Welcome Back

Album: Barn (2021)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • Neil Young laid down "Welcome Back" for Barn in a restored old barn in the Rocky Mountains. The mountainous surroundings heavily informed the record, and during this open-ended ramble, Young reflects on climate change and the wonders of nature and space.
  • To make Barn, Young reunited with his Crazy Horse lineup of bassist Billy Talbot, drummer Ralph Molina and multi-instrumentalist Nils Lofgren. "One of my favorites is the spooky as hell 'Welcome Back,'" Lofgren recalled to Mojo magazine. "We did a couple of outtakes that were pretty much more aggressive. And for no reason, when Neil said 'Let's go again.' it was still the heavy guitar, but it had a really kind of jazzy, laid back, weird beatnik mood. And he never pulled out of it. He knows it's part of the charm of it all... catching himself off guard."
  • At 8:28, "Welcome Back" is the longest track on Barn. "'Welcome Back' is a pretty good long one, and it's got all the elements of anything Crazy Horse has ever done," Billy Talbot told Mojo. "We tried it, like twice. Somehow, magically, we came to this place where we were playing it with the right groove and the right feel. You've got to pay attention, remain open."

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Mike Love of The Beach Boys

Mike Love of The Beach BoysSongwriter Interviews

The lead singer/lyricist of The Beach Boys talks about coming up with the words for "Good Vibrations," "Fun, Fun, Fun," "Kokomo" and other classic songs.

Jim McCarty of The Yardbirds

Jim McCarty of The YardbirdsSongwriter Interviews

The Yardbirds drummer explains how they created their sound and talks about working with their famous guitarists.

American Hits With Foreign Titles

American Hits With Foreign TitlesSong Writing

What are the biggest US hits with French, Spanish (not "Rico Suave"), Italian, Scottish, Greek, and Japanese titles?

He Hit Me (And It Felt Like A Kiss): A History Of Abuse Pop

He Hit Me (And It Felt Like A Kiss): A History Of Abuse PopSong Writing

Songs that seem to glorify violence against women are often misinterpreted - but not always.

The Police

The PoliceFact or Fiction

Do their first three albums have French titles? Is "De Do Do Do, De Da Da Da" really meaningless? See if you can tell in this Fact or Fiction.

Laura Nyro

Laura NyroSongwriting Legends

Laura Nyro talks about her complex, emotionally rich songwriting and how she supports women's culture through her art.