"Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere" is a song written by

Neil Young Neil Percival Young (born November 12, 1945) is a Canadian-American singer and songwriter. After embarking on a music career in Winnipeg in the 1960s, Young moved to Los Angeles, joining Buffalo Springfield with Stephen Stills, Richie Furay ...

that was originally released as the title track of his 1969 album with

Crazy Horse Crazy Horse ( lkt, Tȟašúŋke Witkó, italic=no, , ; 1840 – September 5, 1877) was a Lakota war leader of the Oglala band in the 19th century. He took up arms against the United States federal government to fight against encroachment by wh ...

, ''

Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere ''Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere'' is the second studio album by Canadian-American musician Neil Young, released in May 1969 on Reprise Records, catalogue number RS 6349. His first with longtime backing band Crazy Horse, it peaked at number 3 ...

''. The song was written earlier, and a different version was originally considered for Young's 1968 solo debut album ''

Lyrics and music

The lyrics of "Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere" describe Young's disillusionment with the music scene in Los Angeles. ''

Allmusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...

'' critic Matthew Greenwald describes it as "a cry from a man that is in need of settling down after a hair-raising experience." This is reflected in lyrics such as "I gotta get away from this day-to-day running around" and "I think I'd like to go back home and take it easy." Music lecturer Ken Bielen interprets the lyrics as suggesting that when the singer obtained what he originally wanted, possibly fame and success, he found them to be "nowhere." The music of "Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere" has a country rock flavor. Young biographer

David Downing David Downing (born 1946) is a British author of mystery novels and nonfiction. His works have been reviewed by ''Publishers Weekly'', ''The New York Times'', and ''The Wall Street Journal''. He is known for his convincing depictions of World Wa ...

describes it as "stripped–down foot–stomping rock. ''

Pitchfork A pitchfork (also a hay fork) is an agricultural tool with a long handle and two to five tines used to lift and pitch or throw loose material, such as hay, straw, manure, or leaves. The term is also applied colloquially, but inaccurately, to th ...

'' contributor Mark Richardson describes it as "a brash, rollicking country-rocker in the vein of the Band." Young biographer Jimmy McDonough hears an echo of

Del Shannon Charles Weedon Westover (December 30, 1934 – February 8, 1990), better known by his stage name Del Shannon, was an American musician, singer and songwriter, best known for his 1961 number-one '' Billboard'' hit " Runaway". In 1999, he was ind ...

's 1962 song " The Swiss Maid" in the music of "Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere." Young and Crazy Horse guitarist

Danny Whitten Danny Ray Whitten (May 8, 1943 – November 18, 1972) was an American guitarist and songwriter, best known for his work with Neil Young's backing band Crazy Horse, and for the song "I Don't Want to Talk About It", a hit for Rod Stewart and Every ...

shared the vocals. The recording of the vocals eschewed using a

mixing board A mixing console or mixing desk is an electronic device for mixing audio signals, used in sound recording and reproduction and sound reinforcement systems. Inputs to the console include microphones, signals from electric or electronic inst ...

, and these were recorded directly to tape. According to Young, this was done in an effort "to get all the bullshit out." Young liked the "edge" produced by the resulting

impedance mismatch In electronics, impedance matching is the practice of designing or adjusting the input impedance or output impedance of an electrical device for a desired value. Often, the desired value is selected to maximize power transfer or minimize sign ...

, which he thought produced a "spitty-sounding" vocal.

Critical reception

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'' said that "Neil strokes that guitar for all he's worth." Music critic

Johnny Rogan John Rogan (14 February 1953 – 21 January 2021) was a British author of Irish descent best known for his books about music and popular culture. He wrote influential biographies of the Byrds, Neil Young, the Smiths, Van Morrison and Ray Davies. ...

describes "Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere" as an "interesting, albeit slight composition," describing the

harmonies In music, harmony is the process by which individual sounds are joined together or composed into whole units or compositions. Often, the term harmony refers to simultaneously occurring frequencies, pitches ( tones, notes), or chords. However ...

as "both attractive and whimsical." According to Greenwald, the "Western-influenced melody" and Crazy Horse's playing reflect the theme of appreciating simple country life "perfectly." According to ''

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'' author Andy Gill, "the burly country twang of the astringent guitar

riff A riff is a repeated chord progression or refrain in music (also known as an ostinato figure in classical music); it is a pattern, or melody, often played by the rhythm section instruments or solo instrument, that forms the basis or accompani ...

, tempered by the poignant, sardonic tone of the 'sha-la-la' backing, combine to offer an intriguingly tart take on the new country-rock sound that was miles from the psychedelicized retro-purism of

The Byrds The Byrds () were an American rock band formed in Los Angeles, California, in 1964. The band underwent multiple lineup changes throughout its existence, with frontman Roger McGuinn (known as Jim McGuinn until mid-1967) remaining the sole cons ...

and Burritos, and the saccharine sweetness of

CS&N Crosby, Stills & Nash (CSN) were a folk rock supergroup made up of American singer-songwriters David Crosby and Stephen Stills and English singer-songwriter Graham Nash. When joined by Canadian singer-songwriter Neil Young as a fourth member ...

. McDonough regards this "compact, country-tinged" song as representing one of the archetypes of the Crazy Horse sound. The editors of ''

Rolling Stone Magazine ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first known for its cov ...

'' described it as "incisive guitar rock."

Other versions

Young originally recorded "Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere" for his 1968 solo debut album ''

'' in a very different arrangement. Rather than Crazy Horses' rock arrangement, the version recorded for ''Neil Young'' was backed by

woodwind Woodwind instruments are a family of musical instruments within the greater category of wind instruments. Common examples include flute, clarinet, oboe, bassoon, and saxophone. There are two main types of woodwind instruments: flutes and reed ...

instruments. Downing describes this version as sounding "pretty but passive" with "wistful vocal, beautifully layered guitars,

strings String or strings may refer to: *String (structure), a long flexible structure made from threads twisted together, which is used to tie, bind, or hang other objects Arts, entertainment, and media Films * ''Strings'' (1991 film), a Canadian anim ...

and flute solo. McDonogh describes the ''Neil Young'' version as "jaunty, restrained, polite, complete with a rooty-toot-toot Moog solo. According to Downing, the rock version released on ''Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere'' loses none of the original versions's meaning. A version of the song without Crazy Horse was released as a promotional single in March 1969.

Dar Williams Dorothy Snowden "Dar" Williams (born April 19, 1967) is an American pop folk singer-songwriter from Mount Kisco, New York. Hendrik Hertzberg of ''The New Yorker'' has described Williams as "one of America's very best singer-songwriters." She i ...

covered the song on her 2005 album '' My Better Self''

critic Stewart Mason described this as a "nervy cover choice" that "come off well in the context of Williams' introspective originals n the remainder of the album Dumptruck covered it on their 2001 album ''Lemmings Travel To The Sea''. The

Red Hot Chili Peppers Red Hot Chili Peppers are an American rock music, rock band formed in Los Angeles in 1983, comprising vocalist Anthony Kiedis, bassist Flea (musician), Flea, drummer Chad Smith, and guitarist John Frusciante. Their music incorporates element ...

covered the song with a live version on their 2012 EP '' Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Covers''.

References

{{authority control Neil Young songs Songs written by Neil Young Crazy Horse (band) songs 1968 songs Song recordings produced by Neil Young Song recordings produced by David Briggs (record producer) Dar Williams songs Red Hot Chili Peppers songs