Neil Young: "Heart of Gold" (Live at Farm Aid 1985)

"Heart of Gold" from the 1972 album Harvest is Neil Young's only number one hit single in his long musical career. Rolling Stone ranked it #297 on their list of the 500 greatest songs of all time. It features the back-up vocals of James Taylor and Linda Ronstadt.

The song is one of a series of soft, acoustic pieces which were written partly as a result of a back injury. Unable to stand for long periods of time, he could not play his electric guitar and so returned to his acoustic guitar, which he could play sitting down.

According to wikipedia, the song was taped during the initial sessions for Harvest in early 1971 at Quadrafonic Studios in Nashville, Tennessee. Ronstadt and Taylor were in Nashville at the time for an appearance on Johnny Cash's television program, and the album's producer Elliot Mazer arranged for them to sing backup for Young in the studio..


- Lyrics:

Words: Sveningsson
Music: Svensson

Upon a roof below the moon
nearby a park-bench in the sun
upon the stairway to your room
Why won't you wrap your life around
those certain words I just found

I wear your golden ring inside
suits me very fine
I wear your golden heart in mine
suits me very fine

A backseat sofa in the dark
upon a viewpoint in our town
nearby a fountain in a park
Why won't you wrap your life around
those certain words I just found

I wear your golden ring inside
suits me very fine
I wear your golden heart in mine
suits me very fine
I wear your golden heart in mine
and life is very fine