3 Neil Young Songs From the 1970s That Every Grunge Fan Should Know

Neil Young is best known for his unique folk rock stylings from the 1970s. He’s also known for inspiring countless bands and musicians in the world of grunge. That genre took over the charts and airwaves in the 1990s. In fact, Young was so influential to the grunge movement that he earned the nickname “Godfather of Grunge” and would later collaborate with Pearl Jam. If you’re a grunge fan, you might just love the following Neil Young songs from way back in the 1970s.

“Hey Hey, My My (Into The Black)” from ‘Rust Never Sleeps’ (1979)

Listening to this song today (and, honestly, a big chunk of Rust Never Sleeps), I can’t help but be reminded of the heavier songs from Nirvana’s own discography. The guitar riff and distortion throughout “Hey Hey, My My (Into The Black)” were insanely ahead of their time. There’s a rebellious, punk rock sort of spirit throughout the song. And it’s clear to me why Young, in particular, was such an influential figure to the young kids of 1979 who would later grow up to start grunge bands in the 90s. Just as well, this song definitely influenced the then-young genre of first-wave punk rock.

“Hey Hey, My My (Into The Black)” was a fairly minor hit in 1979. It peaked at No. 79 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.

“Cortez The Killer” from ‘Zuma’ (1975)

“Cortez The Killer” from Zuma is the Neil Young song that many fans bring up in conversations about the singer-songwriter’s influence on the grunge movement. Those solos throughout might just remind you of bands like Soundgarden or Pearl Jam.

There’s an atmospheric darkness to this song. And it had major appeal during an era when rock bands had a tendency to stick to conventional and (often boring) hard rock riffs.

“Powderfinger” from ‘Rust Never Sleeps’ (1979)

This song is musically explosive with particularly dramatic storytelling. Both of those elements became part of some of the biggest grunge hits of the 90s. Even if you’re not a grunge fan, it’s hard to listen to “Powderfinger” and think it doesn’t still sound surprisingly contemporary. It’s crazy to think this Neil Young song is more than 40 years old.

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