L.A. (Neil Young song)

1973 song by Neil Young

"L.A."

Song by Neil Young
from the album  Time Fades Away
Released| August 1973
Recorded| 1973
Genre| Rock
Length| 3:11
Label| Reprise
Songwriter(s)| Neil Young
Producer(s)| Neil Young
Elliot Mazer

"L.A." is a song written and performed by Neil Young from the 1973 album Time Fades Away, a live album noted for its abrasive experimentation and its "wild, agonized, deliberately jarring" [1] vocals.

Johnny Rogan in his Complete Guide to the Music of Neil Young[2] tells us that "L.A." was "Young's fantasy vision of the destruction of Los Angeles. There is an underlying glee in his apocalyptic vision that is both intriguing and disconcerting." Rogan also suggests that the song may have been written by Young a full five years before it was debuted during his 1973 Time Fades Away tour. Rogan talks about the song at greater length in the book Neil Young: Zero To Sixty.

In 2004 Rolling Stone rated "L.A." as Young's 74th greatest song, calling it a "tense, bitter rocker" that is a "tribute to 'the uptight city of smog' that made him a star."[3]

Young performed L.A. 22 times on the Time Fade Away tour and wouldn't play it again until 2015[4]

The Black Crowes performed the song on some legs of their 2005-2006 reunion tour, with lead guitarist Marc Ford handling vocal duties. Several of these performances saw official release via the band's deal with Instant Live. Although the Instant Live versions are now out of print, several shows have been made available via the band's official live download site, liveblackcrowes.com [1].

Jubilee recorded "L.A." (released in January 2008) as a B-Side on their single "Rebel Hiss" with the participation of guest drummer Troy Petrey.[5]

Lukas Nelson, son of Willie Nelson, released a version of "L.A." on his CD, Promise Of The Real.

## External links[edit]

* Lyrics

## Notes[edit]

1. ^ New York Times critic Janet Maslin cited at http://www.thrasherswheat.org/tnfy/timefadesaway_album.htm
2. ^ Rogan, Johnny (1996). The Complete Guide to the Music of Neil Young. ISBN 978-0-7119-5399-4.
3. ^ "The 100 Greatest Songs". Neil Young: Special Collectors Edition. Rolling Stone. 2004. p. 73.
4. ^ "Neil Young". www.sugarmtn.org. Retrieved 2022-02-06.
5. ^ Jubilee discography at Isolate by the hour: http://www.isolatebythehour.com/08discography/discography.htm#rhcd

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* Crazy Horse
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Studio albums|

* Neil Young
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EPs|

* Eldorado
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Live albums|

* Time Fades Away
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Soundtracks|

* Journey Through the Past
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Compilations|

* Decade
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Archives series|

| Box sets|

* The Archives Vol. 1 1963–1972
* Neil Young Archives Volume II: 1972–1976

|

Performance series|

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Special release series|

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Songs|

| 1960s|

* "Mr. Soul"
* "Broken Arrow"
* "Expecting to Fly"
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* "The Old Laughing Lady"
* "Cinnamon Girl"
* "Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere"
* "Down by the River"
* "Cowgirl in the Sand"
* "Dance, Dance, Dance"

|

1970s|

* "Helpless"
* "Country Girl"
* "Ohio"
* "Tell Me Why"
* "After the Gold Rush"
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* "Don't Let It Bring You Down"
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* "Out on the Weekend"
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* "A Man Needs a Maid"
* "Heart of Gold"
* "Are You Ready for the Country?"
* "Old Man"
* "The Needle and the Damage Done"
* "War Song"
* "L.A."
* "Tonight's the Night"
* "Come On Baby Let's Go Downtown"
* "Tired Eyes"
* "New Mama"
* "Danger Bird"
* "Cortez the Killer"
* "Will to Love"
* "Like a Hurricane"
* "Love Is a Rose"
* "Lotta Love"
* "Hey Hey, My My (Into the Black)"
* "My My, Hey Hey (Out of the Blue)"
* "Pocahontas"
* "Powderfinger"
* "Sedan Delivery"

1980s and later|

* "Rainin' in My Heart"
* "Grey Riders"
* "Rockin' in the Free World"
* "Crime in the City (Sixty to Zero Part I)"
* "No More"
* "Wrecking Ball"
* "Harvest Moon"
* "Unknown Legend"
* "From Hank to Hendrix"
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* "A Rock Star Bucks a Coffee Shop"

Films and videos|

* Journey Through the Past
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* Neil Young: Silver and Gold
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Books|

* Waging Heavy Peace: A Hippie Dream

Related|

* Discography
* The Squires
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* Buffalo Springfield
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* The Stills–Young Band
* The Ducks
* The Bridge: A Tribute to Neil Young
* Myrmekiaphila neilyoungi
* Pono
* Old Black
* Farm Aid
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* Pegi Young
* Daryl Hannah
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* Elliot Roberts
* Pearl Jam

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The Stray Gators

* Ben Keith
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* Kenny Buttrey
* John Barbata
* Spooner Oldham

Album appearances (with Neil Young)|

* Harvest
* Time Fades Away
* Tonight's the Night
* Journey Through the Past
* Harvest Moon
* The Archives Vol. 1 1963–1972

Songs (with Neil Young)|

* "Out on the Weekend"
* "Harvest"
* "A Man Needs a Maid"
* "Heart of Gold"
* "Are You Ready for the Country?
* "Old Man"
* "The Needle and the Damage Done"
* "War Song" (with Neil Young and Graham Nash)
* "L.A."
* "Unknown Legend"
* "From Hank to Hendrix"
* "Harvest Moon"

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* Neil Young

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