Don't Let It Bring You Down

Last updated
"Don't Let It Bring You Down"
Song by Neil Young
from the album After the Gold Rush
ReleasedSeptember 19, 1970
RecordedMarch 17, 1970
Studio Neil Young's home, Topanga, California
Genre
Length2:56
Label Reprise
Songwriter(s) Neil Young
Producer(s)

"Don't Let It Bring You Down" is the seventh track on Neil Young's 1970 studio album After the Gold Rush .

Contents

Background

The song was written by Young. It also appears on the 1971 Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young live album 4 Way Street as well as Young's 2007 album Live at Massey Hall 1971 , which was recorded in 1971, and Young's 2013 album Live at the Cellar Door , which was recorded in 1970. [1] [2] [3] John Reed wrote an arrangement of this for The Hampton String Quartet in 2006. [4]

The song is played in double drop C tuning, which is similar to double drop D; however, the whole guitar is down tuned a whole step first, making the guitar strings C, G, C, F, A, and C. [5]

On 4 Way Street, Young says, "Here is a new song, it's guaranteed to bring you right down, it's called 'Don't Let It Bring You Down'. It sorta starts off real slow and then fizzles out altogether." The crowd then roars with laughter. [1]

Cover versions

Related Research Articles

<i>Harvest</i> (Neil Young album) 1972 studio album by Neil Young

Harvest is the fourth studio album by Canadian-American musician Neil Young, released on February 1, 1972, by Reprise Records, catalogue number MS 2032. It featured the London Symphony Orchestra on two tracks and vocals by guests David Crosby, Graham Nash, Linda Ronstadt, Stephen Stills, and James Taylor. It topped the Billboard 200 album chart for two weeks, and spawned two hit singles, "Old Man", which peaked at No. 31 on the US Billboard Hot 100, and "Heart of Gold", which reached No. 1. It was the best-selling album of 1972 in the United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Steve Forbert</span> American pop music singer-songwriter

Samuel Stephen Forbert is an American pop/folk singer-songwriter. His 1979 song "Romeo's Tune" reached No. 11 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 and No. 13 on the Billboard Adult Contemporary chart. It also spent two weeks at No. 8 in Canada. Forbert's first four albums all charted on the Billboard 200 chart, with Jackrabbit Slim certified gold in Canada. In 2004, his Any Old Time album was nominated for a Grammy Award in the Best Traditional Folk category. Forbert has released twenty studio and three live albums.

<i>Tonights the Night</i> (Neil Young album) 1975 studio album by Neil Young

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.

<i>After the Gold Rush</i> 1970 studio album by Neil Young

After the Gold Rush is the third studio album by the Canadian-American musician Neil Young, released in September 1970 on Reprise Records. It is one of four high-profile solo albums released by the members of folk rock group Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young in the wake of their chart-topping 1970 album Déjà Vu. Young's album consists mainly of country folk music along with several rock tracks, including "Southern Man". The material was inspired by the unproduced Dean Stockwell-Herb Bermann screenplay After the Gold Rush.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Needle and the Damage Done</span> 1972 single by Neil Young

"The Needle and the Damage Done" is a 1972 song by Canadian-American singer-songwriter Neil Young. The lyrics describe the effects of heroin addiction on musicians Young knew, including his friend and Crazy Horse bandmate Danny Whitten, who would die of an overdose the same year the song was released. The song would preview the theme of Young's 1975 album Tonight's the Night, which would reflect on the fatal heroin overdoses of Whitten and Bruce Berry, a roadie for Young and Crazy Horse.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cinnamon Girl</span> Single by Neil Young and Crazy Horse

"Cinnamon Girl" is a song by Neil Young. It debuted on the 1969 album Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere, which was also Young's first album with backing band Crazy Horse.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brad Mehldau</span> American jazz musician (born 1970)

Bradford Alexander Mehldau is an American jazz pianist, composer, and arranger.

<i>Borrowed Tunes: A Tribute to Neil Young</i> 1994 compilation album by Various Artists

Borrowed Tunes is a tribute album to Neil Young, released in 1994. The album was released as a two-CD set, one compiling acoustic songs and one compiling rock-oriented ones, although the two discs were also each sold individually. The album features a variety of Canadian musicians covering songs written by Neil Young. All profits from the album were donated to The Bridge School, which develops and uses advanced technologies to aid in the instruction of handicapped children. A second album called Borrowed Tunes II: A Tribute to Neil Young was released in 2007.

<i>Live at the Fillmore East</i> (Neil Young album) 2006 live album by Neil Young and Crazy Horse

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.

"Tell Me Why" is the opening track on Neil Young's album After the Gold Rush. Written by Young, it was first introduced during the Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young shows of 1970 prior to the release of Déjà Vu. The song also appears on Live at Massey Hall 1971.

