Two versions of the song bookended the album, with one version as the first song, and the other as the last. "Tonight's the Night" has also appeared on some of Young's live and compilation albums.
Early Daze is the 47th studio album by Neil Young, featuring his backing band Crazy Horse. Young has referenced it on multiple occasions, including 12 years earlier, in his biography Waging Heavy Peace. After being postponed and teased several times, Neil Young announced in May that he would be releasing the album on June 28, 2024.