Unknown Legend
"Unknown Legend" | |
---|---|
Song by Neil Young | |
from the album Harvest Moon | |
Genre | Rock |
Length | 4:32 |
Label | Reprise |
Songwriter(s) | Neil Young |
Producer(s) | Neil Young, Ben Keith |
"Unknown Legend" is a song written by
Music and lyrics
Although "Unknown Legend" was not released until 1992, it was written earlier, closer to the release of Young's 1978 album
The lyrics describe a woman who had worked in a diner and rode a
It's inspired by some people I know and some people I don't know and all kinds of things put together...They're just pictures, people's lives. A lot of the common thing is survival, not losing what it is you were when you were young, but take it with you, take it with you into your own age. Don't leave it behind.
Young biographer David Downing sees the song as one of several on Harvest Moon that describe Americans feeling a deep sense of loss for unknown reasons in 1992.[7]
Reception
In a 2016
Allmusic critic
Live performances
Young performed "Unknown Legend" for his 1993 MTV Unplugged concert and it was included on his Unplugged album.[4][11] For the Unplugged concert, Astrid Young and Nicolette Larson performed the backing vocal that Ronstadt performed on the Harvest Moon album.[4] Young later played the song live on his 2015 tour.[8]
References
- ^ ISBN 9780879307417.
- ^ ISBN 978-0711953994.
- ^ Allmusic. Retrieved 2019-01-20.
- ^ ISBN 9780275999025.
- ^ ASIN B000Q67KGU.
- ASIN B008RYZ7WM.
- ISBN 9780306806117.
- ^ a b Greene, Andy (March 9, 2016). "Readers' Poll: The 10 Best Post-1970s Neil Young Songs". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 2019-01-20.
- Billboard Magazine. Retrieved 2019-01-20.
- Allmusic. Retrieved 2019-01-20.
- Allmusic. Retrieved 2019-01-20.