<i>Live at Massey Hall 1971</i> 2007 live album by Neil Young

Live at Massey Hall 1971 is a live album by Canadian-American musician Neil Young. Released in 2007, the album features a solo acoustic performance by Young at Massey Hall in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, on 19 January 1971 during his Journey Through the Past Solo Tour. It is the second release in Young's Archives Performance Series.

<i>High, Low and In Between</i> Album by Townes Van Zandt

High, Low and In Between is the fifth studio album by country singer/songwriter Townes Van Zandt, released in 1971. The album was recorded in L.A. and showcases what Van Zandt himself considered to be one of his most well written songs: "To Live Is To Fly".

"Love Is a Rose" is a song written and composed by Neil Young. It first became popular in 1975 when Linda Ronstadt had a country hit with her version. "Love Is a Rose" has also been covered by other artists over the years.

The Neil Young Archives is a longtime project by singer-songwriter Neil Young. It started as a series of archival releases featuring previously released as well as unreleased studio and live recordings. It eventually developed into a website featuring almost the whole of Young's recording output throughout his career, available for streaming in high resolution audio format. The project has been long in the making – work began in the late 1980s. Throughout its development, Young himself has made several statements about the material included, release dates, and marketing that have proven false as the project was modified for new multimedia formats and expanded upon to accommodate new releases or other relevant material. As of August 14th, 2024, the Neil Young Archives series of box sets is scheduled to have five volumes.

The Bridge School Collection, Vol. 1 is a downloadable audio collection of 80 selected acoustic performances, recorded between 1986 and 2006, from the Bridge School's Benefit Concerts. The 21 November 2006 iTunes distribution of the collection includes a digital booklet. All tracks are available for individual purchase except Neil Young's tracks which are by album only.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hookfoot</span> British rock band

Hookfoot was a British rock band, active from 1969 to 1974. The band was formed by Caleb Quaye and three fellow DJM Records session musicians, Ian Duck, Roger Pope and David Glover (bass).

"A Man Needs a Maid" is a song written by Neil Young that was first released on his 1972 album Harvest. It is one of two songs on Harvest on which Young is accompanied by the London Symphony Orchestra. It has appeared on several of Young's live and compilation albums.

"Bad Fog of Loneliness" is a song written by Canadian singer-songwriter Neil Young, recorded in 1971 but not released until 2007 on the album Live at Massey Hall 1971, in 2009 on The Archives Vol. 1 1963–1972 as a studio outtake, and in 2013 on Live at the Cellar Door. It also appeared on Young's live "Red Rocks" DVD released in 2000.

<i>Young Shakespeare</i> 2021 live album by Neil Young

Young Shakespeare is a live album and concert film from Canadian-American folk rock musician Neil Young recorded in 1971, and released on March 26, 2021. Recorded three days after Live at Massey Hall 1971, during the Journey Through the Past Solo Tour.

"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.

References

  1. 1 2 "Don't Let It Bring You Down (4 Way Street)". Neil Young Archives. Retrieved July 21, 2024.
  2. "Don't Let It Bring You Down (Live at Massey Hall 1971)". Neil Young Archives. Retrieved July 21, 2024.
  3. "Don't Let It Bring You Down (Live at the Cellar Door)". Neil Young Archives. Retrieved July 21, 2024.
  4. "Out of Print". Mona Lisa Sound. Retrieved July 21, 2024.
  5. "HyperRust: It's All One Song! - Neil's Tunings". hyperrust.org. Retrieved 2018-01-18.
  6. "Cover versions of Don't Let It Bring You Down by Hookfoot | SecondHandSongs". SecondHandSongs.
  7. "Don't Let It Bring You Down by Victoria Williams". SecondHandSongs. Retrieved July 21, 2024.
  8. "Don't Let It Bring You Down". Song of the Day. Retrieved July 21, 2024.
  9. "Don't Let It Bring You Down Lyrics". Genius. Retrieved July 21, 2024.
  10. "Casual was the byword for Chris Cornell's solo acoustic turn at the Troubadour Friday night". Variety. Retrieved July 21, 2024.
  11. "Watch Guns N' Roses and Neil Young team up for "Don't Let It Bring You Down"". Consequence.net. Retrieved July 21, 2024.
  12. "Castles Burning (Don't Let It Bring You Down) by Manfred Mann's Earth Band". SecondHandSongs. Retrieved July 21, 2024.
  13. Fletcher, Thomas (14 September 2020). "Brad Mehldau - Suite: April 2020". Jazz Journal . Retrieved 29 November 2020.
  14. "Video: Cowboy Junkies "Don't Let it Bring You Down"". Americana UK. Retrieved July 21, 2024.