The thing about Neil Young's songwriting is that his guitar tells just as much of the story as his words do. Synapses between scenes, Young's craftsmanship on the axe intertwines hooks and refrains while cleverly maintaining a song's overall message.'Cowgirl in the Sand' is the epitome of all Neil Young songs. Rivaled perhaps only by 'Cortez the Killer,' the composition is a ten minute long duration, carefully meandering through the rousing and the pastoral, the eccentric and the nocturnal. Tugging on both your heart strings and your boot straps, 'Cowgirl' draws emotion as well as involuntary foot-tapping to its steady, determined arrangement.
'Cowgirl' is not meant for the yuppie, garden-variety "greatest hits" music listener out there. With the song taking nearly two minutes to reach its first hook, those with musical ADD would fare better devoting their concentration to less intricate artists. But for those willing to expand their auditory horizons, 'Cowgirl in the Sand' is a prime place to start.
Listen to 'Cowgirl in the Sand' below:
Neil Young - 'Cowgirl in the Sand'
2 comments:
Cowgirl in the sand is handsdown the best song i've ever heard. But cortez the killer definitely tells an amazing story that makes you glad you paid attention in 7th grade world history, and it sounds really badass as well.
Hey, Steve, thanks for including the download of Cowgirl in the Sand! I found your site by doing a Yahoo search for the lyrics. I'm reading Denis Johnson's "Emergency" for class next week. You probably know one of the characters sings a few lines from 'Cowgirl.' I had to hear the song again. I have a blog on this site also - it's for a different class but there are a few Beatle and Clapton mentions. I'll do more for myself on my blog after class is over. Anyway, thanks again! Peace, therealbeatlegirl.blogspot.com and therealbeatlegirl.com (more school stuff, but some Beatle and art stuff also).
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