Neil Young is an artist with plenty to say. He’s happy to be the one to sing about injustice no matter how uncomfortable it might make his audience. Take “Pocahontas” for example. This late ’70s track is one of the most provocative, thought-provoking songs in Young’s catalog. When you listen to these divisive lyrics, you can only imagine it took the folk legend quite some time to nail them down. In reality, it took him roughly 20 minutes…Learn more about this stroke of songwriting genius, below.
Videos by American Songwriter
The Heavy Song Neil Young Wrote in Just 20 Minutes
Songwriting is something that can’t be nailed down to a science. Though there might be consistencies, every artist has their own process. No two songwriters write the exact same way. That fact rings all the more true when you consider someone like Young.
Young has earned a reputation as one of the most mercurial songwriters of all time. He’s the true definition of an individual. Though many have tried, his style is impossible to fully recreate. One of Young’s collaborators once spoke about his unique creativity while discussing the writing session for “Pocahontas”. The speed in which Young wrote this song–and several others–left him astounded.
“He’d turn to me and go, ‘Guess I’ll turn on the tap,’” producer David Briggs once said. “And then out came ‘Powderfinger’, ‘Pocahontas’, ‘Out Of The Blue’, ‘Ride My Llama’. I’m not talking about sitting down with a pen and paper. I’m talking about picking up a guitar, sitting there and looking me in the face and in 20 minutes: ‘Pocahontas’.”
It’s very hard to believe this story while listening to “Pocahontas”. The complexity of the lyrics suggests a much longer process. But, that’s the magic of a great songwriter. It’s impossible to explain their ways other than innate, higher power-given talent.
The Meaning Behind “Pocahontas”
Most of the world is familiar with the story of Pocahontas. Or at least, a version of it. Disney made Pocahontas’ name synonymous with an unlikely love story between an indigenous woman and a European settler colonizing the U.S. However, this has been highly romanticized. In actuality, the story was much bleaker, highlighting the cruel treatment of the indigenous community at the hands of these settlers. Young uses this story to help explain his position on the matter.
They killed us in our teepees / And cut our women down / They might have left some babies / Cryin’ on the ground, he sings in this heavy song. Young seeks to raise awareness of the indigenous community with “Pocahontas”. He forces his listeners to reckon with U.S. history and the part we play in rectifying it. Revisit this track, below.
(Photo by Gijsbert Hanekroot/Redferns)
Leave a Reply
Only members can comment. Become a member. Already a member? Log in.