Neil Young - Tell Me Why (cover by Luis Gomes)

Let's celebrate another great record that was released 50 years ago by the Canadian singer and composer Neil Young... called After The Gold Rush!

"Tell Me Why" is the opening track and musically marks a shift from the hard rock of 1969's Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere and bears more folk and country influences, which would continue onto his 1972's masterpiece Harvest. The only instruments in the song are two acoustic guitars, played by Young and Nils Lofgren and backed by the vocal harmonies of Crazy Horse during the choruses.

During an interview in 1988, Neil Young told Scott Cohen that he stopped playing "Tell me Why" live because it doesn't make any sense to him. "It sounds like gibberish to me. I stopped singing this song because when I get to that line - Is it hard to make arrangements with yourself? When you're old enough to replay but young enough to sell - I go, 'What the f--k am I talking about?' You know I don't edit my songs". This was, of course, a disappointment to all those fans who assumed Young was burying some profound wisdom in those lines. Turns out, unfortunately, that it's just "convoluted hippie doublespeak," as Jimmy McDonough words it in Shakey.

Of course, none of this changes the fact that "Tell Me Why" is a beautiful song that many Young diehards admire. It's got a distinctly country "feel" about it, even if the music itself exists in that unique Young realm between country, folk, and rock. In Shakey, McDonough observes that the song displays Young's unique way of using acoustic guitar. He quotes Ken Viola saying, "Neil has a unique way of playing acoustic guitar which is solely his. It's a perfect combination of melody and rhythm. It's not just chording—the melodies are married to the words in a strum relationship that's not just simply played—it's very calculated, designed". I still wondering why he never performed this song like the record since it was released...

In spite of all particularities and peculiarities, this song will likely forever hold a certain amount of longevity for no other reason than it's the first track on After The Gold Rush, one of Young-fans most cherished albums, and one of the longest-enduring to come out of the '70s. However, it's certainly one my favourite tracks.

Hope you guys enjoy my humble tribute to this awesome composer and musician... Long Live Neil Young!!! Stay safe and Peace & Love everybody!!!