3 Country Classics by Neil Young You Might Have Missed

There are many sides to Neil Young.

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From the country rock of Harvest to his noisy anthems with Crazy Horse, Young has covered a lot of musical ground in his long career. However, the Canadian-born singer has also written classic country songs.

Songs like “Old Man” and “Heart of Gold” became country and folk standards. Harvest defined Young and remains his best-selling album. Meanwhile, he followed the success of Harvest by experimenting with other styles of music, refusing to record what others expected from him.

He returned to writing country music, though against the wishes of his record label in the 1980s. This list highlights three country classics by Young you might have missed. These are not the hits, but are gems nonetheless.

Are you ready for the country?   

“Are There Any More Real Cowboys?” from Old Ways (1985)

If you’re asking this question, Willie Nelson may be just the right person to help you find an answer. Following the electronic experiment Trans, Young’s next record aimed for his 1972 masterpiece Harvest. But Geffen Records wanted a rock and roll album. Not country. So Young returned defiantly with a rockabilly collection called Everybody’s Rockin’. Geffen eventually released Old Ways, but it wasn’t the commercial blockbuster they hoped for. Still, this lonesome duet between two legends was a highlight of Young’s tumultuous Geffen era.

Are there any more real cowboys
Left out in these hills?
Will the fire hit the iron one more time?
And will one more dusty pickup
Come rollin’ down the road
With a load of feed before the sun gets high?
Well, I hope that working cowboy never dies

“The Wayward Wind” from Old Ways (1985)

Young recorded two versions of Old Ways. The first resembled the country rock of Harvest. But Geffen didn’t want a country album. So Young offered Everybody’s Rockin’ to pacify them. Then he leaned further into country music to spite the label. His interpretation of “The Wayward Wind” features singer Denise Draper and echoes the orchestral swells and soft croon of Glen Campbell.

And the wayward wind is a restless wind
A restless wind that yearns to wander
And I was born the next of kin
The next of kin to the wayward wind

“Old King” from Harvest Moon (1992)

During grunge mania, the Godfather of Grunge assembled many of the musicians who appeared on Harvest. Most know the tender “Harvest Moon” and its sweeping broom rhythm. But “Old King” and its rambling banjo tell the story of Young’s hound dog Elvis. He changed the dog’s name for the story to avoid any confusion over the King of Rock and Roll. One day King (the dog) ran after a deer and never returned. Nicolette Larson provides the backing vocals to King’s titular anthem. And a bouncing train beat animates the visual of an old hound sniffing and searching along the railroad tracks.    

King went a-runnin’ after deer
Wasn’t scared of jumpin’ off the truck in high gear
King went a-sniffin’ and he would go
Was the best old hound dog I ever did know

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