"Harvest" | |
---|---|
Song by Neil Young | |
from the album Harvest | |
Released | February 1, 1972 |
Recorded | April 1971 |
Genre | Country rock |
Length | 3:11 |
Label | Reprise |
Songwriter(s) | Neil Young |
Producer(s) | Elliot Mazer, Neil Young |
"Harvest" is a song written by Neil Young that was the title song of his 1972 album Harvest.
"Harvest" is a slow country dance tune. [1] [2] It has a slow tempo, and Uncut magazine contributor Graeme Thomson describes it as having a "calm, strangely hypnotic quality." [3] Young is backed on the song by the Stray Gators, with the addition of John Harris on piano. [2] [4] The piano plays a prominent role in the instrumentation. [4] Sound on Sound editor Sam Inglis describes the drumming as "minimalist," with drummer Kenny Buttrey using only one hand and playing only the snare drum and bass drum. [4]
The lyrics of "Harvest" are obscure. [4] Music critic Johnny Rogan describes the lyrics as presenting rhetorical questions about a relationship with a woman. [5] To Rogan, the singer wonders how much love he will receive from the relationship and the extent to which we will be able to accept – or harvest – that love. [5] Music journalist Nigel Williamson regards the lyrics as reflecting Young's "inability to accept happiness at face value." [2] Williamson sees the refrain of "Dream up, dream up/Let me fill your cup" as another reference to the "harvest" in the title. [2] Another interpretation of the lyrics is that they reflect the passage of time. [1] Yet another interpretation is that the lyrics are about "maturing out of adolescence." [6] Young biographer Jimmy McDonough interprets lyrics such as "Did she wake you up to tell you that/It was only a change of plan" as referring to his then mother-in-law's previous suicide attempts. [4] [7] Inglis also interprets the line "Did I see you down in a young girl's town/With your mother in so much pain" as referring to this situation. [4] Young biographer David Downing feels that the song works like a dream, being "so full of recognition, yet so short on sense." [8]
Young has stated that this song, as well as " Out on the Weekend" and " Heart of Gold" from the same album, were inspired by his then blossoming love for actress Carrie Snodgress. [9]
"Harvest" was recorded in April 1971. [7] Unlike most of the songs on Harvest, which required a lot of mixing work, the released version of "Harvest" is a live two-track mix. [4]
Inglis describes "Harvest" as one of Young's best confessional songs where he expresses his guilt about being unable accept and reciprocate all the love that a woman wants to give him. [4] Thomson describes "Harvest" as "underrated" and "the prettiest song on [Harvest]." [3] Allmusic critic Matthew Greenwald described it as having a "retrained, artless grace that is truly timeless." [1] McDonough regards it as "the one truly great moment on Harvest." [7] In 2014 the editors of Rolling Stone Magazine described "Harvest" as a "lesser-known gem." [10] On the other hand, in his initial review of the Harvest album, Rolling Stone Magazine critic John Mendelsohn criticized the Stray Gators playing as a "flaccid imitation" of Young's other backing band of the period, Crazy Horse. [11]
Young himself declared that "'Harvest' is one of my best songs. That is the best thing on Harvest." [7] [10]