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After the Gold Rush (song)
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Wikipedia article
{{Infobox song|
| name = After the Gold Rush
| cover =
| alt =
| type = Song
| artist = Neil Young and Crazy Horse
| album = After the Gold Rush
| released = August 31, 1970
| format =
| recorded = March 12, 1970
| studio =
| venue =
| genre = Folk rock
| length = 3:45
| label = Reprise
| writer = Neil Young
| producer = Neil Young
David Briggs
| misc =
}}
'"After the Gold Rush"' is a song written and performed by Neil Young and is the title song from his 1970 album of the same name. In addition to 'After the Gold Rush,' it also appears on the compilation albums 'Decade,' and 'Greatest Hits,' and on 'Live Rust.'
An 'a capella' version of the song was a hit in many countries in 1974 for the English vocal group Prelude.
It is ranked number 322 on 'Rolling Stone's list of The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.
Composition
Young has said that he doesn't recall what the song is about. Dolly Parton, recalling a conversation while in the process of recording a cover of the song, along with Emmylou Harris and Linda Ronstadt, for their 1999 album 'Trio II', said:
However, in his 2012 biography Young reportedly gave a different explanation of the song's origin and meaning, describing the inspiration provided by a screenplay of the same name (never produced), which apocalyptically described the last days of California in a catastrophic flood. The screenplay and song's title referred to what happened in California, a place that took shape due to the Gold Rush. Young eventually concluded that:
"After the Gold Rush" consists of three verses which move forward in time from the past (a medieval celebration), to the present (the singer lying in a burned out basement), and, finally, to the end of humanity's time on Earth (the ascension process in which the "chosen ones" are evacuated from Earth in silver spaceships). On the original recording, in addition to Young's vocals, two instruments are utilized: a piano and a flugelhorn. In the decades since the song was first released, the flugelhorn solo in the song has typically been replaced by a harmonica solo by Young in live performances.
The line "Look at Mother Nature on the run / In the 1970s" has been amended by Young in concert over the decades and is currently sung as "Look at Mother Nature on the run / in the 21st century."
Cover versions
The song has been covered numerous times:
* Perhaps best known is the 1974 interpretation by the group Prelude, whose 'a capella' version was a top 40 hit in numerous countries, especially the United Kingdom where it re-charted in the Top 40 in 1982. The song also peaked in Australia at number 51 in 1974, and the re-recording at 98 in 1982. In the US, it went to number 22 on the Hot 100.
* Patti Smith closed her 2012 album 'Banga' with a live cover, recorded with her children.
* The country music trio of Dolly Parton, Emmylou Harris, and Linda Ronstadt covered the song on the 1999 album 'Trio II' with two changes to the lyrics: The line "Look at Mother Nature on the run / In the 1970s" became "Look at Mother Nature on the run / in the 20th century", and the line "There was a band playin' in my head / And I felt like getting high" was changed to "There was a band playin' in my head / And I felt like I could cry." Parton performed the song during the 2019 Grammys with Maren Morris and Miley Cyrus. The 'Trio' version of the song was also released as a single, and while it received modest radio airplay, a video accompanying the song was very popular on a number of cable video outlets, including CMT.
* Billy Corgan performed the song on the October 16, 2017 episode of 'The Howard Stern Show'.
*Thom Yorke performed the song live on The Bridge School Collection, Vol.1.
* k.d. lang recorded a cover of the song, which she released on her 2004 album, 'Hymns of the 49th Parallel'.
* Michael Hedges recorded an instrumental cover of the song, which he released on his 1984 album, 'Aerial Boundaries'.
* Natalie Merchant performs a version of the song on her 1999 album, 'Live in Concert'.
* Jeff Rosenstock and Laura Stevenson covered the song for their Neil Young cover EP, 'Still Young'.
* Katie Pruitt released a cover of the song as a single in 2020, along with Neils Ohio.
* Tommy Graham released a cover of the song as a single in 1972, as a track on his Planet Earth album.
References
Category:Neil Young songs
Category:1970 songs
Category:Environmental songs
Category:Songs about outer space
Category:Songs about dreams
Category:Songs written by Neil Young
Category:Song recordings produced by David Briggs (record producer)
Category:Song recordings produced by Neil Young
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