Tired Eyes (Neil Young song)

Last updated
"Tired Eyes"
Song by Neil Young and The Santa Monica Flyers
from the album Tonight's the Night
ReleasedJune 20, 1975
RecordedAugust 26, 1973
Studio Studio Instrument Rentals, Hollywood, CA
Genre Rock
Length4:35
Label Reprise
Songwriter(s) Neil Young
Producer(s)

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

Contents

Recording

"Tired Eyes" was recorded at Studio Instrument Rentals in Los Angeles on August 26, 1973. [1] [2] [3] [4] It was recorded on the same day as four other songs from Tonight's the Night: "Tonight's the Night," "World on a String," "Mellow My Mind" and "Speakin' Out." [2] [4] Young was backed by drummer Ralph Molina and bassist Billy Talbot from what was left of his frequent backing band Crazy Horse after the drug overdose death of guitarist Danny Whitten, as well as Nils Lofgren on piano and Ben Keith on pedal steel. [2] [5] [6] Young plays electric guitar. [6] Young dubbed the band The Santa Monica Flyers for this album. [2]

Lyrics and music

The lyrics of "Tired Eyes" describe a cocaine deal that went bad, resulting in the death of four men. [2] [7] It is based on a true story that occurred in Topanga Canyon in 1972. [7] [5] [3] According to Young, "That actually happened to a friend of mine. My friend was the one who shot the other guys. It was just one of those deals that went bad." [5] According to Rolling Stone critic Dave Marsh (referencing fellow critic Bud Scoppa) pointed out that the plot of "Tired Eyes" is similar to that of Robert Stone's 1974 novel Dog Soldiers , which was published after "Tired Eyes" was recorded but before it was released. [8] Allmusic critic Bill Janovitz claims that the opening lines of "Well he shot four men in a cocaine deal/And he left them lying in an open field/Full of old cars with bullet holes in their mirrors/He tried to do his best, but he could not" could describe a scene from a Sam Peckinpah film. [6] At one point Young seems to be having a conversation with himself, with the lyrics "Well tell me more/I mean was he a heavy doper or was he just a loser." [9]

Young speaks the verses over the instrumentation, in a manner that music lecturer Ken Bielen compares to Frank Zappa, and sings the refrain in what the Rolling Stone editors describe as a mumble. [7] [5] Rolling Stone says that Young "mumbles the chorus - "Please take my advice/Open up your tired eyes" - over and over, as if he's trying to wake himself up from a nightmare. [5] Music critic Nigel Williamson said that Young's vocal "has a world weary lethargy so that the song is drained of tension and drama" but that "paradoxically, this only adds to its impact." [2] Janovitz compares Young's vocal performance to Lou Reed, saying that he speaks the verses using a "straightforward" voice "with Reed-like dryness" and he sings the refrain "in an even more raw, wary voice." [6]

According to Williamson, "Tired Eyes" and the previous song "Lookout Joe" widen the theme of the Tonight's the Night from the deaths of Whitten and Bruce Berry, who are memorialized in other songs on the album, to turn the album into "an epitaph for an America that has lost its moral compass and for its dead in the jungles of Vietnam as well as in the back streets and barrios of urban America." [2] Music critic Johnny Rogan similarly states that with this song Young "extends the [album's] narrative beyond the deaths of Whitten and Berry." [9] Uncut contributor Jon Dale says that "Young has moved us out of the immediate hell of his personal life and into the wider, less concrete hells of a community licking its wounds post-Altamont, not bothering to figure out why it all went wrong." [10] In a related vein, music journalist David Downing regards "Tired Eyes" and "Lookout Joe" as an attempt to look outward after the "self-laceration" of the earlier songs on the album, but says that the relief is only temporary, as he regards the line "He tried to do his best, but he could not" as standing as "a requiem for Danny, for Bruce, for friends and colleagues, for all who let them die, for the whole goddam circus." [4]

Reception

In 2004 Rolling Stone rated "Tired Eyes" as Young's 18th greatest song. [5] Rolling Stone critic Dave Marsh regarded it among Young's best songs since After the Gold Rush . [8] Marsh said:

