Remembering When an Unmade Movie Script Inspired a Neil Young Breakthrough Album in 1970

Even the most prolific songwriters can get creatively blocked once in a while. The best ones find ways of grinding through it. Occasional, unexpected inspiration can make the difference and open up the songwriting floodgates.

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Neil Young knows this well. In 1970, he utilized an unfilmed screenplay to unlock the creative juices on his way to one of his finest albums.

Young’s Busy Period

Maybe Neil Young realized that people were suddenly focusing on him much more than ever before, and that pressure led to his sudden writing struggles. After his stint with Buffalo Springfield ended, Young delivered an excellent self-titled solo debut in 1968. A year later, he connected with his racket-raising backing band Crazy Horse for the first time on the stellar Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere.

But what really raised his profile was his decision to join Crosby, Stills & Nash in 1969, both as they conducted a highly publicized tour and as they made their second album. CSN had become immediate superstars when they formed. Young entering that orbit suddenly put him on the radar of many more music lovers.

And so it was that he struggled writing songs for his second solo album. It probably didn’t help that he was getting pulled in all directions, what with the CSN projects and his loyalty to Crazy Horse. Whatever it was, Young was looking for some kind of inspiration.

A Screenplay to the Rescue

Dean Stockwell’s acting career dated back to films he made in the 1940s as a kid. It would eventually make him a kind of cult hero much later down the line. Think about his appearance in David Lynch’s Blue Velvet, or when he livened up the beloved sci-fi show Quantum Leap for many years.

In the 60s, Stockwell fell in with the outcasts of Hollywood, people like Dennis Hopper. Hopper told Stockwell that the best way he could make an impact at that time was to write his own movie. He took Hopper’s advice and began writing.

Stockwell emerged with a somewhat heady concept piece about an apocalypse wiping out California. Titled After The Gold Rush, the script immediately captured the attention of some Hollywood producers. Thinking that he might indeed get the movie made, Stockwell sought out an old friend to do some music for the film. He brought it to Neil Young.

‘Rush’ Hour

Young found himself entranced by the screenplay and agreed to come up with something. Using the title of the film, he wrote the song “After The Gold Rush”, an allegorical piece that wove together elements of time travel and ecological concerns into a mournful ballad.

Suddenly, Young was on his way. He also wrote the song “Cripple Creek Ferry” for the movie. Meanwhile, his songwriting touch came back to him in a hurry. He was soon writing and recording the material that would adorn the After The Gold Rush album in 1970. The record that fully capitalized on the success of CSN&Y.

As for Dean Stockwell’s movie? The suits in Hollywood developed cold feet, and it was never made. Too bad, as it sounded fascinating. And if it came anywhere near to what Neil Young achieved with the music inspired by it, it would have been a masterpiece.

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