Mr. Soul

Last updated
"Mr. Soul"
Buffalo Springfield-Bluebird-Mr. Soul.jpg
Single by Buffalo Springfield
from the album Buffalo Springfield Again
A-side "Bluebird"
ReleasedJune 15, 1967 (1967-06-15)
RecordedJanuary 9, 1967
Studio Atlantic, New York City
Genre
Length2:35
Label Atco
Songwriter(s) Neil Young
Producer(s)
  • Brian Stone
  • Charles Greene
Buffalo Springfield singles chronology
"For What It's Worth"
(1966)
"Mr. Soul"
(1967)
"Rock 'n' Roll Woman"
(1967)

"Mr. Soul" is a song recorded by the Canadian-American rock band Buffalo Springfield in 1967. [1] It was released June 15, 1967, as the B-side to their fourth single "Bluebird" and later included on the group's second album Buffalo Springfield Again .

Contents

Background

"Mr. Soul" is about Neil Young's personal problems with fame and disregard towards rock stardom. [2] It was written by Young after experiencing an epilepsy attack after an early show with Buffalo Springfield in San Francisco. Many people in the audience were questioning if it was part of the act. [3] While being a patient at UCLA Medical Center, he wrote the song once he was awake and recovering and told to return for further tests. [3] The lyrics had reflected Young's experience, feeling as though he was about to die. [3] Thereupon, he was advised by his doctor to never take LSD or any other hallucinogenic drugs. [3]

Composed on an acoustic twelve-string guitar, the dark and moody song is in double drop D tuning, which Young used in a number of other songs, such as "Ohio" and "Cinnamon Girl". [4] On the third track of Sugar Mountain – Live at Canterbury House 1968 , Young stated that, "A lot of songs take a long time to write. Generally they take an hour and a half, two hours to write. But this one took only five minutes". The main riff of the song is based on a modified version of the riff used in the Rolling Stones "Satisfaction" [5] Young subsequently recorded several other versions of the song, often with marked stylistic changes. The song has been described by music writers as folk rock, [6] psychedelic rock, [7] [8] hard rock, [9] and R&B. [10]

In a contemporary review of the song, Cash Box called it "a rhythmic, funky-filled stanza. ." [11]

An excerpt of a live version of the song, is heard in the song "Broken Arrow" (1967), with the sounds of cheering crowds, taken from the cheering for the Beatles.

Cover versions and variations

Young has frequently performed the song both solo and with various backing bands. Live recordings appear on Sugar Mountain – Live at Canterbury House 1968, 1993's Unplugged and 1997's Year of the Horse with Crazy Horse. In addition, Young re-recorded the song in a synthrock style on his 1982 album Trans , with vocals processed with a vocoder; [12] a live performance of this version also appears in the film Solo Trans . During the 2016 Bridge School Benefit concerts, Young guested with Metallica to perform an acoustic cover of the song. [13]

Cher recorded a cover of the song for her 1975 album Stars . In 1984, new wave band Wire Train covered the song as a bonus track of their album In A Chamber . [14] In 2004, Rush covered the song on their cover EP of songs from the 1960s, Feedback . [15] The song has also been recorded by The Everly Brothers in December 1968, but was not released until 1984 on their studio album Nice Guys. [16]

Iron & Wine covered the song on his live album Iron & Wine Live Bonnaroo , released in 2005.[ citation needed ]

The Icicle Works covered the song on the 12" version of All the Daughters (Of Her Father's House).

Model Zero covered the song on their self titled album from 2019.

Personnel

Related Research Articles

<i>Decade</i> (Neil Young album) 1977 compilation album by Neil Young

Decade is a compilation album by Canadian–American musician Neil Young, originally released in 1977 as a triple album and later issued on two compact discs. It contains 35 of Young's songs recorded between 1966 and 1976, among them five tracks that had been unreleased up to that point. It peaked at No. 43 on the Billboard Top Pop Albums chart, and was certified platinum by the RIAA in 1986.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Buffalo Springfield</span> Canadian-American folk rock band

Buffalo Springfield was a rock band formed in Los Angeles by the Canadian musicians Neil Young, Bruce Palmer and Dewey Martin and the American musicians Stephen Stills and Richie Furay. The group, widely known for the song "For What It's Worth", released three albums and several singles from 1966 to 1968. Their music combined elements of folk music and country music with British Invasion and psychedelic rock influences. Like contemporary band the Byrds, they were key to the early development of folk rock. The band took their name from a steamroller parked outside their house.