The whole [Tonight's the Night] album has pointed to ["Tired Eyes"], song after song building the tightness with the endless repetition of phrases—musical and lyric—until the rasp of the guitars on the rockers and the sweetness of the singing on the weepers begins to grate, aching for release. Young's whole career may have been spent in pursuit of this story—remember the sinister black limousines lurking in the shadows of "Mr. Soul" and "Broken Arrow"?—but it is only now that he has found a way to tell the tale so directly. [8]

According to Neil Young FAQ author Glen Boyd, "Tired Eyes" "plays more like a long conversation Young is having with himself about the event" and Young "keeps it real" on what Boyd considers one of the "very best tracks" on the album. [3]

Janovitz interprets "Tired Eyes" as reflecting Young's "disgust and wariness" at the dark side of the Woodstock dream, such as the drugs and violence that manifested themselves at the Altamont Free Concert in 1969. [6]

Producer David Briggs claimed that "Tired Eyes" was the best song on Tonight's the Night, saying that "you'll never hear a song like it. The dreamy recitation, the lyrics are so abstract—Neil really caught dope murder, that kind of feel." [1]

"Tired Eyes" has appeared on the 1977 compilation album Decade and on the 2020 box set Neil Young Archives Volume II: 1972–1976 . [11] [12]

Related Research Articles

<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.

"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.

"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.

"Powderfinger" is a song written by Neil Young, first released on his 1979 album Rust Never Sleeps. It subsequently appeared on several of Young's live recordings. A 2014 Rolling Stone special issue on Young ranked it as Young's best song ever.

"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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">No More (Neil Young song)</span> 1989 song by Neil Young

"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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Will to Love</span> Song by Neil Young

"Will to Love" is a song written by Neil Young that was first released on his 1977 album American Stars 'N Bars. A promotional single of "Will to Love" was released, backed with a live performance of "Cortez the Killer."

"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.

"I Believe in You" is a song written by Neil Young that was first released on his 1970 album After the Gold Rush. It has also been covered by other artists, including Linda Ronstadt, Robin Zander and Rita Coolidge. Coolidge's version was released as a single and was a minor hit in Canada.

"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.

"Country Girl" is a song written by Neil Young that was first released on Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young's 1970 album Déjà Vu.

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

"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.

"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 McDonough, Jimmy (2003). Shakey: Neil Young's Biography. Anchor Books. pp. 408–409, 415. ISBN   9780679750963.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Williamson, Nigel (2002). Neil Young: Journey Through the Past. Hal Leonard. pp. 56, 59. ISBN   9780879307417.
  3. 1 2 3 Boyd, Glen (2012). Neil Young FAQ. Backbeat Books. p. 112. ISBN   9781617130373.
  4. 1 2 3 Downing, D. (1994). A Dreamer of Pictures: Neil Young, the Man and His Music. Da Capo. pp. 100–102. ISBN   9780306806117.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "The 100 Greatest Songs". Neil Young: Special Collectors Edition. Rolling Stone. 2004. p. 78.
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 Janovitz, Bill. "Tired Eyes". Allmusic. Retrieved 2022-02-06.
  7. 1 2 3 Bielen, Ken (2008). The Words and Music of Neil Young. Praeger. p. 32. ISBN   9780275999025.
  8. 1 2 3 Marsh, Dave (August 28, 1975). "Tonight's the Night". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on 2008-06-20. Retrieved 2022-02-05.
  9. 1 2 Rogan, Johnny (1996). The Complete Guide to the Music of Neil Young. Omnibus Press. p. 61. ISBN   978-0711953994.
  10. ↑ Dale, Jon. "Tonight's the Night". The Ultimate Guide: Neil Young. Uncut. p. 41.
  11. ↑ Ruhlmann, William. "Decade". Allmusic. Retrieved 2022-02-05.
  12. ↑ Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "Neil Young Archives, Vol. 2 (1972-1976)". Allmusic. Retrieved 2022-02-05.
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.