During a brief Woodward Post meeting earlier this month we played with the idea of themed issues, and while we never quite made a definite decision, we did agree that “harvest” would be the most fitting theme for this month. Harvest brings two things to mind 1) fresh autumn veggies and 2) The album Harvest Moon by Neil Young. There are many people who could tell you about autumn vegetables, many of whom write for The Post, so I will be sticking to the latter. For the reader’s sake, I have chosen a few of my favorite songs to talk about, rather than reviewing the entire album.

“Harvest Moon” is an absolute masterpiece released in the Harvest season of 1992. At the top of the charts this year were artists such as Kriss Kross, Michael Jackson, and Boyz II Men. “Harvest Moon” stands out against the wide array of poppy, boyband-dominated music popular at the time because Young created a sound more in line with his folky roots. “Harvest Moon” feels like fall, like driving down a country road with your windows down,  like lying on your back on a field of grass to stare at faint stars. I have made so many memories with this album and I hope you will too. 

The first song I am reviewing, “From Hank to Hendrix”, tells the story of a lost love and a man who never wanted it to end. It starts with a strong harmonica solo that fades slowly into the background as vocals come in, almost as a metaphor of the love in question. During the first verse Young sings about working through a town with a lover, which upon further analysis probably represents their love and its coming to an end. The verse almost seems to be intended to flatter her, as he sings “I never believed in much, but I believed in you,” right before driving into the chorus, where he asks “can we get it together / can we still stand side by side?”. The next verse reveals that they are “headed towards the big divorce, California style” finally revealing the seriousness of the situation. He continues to sing about her and how much she loves her—almost desperately.  Finally, in a beautiful phrase of realization, he says “the same thing that makes you live can kill you in the end.” The chorus comes again, but this time, after the reveal of the divorce, it shows the pain and longing that the narrator is feeling. Young does a phenomenal job of writing a song that makes you feel all of his emotions while telling a full, beautiful story. The final verse says that sometimes love can be distorted and his love with his now ex-wife was, but now there’s “new glass in the window” and a “new leaf on the tree,” saying that he has moved on past her and he can see new love and hope on the horizon.

“One of These Days” is one of my favorite songs on the album. It shifts from the somber mood of the previous songs of the album and carries the theme of looking back on a long life of loss and appreciating what you have had. His lyrics tell the story of a man that is planning to write a letter to all of the friends that he has lost along his career and throughout his life and to thank them for all of the memories they’ve had together. This song implies that Young is trying to tie up all the loose ends in his life and reflect on what he has had. He says “I never tried to burn any bridges but I know that I’ve let some good things go,” which affirms that in a life full of love you will lose important people without even trying, but instead of forgetting those people you should always try to rebuild friendships that were once important to you.

The final song on the album,“Natural Beauty,” is ten and a half minutes long and is about preserving natural beauty, which at first glance seems to be about the woman he loves, but as the song progresses it is revealed that he is speaking about the bigger picture of beauty. The first verse speaks about keeping the natural beauty of music alive, about striving to keep music personal and not anonymous. The chorus seems to be about his lover as he addresses her and tells her not to judge herself too harshly. Verse two is about the Amazon, which is blatantly relevant today, and about how much of the Amazon has been lost and how lucky the early civilizations were to have seen it before it was tainted by humanity. Young manages to skillfully address two separate but equally important types of beauty. The final line of the verse, “A greedy man never knows/ What he's done,'' resonates so deeply in me and makes me furious, especially with what we are seeing today with greed and pollution. The song ages beautifully, still relevant to much of what is happening today. 

Finally, the title track. “Harvest Moon” is what fall evenings are made for. This song truly brings the whole album into perspective and gives every feeling of hope felt throughout the album a place to be expressed. It’s dancelikefeel gives it a certain happiness that no other song can replicate. Young fills the song with emotion both through the music itself and through the lyrics, and he shows that he still has love for the woman he’s been singing about this whole time. It reflects on all of the time that they have known each other, like “You and Me,” and where they are now. It’s beautiful and almost heartbreaking to listen to. 

Neil Young’s songwriting abilities leave you wanting more of the story out of every song, but still allow you to enjoy the music without the context of the lyrics. I highly highly recommend giving the album a listen, even if it is listening to it with the windows down and not taking in the lyrics. It shows how you can go through so much and still find the light at the end of the tunnel.