Neil Young’s "Time Fades Away": Peak “Ditch”

Neil Young wasn’t happy. It was 1973, and even though his career looked like everything was going his way, he was ambivalent about his next move. Only seven years earlier, Young broke out of obscurity when he joined forces with Stephen Stills to form Buffalo Springfield. “For What It’s Worth” became a top ten hit in 1967.

Young then launched a successful solo career. Along with recording strong solo albums, he started a side project with Crazy Horse. He also became a member of the supergroup Crosby, Stills & Nash. Expectations were high, and they were being talked about as the “new Beatles.”

CSNY’s Deja Vu album went to number one in the US and was a top seller around the world. Then Young’s biggest success came with 1972’s Harvest; the album exploded. Young, however, had a rough time coming to grips with all the acclaim; he was in a funk. What would 1973 bring as he planned a tour?

Young answers to Young only; he’d walk away from any situation that stopped being interesting for him. No band, music executive, or fans would dictate what he had to do. He left Buffalo Springfield just prior to their performance at the Monterey Pop Festival. He joined CSNY but refused to be filmed when they played Woodstock. He recorded an album with Stills and then abruptly walked away from their planned tour. He was sued by music executive David Geffen for releasing an electronic experimental album and not one in the “Neil Young” style Geffen preferred. Young’s response was to countersue and record a rockabilly album.

So, in 1973 Young would tour his way, recording live songs along the way. The album that it produced, Time Fades Away, is one of his greatest triumphs.

Young has been quoted as saying, “’Heart of Gold’ put me in the middle of the road. Traveling there soon became a bore, so I headed for the ditch.” Three albums make up what’s called the “ditch” releases: Time Fades Away, On the Beach, and Tonight’s the Night.

Time Fades Away is arguably the best one; the following are some of the key tracks

“Time Fades Away”

The title track comes barreling out with a plinky piano, thundering mix of bass, drums, guitars, and Young’s strident vocals. The lyrics begin strangely with “Fourteen junkies too weak to work, One sells diamonds for what they’re worth, Down on pain street, disappointment lurks.”

Then it shifts to, “Don’t sleep until the break of day, ‘cause you know how time fades away.” Is Young singing about mixed-up friends or his own confused self? It’s a fantastic romp, sounding both spontaneous and unrehearsed.

“Don’t Be Denied”

A dramatic clanging guitar starts “Don’t Be Denied.” It’s a highly autobiographical song, a bitter tale of being bullied and his father leaving him and his mother. “I learned the golden rule,” Young sings, and then he goes on to tell of being assaulted at school. “The punches came fast yard, lying on my back in the school yard.”

“Don’t Be Denied” points to his resolve to rise above the difficult circumstance of being the gawky, new kid in town. His middle name (Percival) certainly didn’t help the situation.

“Last Dance”

Time Fades Away concludes with “Last Dance.” Although the subject matter is unclear, this lengthy song recalls difficult experiences and growing up. Towards the conclusion, Young cries, “No, No, No.” He sounds like he’s recalling a bad memory, trying to make something good out of it and perhaps right a past injustice. It’s a cathartic moment and the track, though confusing, concludes by replacing pent-up anger with self-compassion.

When it comes to Time Fades Away, Young ultimately found the finished product lacking. He was probably too close to the subject matter, and it also hit many raw nerves. However, it’s the ultimate synthesis of his approach to making exciting music.

-Vincent Maganzini

Photo: Neil Young (Per Ole Hagen via Wikimedia)