Neil Young Honors Bob Dylan + Other Classic Rockers With New Song, ‘Twisted Road’
Neil Young remains one of the most unpredictable men in rock music. At the opening show of his new tour with Crazy Horse in Albuquerque, N.M. on Friday (Aug. 3), he debuted six songs, yet only one of them was from his most recent album, ‘Americana.’ In addition, he also chose to leave ‘Albuquerque,’ from 1975′s ‘Tonight’s the Night’ off the evening’s agenda. That has to violate some unwritten setlist-making rule, right?
Yet for all of his well-documented eccentricities, we’re glad to have video of one of the new songs, which is called ‘Twisted Road.’ Performed with just his acoustic guitar, it’s a tribute to the music that influenced him in his formative years, namely Bob Dylan. “First time I heard ‘Like a Rolling Stone‘ / I felt that magic and took it home.” He compares Dylan’s poetic lyrics to “Hank Williams chewing bubblegum.”
Elsewhere in the song, Young namechecks the Grateful Dead and the chord progression immediately following the chorus echoes the Band‘s classic, ‘The Weight.’ In the second verse, Young describes the thrill of playing in the same venue where he “first saw Roy,” which we presume refers to Roy Orbison and not Roy Rogers. Although, with Young, you never can tell.
Watch Neil Young Perform ‘Twisted Road’