The Old Laughing Lady

Last updated
"The Old Laughing Lady"
Song by Neil Young
from the album Neil Young
ReleasedNovember 12, 1968 (1968-11-12)
Recorded1968
Length5:58
Label Reprise
Songwriter(s) Neil Young
Producer(s)

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

Contents

Music and lyrics

Allmusic critic Matthew Greenwald describes "The Old Laughing Lady" as a "striking mood piece." [1] He describes the music as being "built on some simple, downcast chord changes, in a modal D guitar tuning," which he says gives the song depth and grandeur. [1] Music critic Johnny Rogan describes the song's use of string instruments and a "ghostly girl chorus" as giving it an "eerie effect." [2]

Young biographer Jimmy McDonough remarks on the song's "sweet, sad countermelodies passing from strings to French horn with beautiful restraint." [3] According to music critic Nigel Williamson, the production by Jack Nitzsche helps give the song a sense of mystery. [4] The song contains four verses but no refrain. [5] The changes in mood and tone over the course of the song are reminiscent of Young's earlier song "Broken Arrow" that he wrote and performed as a member of Buffalo Springfield. [6]

Rolling Stone Magazine critic Gary Von Tersch considers "The Old Laughing Lady" to be the more effective of the two, because he considers it to be "tighter, more mature and [have] more of the quiet explosion to it that Young obviously intends. [6]

The themes of "The Old Laughing Lady" include love, death, alcoholism and alienation. [1] [7] The old laughing lady of the title can be a metaphor for either death or alcohol. [2] [4] [8] The song describes how the old laughing lady affects the lives of those she interacts with. [5]

Writing and recording

"The Old Laughing Lady" was written earlier than most of the songs on Neil Young. According to Young, he wrote it one day on a napkin while drinking coffee in a coffee shop without knowing what prompted it. [3] [8] A version was recorded by Buffalo Springfield for their 1968 album Last Time Around in January 1968. [1] [4]

An even earlier version was tried out during the sessions for Buffalo Springfield's earlier album Buffalo Springfield Again . [4] In the version on Neil Young, Nitzsche used a vocal muting technique that makes Young sound "a million miles away, but right there." [3]

Reception

Neil Young FAQ author Glen Boyd described "The Old Laughing Lady" as having "stood the test of time" since Neil Young was released. [9] Pitchfork contributor Mark Richardson describes the song as having "echoes of the great music to come" from Young's later career. [10] In 2014 the editors of Rolling Stone Magazine ranked it as Young's 63rd all time greatest song , describing it as "California psychedelia with the sun sucked out." [8]

Young included "The Old Laughing Lady" on his 1977 compilation album Decade . [2] [11] A live version was released on Young's 1993 album Unplugged , although Rogan felt that version lacked the mystery and sadness of the original. [2] [5] [12]

Chris Doran (from Brauncewell, Lincolnshire, UK) stated on Christmas Day 2022 that the song was one of his favourite Neil Young compositions.

Related Research Articles

<i>Neil Young</i> (album) 1968 studio album by Neil Young

Neil Young is the debut studio album by Canadian / American musician Neil Young following his departure from Buffalo Springfield in 1968, issued on Reprise Records, catalogue number RS 6317. The album was first released on November 12th 1968 in the so-called 'CSG mix'. It was then partially remixed and re-released in late summer 1969, but at no time has the album ever charted on the Billboard 200.

"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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mr. Soul</span> 1967 single by Buffalo Springfield

"Mr. Soul" is a song recorded by the Canadian-American rock band Buffalo Springfield in 1967. 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.

"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.

"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">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).

"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.

<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."

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

"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

"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>

"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 as one version was the first song of the album that the other version was the last song of the album. "Tonight's the Night" has also appeared on some of Young's live and compilation albums.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Greenwald, Matthew. "The Old Laughing Lady". Allmusic. Retrieved 2020-03-21.
  2. 1 2 3 4 Rogan, Johnny (1996). The Complete Guide to the Music of Neil Young. Omnibus Press. p. 13. ISBN   978-0711953994.
  3. 1 2 3 McDonough, Jimmy (2003). Shakey: Neil Young's Biography. Anchor. pp. 136, 294. ISBN   9780679750963.
  4. 1 2 3 4 Williamson, N. (2002). Journey Through the Past: The Stories Behind the Classic Songs of Neil Young. Hal Leonard. p. 22. ISBN   9780879307417.
  5. 1 2 3 Bielen, Ken (2008). The Words and Music of Neil Young. Praeger. pp. 8–9. ISBN   9780275999025.
  6. 1 2 Von Tersch, Gary (April 5, 1969). "Neil Young". Rolling Stone Magazine. Retrieved 2020-03-21.
  7. ↑ Downing, D. (1994). A Dreamer of Pictures: Neil Young, the Man and His Music. Da Capo. p. 46. ISBN   9780306806117.
  8. 1 2 3 "The 100 Greatest Songs". Neil Young. Rolling Stone. 2014. p. 88.
  9. ↑ Boyd, Glen (2012). Neil Young FAQ: Everything Left to Know About the Iconic and Mercurial Rocker. Backbeat Books. p. 30. ASIN   B008RYZ7WM.
  10. ↑ Richardson, Mark (December 11, 2009). "Neil Young". Pitchfork. Retrieved 2020-03-21.
  11. ↑ Ruhlmann, William. "Decade". Allmusic. Retrieved 2020-03-21.
  12. ↑ Ruhlmann, William. "Unplugged". Allmusic. Retrieved 2020-03-21.
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.