<i>Buffalo Springfield Again</i> 1967 studio album by Buffalo Springfield

Buffalo Springfield Again is the second album by Buffalo Springfield, released on Atco Records in October 1967. The album features some of the group's best-known songs, including "Mr. Soul", "Bluebird", "Expecting to Fly" and "Rock & Roll Woman", all of which were released as singles. In contrast to the band's hastily made debut album, recording for Again took place over a protracted nine-month span and was fraught with dysfunction, with each member eventually producing his own material largely independent of one another.

<i>Last Time Around</i> 1968 studio album by Buffalo Springfield

Last Time Around is the third and final studio album by the Canadian-American folk rock band Buffalo Springfield, released in July 1968. The line-up at the time officially consisted of Neil Young, Stephen Stills, Richie Furay, Dewey Martin, Bruce Palmer, and Jim Messina, though the band itself was essentially broken up and the album was put together from previous recordings, some made up to a year earlier. Jim Messina acted as the album producer and mixing engineer, with input from Furay, as the two compiled the record to fulfil the band's last contractual obligation to its label. A number of guest musicians appeared on the album, notably pedal steel guitar player Rusty Young.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dirty Water</span> 1965 single by The Standells

"Dirty Water" is a song by the American rock band The Standells, written by their producer Ed Cobb. The song is a mock paean to the city of Boston, Massachusetts, and its then-famously polluted Boston Harbor and Charles River.

<i>Buffalo Springfield</i> (album) 1966 studio album by Buffalo Springfield

Buffalo Springfield is the debut album by the folk rock band Buffalo Springfield, released in December 1966 on Atco Records. Band members Stephen Stills and Neil Young wrote all the material on the album.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">For What It's Worth</span> 1966 single by Buffalo Springfield

"For What It's Worth " is a song written by Stephen Stills. Performed by Buffalo Springfield, it was recorded on December 5, 1966, released as a single on Atco Records in December 1966 and peaked at No. 7 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in the spring of 1967.

<i>Journey Through the Past</i> 1972 soundtrack album by Neil Young

Journey Through the Past is a double LP soundtrack album from the film of the same name by Canadian / American musician Neil Young, released in November 1972 on Reprise Records, catalogue number 2XS 6480. It peaked at #45 on the Billboard 200. Its initial release was on vinyl, cassette tape, reel-to-reel tape, and 8-track tape cartridge. Although its follow-up Time Fades Away was finally released on CD in August 2017, Journey Through the Past remains the only 1970s Neil Young album yet to see an official CD reissue.

<i>Stephen Stills Live</i> 1975 live album by Stephen Stills

Stephen Stills Live is a live album by Stephen Stills, released on Atlantic Records in 1975. Recorded on his first solo tour since 1971 and released after he had signed to Columbia Records. It peaked at number 42 on the US charts.

"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.

<i>The Archives Vol. 1 1963–1972</i> 2009 box set by Neil Young

Neil Young Archives Vol. 1: 1963–1972 is the first in a planned series of box sets of archival material by Canadian-American musician Neil Young. It was released on June 2, 2009, in three different formats - a set of 10 Blu-ray discs in order to present high resolution audio as well as accompanying visual documentation, a set of 10 DVDs and a more basic 8-CD set. Covering Young's early years with The Squires and Buffalo Springfield, it also includes various demos, outtakes and alternate versions of songs from his albums Neil Young, Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere, After the Gold Rush, and Harvest, as well as tracks he recorded with Crazy Horse and Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young during this time. Also included in the set are several live discs, as well as a copy of the long out-of-print film Journey Through the Past, directed by Young in the early 1970s.

"The Loner" is a song by Neil Young, his first solo single. It was released on his solo debut album in November 1968, and then an edited version as his debut solo single three months later on Reprise Records. It missed the Billboard Hot 100 chart completely, but over time has become a staple of his performance repertoire. Both it and "Sugar Mountain", its B-side recorded live at the Canterbury House in Ann Arbor, Michigan, were released on album together for his 1977 compilation, Decade.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Let It Rain (Eric Clapton song)</span> 1972 single by Eric Clapton

"Let It Rain" is a song and single written and released by the British rock musician Eric Clapton and Bonnie Bramlett; it appears on his 1970 debut studio album Eric Clapton. In 1972 it was released as a single as part of the promotion for his compilation album Eric Clapton at His Best

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bluebird (Buffalo Springfield song)</span> Song by the rock group Buffalo Springfield

"Bluebird" is a song recorded by the American rock group Buffalo Springfield. It was written and produced by Stephen Stills, with co-production by Ahmet Ertegun. In June 1967, Atco Records released it as a single to follow-up their hit "For What It's Worth" (1966).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Mojo Men</span> American rock band

The Mojo Men was an American rock band based in San Francisco. Formed in 1965, the group underwent several name and personnel changes until their 1969 breakup. Their highest-charting Billboard Hot 100 single was a cover of Buffalo Springfield's "Sit Down, I Think I Love You", which peaked at number 36 in 1967.

