Homeless Persons' Memorial Day Top 100 Songs
Song #32
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Neil Young
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backing band Crazy Horse, Young has recorded a steady stream of studio and live albums, sometimes warring with his recording company along the way.
Young's guitar work, deeply personal lyrics and signature tenor singing voice define his long career. Young also plays piano and harmonica on many albums, which frequently combine folk, rock, country and other musical styles. His often distorted electric guitar playing, especially with Crazy Horse, earned him the nickname "Godfather of Grunge
"Rockin' in the Free World" is a song released on his 1989 album Freedom. Two versions of the song were released, similarly to the song "Hey Hey, My My (Into the Black)" from Young's Rust Never Sleeps album, one of which is performed with a predominantly acoustic arrangement, and the other with a predominantly electric arrangement. The song is now considered one of Neil Young's best songs. The song was ranked 216 on Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.
The song was written in February 1989 as Neil Young toured the Pacific Northwest. Homelessness is not the central topic covered in "Keep On Rockin' in the Free World", but it was a social issue in those days as it is today and Neil Young expresses his critique of society and government during the time when George H.W. Bush was a President of the USA.
In the third verse of the song Neil sings, "We got a thousand points of light for the homeless man" which is in reference to a phrase popularized by President George H. W. Bush and later formed the name of a private, non-profit organization launched by President Bush to support volunteerism. Conservative politicians of the day had a philosophy that homelessness could be addressed by faith-based and volunteer organizations rather than big government and welfare programs.
In the next line Neil sings, "We got a kinder, gentler, Machine gun hand" which is in reference to another quote from President Bush during his acceptance speech after being nominated for President by the Republican party in 1988. In his speech he called for a "kinder, gentler nation." Two years later President Bush led the U.S. into the first gulf war in 1990.
Neil Young has received several Grammy Awards. The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inducted him twice: as a solo artist in 1995 and in 1997 as a member of Buffalo Springfield. In 2000, Rolling Stone named Young the 34th greatest rock 'n roll artist.
Young's guitar work, deeply personal lyrics and signature tenor singing voice define his long career. Young also plays piano and harmonica on many albums, which frequently combine folk, rock, country and other musical styles. His often distorted electric guitar playing, especially with Crazy Horse, earned him the nickname "Godfather of Grunge
"Rockin' in the Free World" is a song released on his 1989 album Freedom. Two versions of the song were released, similarly to the song "Hey Hey, My My (Into the Black)" from Young's Rust Never Sleeps album, one of which is performed with a predominantly acoustic arrangement, and the other with a predominantly electric arrangement. The song is now considered one of Neil Young's best songs. The song was ranked 216 on Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.
The song was written in February 1989 as Neil Young toured the Pacific Northwest. Homelessness is not the central topic covered in "Keep On Rockin' in the Free World", but it was a social issue in those days as it is today and Neil Young expresses his critique of society and government during the time when George H.W. Bush was a President of the USA.
In the third verse of the song Neil sings, "We got a thousand points of light for the homeless man" which is in reference to a phrase popularized by President George H. W. Bush and later formed the name of a private, non-profit organization launched by President Bush to support volunteerism. Conservative politicians of the day had a philosophy that homelessness could be addressed by faith-based and volunteer organizations rather than big government and welfare programs.
In the next line Neil sings, "We got a kinder, gentler, Machine gun hand" which is in reference to another quote from President Bush during his acceptance speech after being nominated for President by the Republican party in 1988. In his speech he called for a "kinder, gentler nation." Two years later President Bush led the U.S. into the first gulf war in 1990.
Neil Young has received several Grammy Awards. The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inducted him twice: as a solo artist in 1995 and in 1997 as a member of Buffalo Springfield. In 2000, Rolling Stone named Young the 34th greatest rock 'n roll artist.
"Rockin' In The Free World"
Lyrics
There's colors on the street
Red, white and blue
People shufflin' their feet
People sleepin' in their shoes
But there's a warnin' sign
on the road ahead
There's a lot of people sayin'
we'd be better off dead
Don't feel like Satan,
but I am to them
So I try to forget it,
any way I can.
Keep on rockin' in the free world,
Keep on rockin' in the free world
Keep on rockin' in the free world,
Keep on rockin' in the free world.
I see a woman in the night
With a baby in her hand
Under an old street light
Near a garbage can
Now she puts the kid away,
and she's gone to get a hit
She hates her life,
and what she's done to it
There's one more kid
that will never go to school
Never get to fall in love,
never get to be cool.
Keep on rockin' in the free world,
Keep on rockin' in the free world
Keep on rockin' in the free world,
Keep on rockin' in the free world.
We got a thousand points of light
For the homeless man
We got a kinder, gentler,
Machine gun hand
We got department stores
and toilet paper
Got styrofoam boxes
for the ozone layer
Got a man of the people,
says keep hope alive
Got fuel to burn,
got roads to drive.
Keep on rockin' in the free world,
Keep on rockin' in the free world
Keep on rockin' in the free world,
Keep on rockin' in the free world.
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