No More (Neil Young song)

Last updated
"No More"
Neil Young No More promo single.jpg
Promo single containing the studio version and the live SNL version
Song by Neil Young
from the album Freedom
Genre Rock
Length6:06
Label Reprise
Songwriter(s) Neil Young
Producer(s) Neil Young
Niko Bolas

"No More" is a song written by Neil Young that was first released on his 1989 album Freedom . Although not released commercially as a single, it reached #7 on the Billboard Mainstream Rock chart. Young performed the song live on a Saturday Night Live performance on September 30, 1989.

Contents

Lyrics and music

The lyrics of the song address drug addiction. [1] [2] [3] Neil Young biographer Brian Kreizer describes it as a sequel to "The Needle and the Damage Done." [4] However, "No More" does not specify which drug or drugs are being referenced. [5]

The first verse is most explicitly about drugs. [3] It describes how difficult it is to get free of drugs once addicted, and recovered addict who is now finally free sings "no more." [3] Writer Ken Beilen describes the second verse as an attempt by the former addict to recover his muse and creativity now that he does not have drugs to fall back on. [3] The third and last verse can be interpreted as being about drugs or about music. [1] Beilen interprets it as being about the former addict being torn between a desire to do his best and a need to fill up an album's worth of songs. [3] But music critic Johnny Rogan points out that lines like "Searchin' for a quality/Havin' to have the very best" can apply equally to the search for quality drugs as to the search for high quality songs. [1] Greenwald seems to accept the drug interpretation, saying that the song shows the singer and addict suffering from drug psychosis. [2] Young himself has stated that he "wasn't saying anything definitively" and that it's "completely ambiguous what's going on." [1] Young further stated that "How many times do you have to say 'no more' before it means 'no more'? Because that song doesn't mean 'no more.'" [1]

Beilen describes "No More" as having a "pop aesthetic. [3] Rogan and music journalist Nigel Williamson describe the guitar playing as being in the style of Young's songs with Crazy Horse. [1] [5] But Beilen also notes some unusual elements. He notes that Young's vocal performance is unusual for him in that in the verses he "stretches out the notes." [3] Beilen also points out that the refrain contains a jazz riff and that Young obtains a "unique sound" in the introduction. [3]

Reception

Allmusic critic Natthew Greenwald calls it "Young's finest anti-drug song next to 'Needle and the Damage Done,'" and also describes it as "frighteningly chilling." [2] Rogan describes it as a "minor classic." [1] It reached #7 on the Billboard Mainstream Rock chart. [6] [7]

Live performance

Young performed the song live on a Saturday Night Live performance on September 30, 1989, a show on which he also performed "Rockin' in the Free World" and "The Needle and the Damage Done." [4] [8] [9] Allmusic critic Stephen Thomas Erlewine called it a "great performance." [9] This performance was included on a promotional single that also contained the studio version of the song. [1] It was also included on the compilation album Saturday Night Live: 25 Years, Vol. 2. [9]

Related Research Articles

<i>Freedom</i> (Neil Young album) 1989 studio album by Neil Young

Freedom is the 17th studio album by Canadian-American musician Neil Young, released on October 2, 1989. Freedom relaunched Young's career after a largely unsuccessful decade. After many arguments and a lawsuit, Young left Geffen Records in 1988 and returned to his original label, Reprise, with This Note's for You. Freedom brought about a new, critical and commercially successful album. It was released as an LP record, cassette tape, and CD.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rockin' in the Free World</span> 1989 single by Neil Young

"Rockin' in the Free World" is a song by Canadian-American singer, musician and songwriter Neil Young, released on Young's seventeenth studio album Freedom (1989). Two versions of the song bookend the album, similarly to "Hey Hey, My My " from Young's Rust Never Sleeps album, one of which is performed with a predominantly acoustic arrangement, and the other predominantly electric. Rolling Stone magazine ranked "Rockin' In the Free World" number 214 on its "500 Greatest Songs of All Time"

"Sedan Delivery" is a song written by Neil Young that was first released on his 1979 album with Crazy Horse, Rust Never Sleeps.

"Danger Bird" is a song written by Neil Young. It was first released on his 1975 album with Crazy Horse, Zuma. A live version was also released on the 1997 album Year of the Horse.

"Out on the Weekend" is a song written by Neil Young that was the opening song of his 1972 album Harvest.

"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.

"Let It Rock" is a song written and recorded by rock and roll pioneer Chuck Berry. Chess Records released it as single, which reached number 64 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart in February 1960. Chess later added it to Berry's album Rockin' at the Hops (1960). In 1963, Pye Records released it as a single in the UK, where it reached number six.

"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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Almost Saturday Night</span>

"Almost Saturday Night" is a song written by John Fogerty and first released on his 1975 album John Fogerty. It was released as a single and reached No. 78. It has been covered by a number of artists, including Dave Edmunds, who also released it as a single to more success, Gene Clark, Ricky Nelson, The Searchers, The Georgia Satellites and Ned LeDoux.

"Tired Eyes" is a song written by Neil Young that was first released on his 1975 album Tonight's the Night.

"Pocahontas" is a song written by Neil Young that was first released on his 1979 album Rust Never Sleeps. It has also been covered by Johnny Cash, Everclear, Emily Loizeau, Crash Vegas, Gillian Welch, Trampled By Turtles, and Ian McNabb.

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

"Harvest" is a song written by Neil Young that was the title song of his 1972 album Harvest.

"From Hank to Hendrix" is a song written by Neil Young that was first released on his 1992 album Harvest Moon. Young has frequently included it in live sets and it has been included on a number of live and compilation albums.

"Unknown Legend" is a song written by Neil Young that was first released on his 1992 album Harvest Moon. Although it was not released as a single, it reached #38 on the Billboard Magazine Mainstream Rock Tracks chart.

"Crime in the City " is a song written by Neil Young that was first released on his 1989 album Freedom, although Young had performed longer versions in concert earlier. It was not released as a single but reached number 34 on the Billboard Magazine Mainstream Rock Tracks chart. It is a lengthy song, with a released version of almost nine minutes, but earlier versions were more than twice as long. It has been characterized as a document of moral rot in urban regions of the United States in the late 1980s.

<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

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Come On Baby Let's Go Downtown</span>

"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.

"Dance, Dance, Dance" is a song written by Neil Young that first appeared on Crazy Horse's debut album Crazy Horse in 1971. Young later released a live version of it 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.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Rogan, J. (1996). The Complete Guide to the Music of Neil Young. Omnibus Press. pp. 134–135. ISBN   978-0711953994.
  2. 1 2 3 Greenwald, M. "No More". Allmusic . Retrieved 2015-06-28.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Bielen, K. (2008). The Words and Music of Neil Young. Praeger. pp. 68–69. ISBN   9780275999025.
  4. 1 2 Kreizer, B. & Marsh, D. (1996). Neil Young. Boulevard Books. p. 117. ISBN   9781572971233.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  5. 1 2 Williamson, N. (2002). Journey Through the Past: The Stories Behind the Classic Songs of Neil Young. Hal Leonard. p. 121. ISBN   9780879307417.
  6. ↑ "Freedom Awards". Allmusic . Retrieved 2015-06-28.
  7. ↑ "Neil Young Chart History: Mainstream Rock Songs". Billboard Magazine . Retrieved 2019-01-20.
  8. ↑ "Rockin' Saturday Night Live". Neil Young News. December 15, 2005. Retrieved 2015-06-28.
  9. 1 2 3 Erlewine, S.T. "Saturday Night Live: 25 Years, Vol. 2". Allmusic . Retrieved 2015-06-28.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.