"Sit Down, I Think I Love You" is a 1966 song composed by American singer-songwriter Stephen Stills and originally recorded by American-Canadian rock band Buffalo Springfield. A cover version by The Mojo Men was released as a single in 1967 and reached the U.S. Top 40. Also that year, Australian band The Executives charted in their home country with their version of the song.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Expecting to Fly (song)</span> 1967 single by Buffalo Springfield

"Expecting to Fly" is a song written by Neil Young and performed by Buffalo Springfield. The song appeared on their 1967 album, Buffalo Springfield Again. It would reach #98 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1968.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nowadays Clancy Can't Even Sing</span> 1966 single by Buffalo Springfield

"Nowadays Clancy Can't Even Sing" is a song by the Canadian-American folk rock band Buffalo Springfield, released as the group's debut single in 1966. Neil Young wrote the song in Yorkville in 1965 shortly after returning from a series of performances in Toronto, during a period when his bid at a solo career had been met with little positive response. The lyrics reflect metaphorically on Young's frustration toward his stalled career in music, and was inspired by Ross "Clancy" Smith, an aberrant classmate who incited awe in his school. Commentators recognize "Nowadays Clancy Can't Even Sing" as one of Buffalo Springfield's signature songs, as well as a milestone in Young's progression as a songwriter.

"The Old Laughing Lady" is a song written by Neil Young that was first released on his 1968 debut solo album Neil Young.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere (song)</span> Neil Young song

"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

References

  1. Priore, Domenic (2007). Riot on Sunset Strip: Rock 'n' Roll's Last Stand in Hollywood. London: Jawbone Press. ISBN   978-1-906002-04-6.
  2. Greenwald, Matthew. Song Review by Matthew Greenwald at AllMusic . Retrieved July 9, 2016.
  3. 1 2 3 4 Rogan, Johnny (2001). Neil Young: Zero to Sixty A Critical Biography. Music Sales Distributed. p. 109. ISBN   978-0-9529540-4-0.
  4. McDonough, James (2003). Shakey: Neil Young's Biography. New York City: Anchor. p. 194.
  5. "Neil Young". sugarmtn.org. Retrieved 2022-06-23.
  6. Luft, Eric v.d. (2009). Die at the Right Time!: A Subjective Cultural History of the American Sixties. Gegensatz Press. p. 246. ISBN   978-1-933237-39-8.
  7. DeRogatis, Jim (2003). Turn on Your Mind: Four Decades of Great Psychedelic Rock. Hal Leonard. p. 94. ISBN   978-0-634-05548-5.
  8. Moon, Tom (2008). 1,000 Recordings to Hear Before You Die: A Listener's Life List. Workman. p. 130. ISBN   978-0761149415.
  9. Joynson, Vernon (1984). The Acid Trip: A Complete Guide to Psychedelic Music. Babylon Books. p. 60. ISBN   0907188249.
  10. Masley, Ed (May 30, 2017). "Sgt. Pepper and beyond: A look back at 20 great albums released in 1967". azcentral . Retrieved November 3, 2023. ...on the psychedelic R&B of "Mr. Soul"...
  11. "CashBox Record Reviews" (PDF). Cash Box. July 1, 1967. p. 16. Retrieved 2022-06-24.
  12. Ruhlmann, William. "Neil Young: Trans Review". AllMusic . Retrieved July 9, 2016.
  13. Kreps, Daniel. "Metallica Perform with Neil Young Cover the Clash at Bridge School". rollingstone.com . Retrieved October 23, 2018.
  14. https://www.45cat.com/record/c47019
  15. Jurek, Thom. "Rush: Feedback – Album Review". AllMusic . Retrieved July 9, 2016.
  16. Bielen, Kenneth G. (2008). The Words and Music of Neil Young. Praeger Publishers. p. 3. ISBN   978-0-275-99902-5.

Accolades

2021 Peabody Award Winner for Documentary