Top Neil Young Songs
On The Acoustic

After The Goldrush hails from the album of the same name from 1970. The song was never released as a single but was covered by Emmylou Harris, Dolly Parton and Linda Ronstadt on their Trio album.

Natalie Merchant, KD Lang and Patti Smith have also covered this song. 

I play this one in standard tuning with a bit of lead blended into the lesson. I use a 1-2-3 arpeggio up down up and repeat rhythm pattern with the chords D, G, A, Bm and a C.

Cinnamon Girl was a 1969 Neil Young release from his debut album with his band Crazy Horse from the album "Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere". This song was one of three singles from the album and Neil was battling the flu at the time of writing. 

The song reached #55 in the US and #34 in Australia.

The chord you'll need here are D, F, G, Am, C, Am7 and Dm with drop D tuning. For rhythm I play a down up down up and repeat with various accents and down strokes when blending in riffs so there is a bit of picking into the rhythm.

Comes A Time was also from the 1978 album of the same name but this one was released as a single. Apparently the original mix of this album was unsatisfactory due to a master tape being damaged during shipment, but a master copy was fine.

So Neil purchased 200,000 copies of that first batch and used them a shingles on a barn roof. He-remixed the version which most have heard today.

There is some lead work in this song while playing a root down root up down and repeat rhythm pattern while in standard tuning. The chords needed are G, C, Bm, D, Am ans an F.

Cowgirl In The Sand hails from the same 1969 album as Cinnamon Girl above and that is the "Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere"album. 

CSNY have covered this song as have The Byrds. This song was never released as a single.

I like to play a down down down up, up down up down down up and repeat rhythm pattern. There are accent changes as well which you'll have to feel out and some lead required in standard tuning. The chords for this are Am, F, C, G, Dm, Em and an Fmaj7.

Don't Let It Bring You Down hails from the 1970 "After The Goldrush" album.

The song was never released as a single but has been covered by more than a dozen artists.

The chords here are D, C/F, C, G, G6, D/A#, Am7, G7 and Em with drop D tuning. A steady down down up down up down, down up down up down up and repeat rhythm pattern needed here with some chops in the rhythm in standard tuning.

Four Strong Winds was recorded by Neil Young back in 1978 for his "Comes A Time" album. 

Four Strong Winds and Comes A Time were the only two singles from this album. It peaked at #18 in Canada and #57 in the UK.

Played in standard tuning with a little picking blended in, use the chords C, Dm, G and F with a root down up down up down up rhythm pattern.

Harvest as a 1972 album released by Neil Young and contained this song of the same name. This particular track was not released as a single but the album shot to the top of the Billboard Charts as best selling album of 1972.

Neil wanted the album jacket to be biodegradable after the shrink wrap came off, but he was over-ruled by the record company due to the extra costs.

I play this one with drop D tuning with some lead and a root down up root up down up and repeat rhythm pattern. For chords you'll need D, A, G, Bm and E7.

Harvest Moon was also from the "Harvest Moon" album released back in 1992. The peaked in Canada at #5 but never charted in the US but reached #36 in the UK.

The song was a tribute to his late wife Pegi. Linda Ronstadt sang backup vocals on this track.

Another one with drop D tuning with the chords D, G, Em, Dmaj7, D/B, A and A7. For rhythm play a root down root up down up and repeat pattern with some lead.

Helpless was written by Neil Young and released in 1970 while he was part of Crosby Stills Nash and Young from their "Deja Vu" album.

The song was never released as a single.

A down down up down down up and repeat rhythm pattern will work here in standard tuning with the chords D, A and G. Some lead work required.

Hey Hey My My hails from the 1979 album "Rust Never Sleeps" and was the only single release from the album.

The song peaked at #79 on the Billboard Hot 100 charts.

I play this song in standard tuning with some lead blended into the rhythm. I play a down down up down up down up and repeat rhythm with some riffs using the chords Am, G, Fmaj7, C and Em.

Human Highway can be found on the 1978 "Comes A Time" album. Young presented the song a few years earlier to CSNY but apparently they didn't want to record it.

The song was never released as a single.

Some lead needed here in standard tuning with the chords G, C, Em, D and Bm. Play a root down root up down up and repeat rhythm pattern.

In The Days That Used To Be is on the 1990 album "Ragged Glory".

The song was never released as a single and the album peaked at #31 on Billboard.

Play this song with a down up down up pattern and in a few places use a double down stroke pattern while in standard tuning. Some lead required with the chords G, C, Bm, G6, Am, D, D/Gb, Em and F.

Neil Young became famous for writing and singing great songs that people have loved for many years. Young's music has been popular from the 1960s all the way to today. What's really cool is how he influenced different types of music.

The "Godfather of Grunge" as a good title for him because bands like Nirvana and Pearl Jam in the 1990s were inspired by his raw, guitar-heavy sound.

Young is also famous for speaking up about things he believes in through his music. He's known for changing his style and trying new things, which has kept fans interested for decades. His unique voice and honest lyrics have made him a legend in rock music.