Helpless (3:32)
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“Helpless” is a song written by Canadian singer-songwriter Neil Young, most famously recorded by Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young on their 1970 album Déjà Vu.
Helpless was originally recorded with Young’s band Crazy Horse in early 1969, before Young’s new CSNY bandmates (he had joined the then-trio in mid-1969) convinced him it would suit them better. The song was simple, at its core effectively the repetition of one melody over a descending D-A-G chord progression, but despite (or perhaps because of) its simplicity the group found difficulty deciding on an arrangement and many different versions of the song were recorded before the group finally decided on the slow-paced version that appeared on the album. On this final version Young was in the foreground, singing the verses and the chorus with his bandmates providing the “helpless” refrain, while the instrumentation came in the form of acoustic guitar, pedal steel guitar (or electric guitar with volume pedal), and piano. It became one of the most revered songs from the Déjà Vu album (Q magazine’s Peter Doggett regards it as “one of (the album’s) showpieces”), and has remained a live favorite of Young’s for over thirty years. Experimental rock artist Bill Nelson recorded a version of the song. K.D.
Helpless was originally recorded with Young’s band Crazy Horse in early 1969, before Young’s new CSNY bandmates (he had joined the then-trio in mid-1969) convinced him it would suit them better. The song was simple, at its core effectively the repetition of one melody over a descending D-A-G chord progression, but despite (or perhaps because of) its simplicity the group found difficulty deciding on an arrangement and many different versions of the song were recorded before the group finally decided on the slow-paced version that appeared on the album. On this final version Young was in the foreground, singing the verses and the chorus with his bandmates providing the “helpless” refrain, while the instrumentation came in the form of acoustic guitar, pedal steel guitar (or electric guitar with volume pedal), and piano. It became one of the most revered songs from the Déjà Vu album (Q magazine’s Peter Doggett regards it as “one of (the album’s) showpieces”), and has remained a live favorite of Young’s for over thirty years. Experimental rock artist Bill Nelson recorded a version of the song. K.D.
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Shouts
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mitchn wrote:
Poetry set to music. Beautiful.
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Braveshell wrote:
Yeah... does remind me of Knockin' on Heaven's Door quite a bit... great song nonetheless.
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socialdemocrat wrote:
The Massey Hall version is sublime.
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OneWhiteDuck wrote:
Best rendition in my view is the one off of the Unplugged album. Amazing/10
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stlthbmr wrote:
Dope smokers delight. hehe
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donblauman wrote:
Great song but technically it is as CSN&Y song off of De Ja Vu
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stanhope13 wrote:
great song
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DeanMurdoch13 wrote:
watched The Last Waltz again and this song was perfect
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shovelheadtim wrote:
I love Neil Youngs music... Especially when some one other than Neil is singing it.
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luckylollyme wrote:
I agree with JAMESisacreep.....
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trackaghost wrote:
One of the most perfect songs ever
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TantoTempo wrote:
As important to me now, as it was then...
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JAMESisCreepy wrote:
i love the massey hall version!
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ziggycaca wrote:
neil young é o mestre dos mestres!
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Nuttybear09 wrote:
Always gets me this one. Lovelly!
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Cherokee52v8 wrote:
Just great.
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chennesoio wrote:
ma è "knoking on haeven's door"! quale nasce prima?
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LeLarsch wrote:
"And in my mind, I still need a place to go". Been an important line for me for a long time. Such a beautiful song. (:
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Thomasmusik wrote:
not helpless - help yourself
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drewthedrifter wrote:
big birds flying across the sky,throwing shadows on our eyes...see ya again in weert(this time) neil.
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Recent Activity
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xztzx and xdeano loved Neil Young – Helpless. 1 hour ago
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berkybizzles tagged Helpless with ‘neil young’. yesterday evening
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nintendoinuendo, oneeyej and moonbaby9307 loved Neil Young – Helpless. Monday morning
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leseratte60 added Helpless to leseratte60’s library. Saturday evening
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Kickshit, p-bruhn, klybly and 4 other people loved Neil Young – Helpless. Saturday afternoon
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muffdawg2010 added Helpless to muffdawg2010’s library. Wednesday afternoon
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muffdawg2010 added Helpless to the playlist muffdawg2010. Wednesday afternoon
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opiatesummer tagged Neil Young – Helpless with if i could write songs i would have written this one and make me feel sad. last week
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gabrielday added Helpless to his Loved Tracks. last week
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nativoamericano added Helpless to the playlist Neil Young. last week
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