Album: Buffalo Springfield Again (1967)

License This Song 

• Oh, hello, Mr. Soul, I dropped by to pick up a reason
  For the thought that I caught that my head is the event of the season
  Why in crowds just a trace of my face could seem so pleasin'
  I'll cop out to the change, but a stranger is putting the tease on
  
  I was down on a frown when the messenger brought me a letter
  I was raised by the praise of a fan who said I upset her
  Any girl in the world could have easily known me better
  She said, "you're strange, but don't change," and I let her
  
  In a while will the smile on my face turn to plaster?
  Stick around while the clown who is sick does the trick of disaster
  For the race of my head and my face is moving much faster
  
  Is it strange I should change?
  I don't know, why don't you ask her?
  Is it strange I should change?
  I don't know, why don't you ask her?
  Is it strange I should change?
  I don't know, why don't you ask her?
  Is it strange I should change?
  I don't know, why don't you ask her? Writer/s: Neil Young
  Publisher: Hipgnosis Songs Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
  Lyrics licensed and provided by LyricFind

Comments: 11

• Hickory from Portland, OregonRicky from Ohsweken, I think both lead guitarists in Buffalo Springfield played Gretsch guitars.
• Xaurreaux from NycI heard that Neil originally wrote Mr. Soul for Otis Redding.
• Simona from ColoradoAm I the only one that thinks this riff is Satisfaction by the Stones. IDK this original, but just heard Kenny Wayne Shepherd's version & I thought he was playing Satisfaction, til I heard the lyrics. I actually prefer the KWS version, no Neil Y singing!
• Global Method from GreeceYour insights are so much appreciated! ... Thank You!
• Robert from DetroitA source no less than Sirius' Earl Bailey, said that the song was about Marvin Gaye. Anyone see the connection?
• Ricky from Ohsweken, -GREAT guitar work here. Anyone know what kind of guitar it is?
• Ken from Philadelphia, PaRegarding Neil Young's absence from the Buffalo Springfield at Monterey Pop, it might be interesting for some to know that, by all accounts (including from members of the band), David Crosby's work was positively awful onstage and it was a large part (if not the total reason) why the Springfield was edited out of the Pennebaker documentary.
• Adam from West Palm Beach, FlOf course, that aforementioned rivalry could have the intensity and/or nastiness usually in reserve for, say, the Hatfields vs. the McCoys...
• Farrah from Elon, NcAwesome song by Buffalo Springfield.
• Bob from Southfield, MiAnother track on the same album entitled "Broken Arrow" opens with a live version of "Mr. Soul". However, instead of Neal Young, Dewey Martin, the group's drummer is mysteriously singing the lead vocal.
• Valentin from Beijing, Chinathe riff is quite similar to Stones' "Satisfaction"

More Songfacts:

My Name IsEminem

Eminem's first hit was "My Name Is," which introduced his alter ego, Slim Shady.

Passionate KissesLucinda Williams

Lucinda Williams wrote and recorded "Passionate Kisses" four years before it was a hit for Mary Chapin Carpenter.

Gives You HellThe All-American Rejects

The first US Top 10 hit with the word "hell" in the title was "Gives You Hell" by The All-American Rejects in 2008.

Papa Don't PreachMadonna

Madonna didn't write "Papa Don't Preach," which deals with abortion. What drew her to the song was the singer standing up to male authority.

Station to StationDavid Bowie

David Bowie's "Station to Station" is over 10 minutes long. Bowie was doing a lot of drugs at the time and later said, "I have only flashes of making it."

Hound DogElvis Presley

The songwriting team Leiber and Stoller wrote "Hound Dog" for a blues singer named Big Mama Thronton, who first recorded the song in 1953. Elvis covered it in 1956, and it became his biggest hit.

Editor's Picks

Weird Al YankovicFact or Fiction

Did Al play on a Beach Boys record? Did he have beef with George Lucas and Coolio? See if you can spot weird but true stories.

Michael FrantiSongwriter Interviews

Franti tells the story behind his hit "Say Hey (I Love You)" and explains why yoga is an integral part of his lifestyle and his Soulshine tour.

Jack Tempchin - "Peaceful Easy Feeling"They're Playing My Song

When a waitress wouldn't take him home, Jack wrote what would become one of the Eagles most enduring hits.

Have Mercy! It's Wolfman JackSong Writing

The story of the legendary lupine DJ through the songs he inspired.

Butch VigSongwriter Interviews

The Garbage drummer/songwriter produced the Nirvana album Nevermind, and Smashing Pumpkins' Gish and Siamese Dream.

Harry ShearerSongwriter Interviews

Harry is Derek Smalls in Spinal Tap, Mark Shubb in The Folksmen, and Mr. Burns on The Simpsons.