Neil Young is an artist with an ironclad perspective. He hasn’t been one to mince words, play nice, or flatter others, which makes his opinion of his peers all the more substantial. Young has celebrated his fellow songwriters on many occasions but has put an emphasis on the three below. These songwriters are among Young’s favorites.
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Kurt Cobain
Young is often seen as the godfather of grunge, so it makes sense that he had an affinity for Kurt Cobain. The Nirvana frontman picked up on what Young was peddling and added a grittier edge. Whether he knew it or not, Cobain was the continuation of the folk legend’s legacy. Aptly, Young noticed a kindred spirit in the late rocker.
Young and Cobain’s legacies aren’t just linked musically; they are also linked because of the Nirvana member’s suicide note, which featured lyrics from one of the folk artist’s songs. Young didn’t just see a likeness in Cobain’s musicality; he also saw the potential for him to lose his grip amid fame, which ultimately proved to be true.
“He was forced to do tours when he didn’t want to, forced into all kinds of stuff,” Young once said. “I was trying to get a hold of him—because I had heard some of the things he was doing to himself—just to tell him it’s OK not to tour, it’s OK not to do these things, just take control of your life and make your music… Or, hey, don’t make music. But as soon as you feel like you’re out there pretending, you’re fu**ed.”
Paul McCartney
What songwriter doesn’t like Paul McCartney? There’s only a very short list of potential answers to that question. Most songwriters recognize where they sit in the legacy McCartney has given popular music, including Young.
“The first song I learned to play was a Beatles song, ‘Give Me Money, That’s What I Want,’” Young once said. “Paul McCartney is one of the greatest songwriters ever. He’ll be remembered hundreds of years from now.”
Joni Mitchell
Joni Mitchell reigns supreme in the folk scene. Moreover, she’s an icon of music at large. Young knows this well, routinely calling Mitchell one of the best songwriters to ever grace the craft. He, like many others, thinks Mitchell is a once-in-a-generation voice.
“I love Joni,” Young once said. “She’s wonderful. She’s one of the greatest artists of our generation. She may be the greatest artist of our generation.”
The feeling was mutual among these folk heavyweights, with Mitchell returning Young’s compliments on more than one occasion. Though Young and Mitchell were technically competitors, each operated in a unique enough space in their heyday to recognize each other’s merits.
(Photo by Paul Natkin/Getty Images)
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