"Cinnamon Girl"is a song byNeil Young.It debuted on the 1969 albumEverybody Knows This Is Nowhere,which was also Young's first album with backing bandCrazy Horse.
| "Cinnamon Girl" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 Cover of German issue single | ||||
| SinglebyNeil YoungandCrazy Horse | ||||
| from the albumEverybody Knows This Is Nowhere | ||||
| B-side | "Sugar Mountain" | |||
| Released | April 20, 1970 | |||
| Recorded | March 20, 1969 | |||
| Studio | Wally Heider Recording, Hollywood | |||
| Genre | Rock[1] | |||
| Length | 2:58 | |||
| Label | Reprise | |||
| Songwriter(s) | Neil Young | |||
| Producer(s) |
| |||
| Neil YoungandCrazy Horsesingles chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Official audio | ||||
| "Cinnamon Girl" (2009 Remaster)onYouTube | ||||
Songwriting
editMusic
editLike two other songs fromEverybody Knows This Is Nowhere,"Cowgirl in the Sand"and"Down by the River",Young wrote" Cinnamon Girl "while he was suffering from thefluwith a highfeverat his home inTopanga, California.[2][3]
This song displays the very prominent role played byDanny Whittenin the sound of Young's early recordings. The vocals are a duet, with Whitten singing the highharmonyagainst Young's low harmony. (The 45 rpm single mix of the song, in addition to being inmonoand cutting off the guitar outro, features Whitten's vocal more prominently than the album version.) Young performed the song on his then-recently acquiredGibson Les Paul,"Old Black".TheNMEnamed "Cinnamon Girl" an example of "proto-grunge".[4]
The song was written indouble drop D tuning(DADGBD). This tuning is used in several of his most famous songs, such as "The Loner","The Old Laughing Lady ","When You Dance I Can Really Love","Ohio",and"Cortez the Killer".[5]The music features a prominent descendingbass guitarline.[6]The song's "one note guitar solo", consisting largely of a repeating, sharply playedjanglingD note, has often been singled out for praise.[7]According to Young "people say that it is a solo with only one note but, in my head, each one of those notes is different. The more you get into it, the more you can hear the differences.”[8]
Lyrics
editThe lyrics have the singer daydreaming for a girl to love, singing that he waits "between shows" for his lover.[9]Young has said that he wrote the song "for a city girl on peeling pavement coming at me throughPhil Ochs' eyes playingfinger cymbals.It was hard to explain to my wife. "[6]The "city girl playing finger cymbals" is a reference to folk singerJean Ray.[9]Music criticJohnny Rogandescribed the lyrics as "exotic and allusive without really saying anything at all."[6]CriticToby Creswelldescribes the lyrics as "cryptic love lyrics" noting that they are sung "over the crunching power ofCrazy Horse."[3]CriticJohn Mendelsohnfelt the song conveyed a message of "desperation begetting brutal vindictiveness," hinted at by the "almost impenetrably subjective words" but carried strongly by the sound of Crazy Horse's "heavy, sinister accompaniment."[3]
Introducing the song at a performance associated with Writer's Week at Whittier College (California) in April 2015,Los Lobosco-founderLouie Perezsaid that when he first heard "Cinnamon Girl", he was sure it was about a Mexican girl.[10]Fans and news outlets have also speculated whether or not the song referred toJim Morrison's common-law wife,Pamela Courson.Jim and Pamela were part of the Topanga community around this time, and Pamela had red-brown hair reminiscent of cinnamon. Young has denied, however, that the song refers to her.[11]
Chart performance
edit"Cinnamon Girl" was released as a single in 1970, where it reached No. 55 on theBillboardHot 100.[12]The song peaked at number 34 in Australia.[13]
Legacy and influence
editBritish music publicationNMEranked "Cinnamon Girl" 's opening chord progression at No. 47 on its "50 Greatest Guitar Riffs Of All Time".[4]
In an interview withQ,singerBecknamed the "Cinnamon Girl" riff as his all-time favorite, next toBlack Sabbath's "Supernaut".[citation needed]
According to his autobiography, "Cinnamon Girl" was the first record played by the now-legendary British DJ"Whispering Bob" Harrison hisBBC Radio 1debut in August 1970.[14]
Cover versions
edit"Cinnamon Girl" has been covered by numerous artists:
- The Gentrysrecorded a version for a 1970 single release onSun Records.This version went to #52 on the USHot 100.[15]
- Holerecorded an instrumental cover of the song on their 1991 albumPretty on the Inside.
- Type O Negativecovered the song on their 1996 albumOctober Rust.
- Replicantscovered the song on their 1995self-titled album.
- John Entwistleofthe Whorecorded a version of the song as an outtake for his 1971 solo albumSmash Your Head Against the Wall.
- The Whoperformed a short snippet of the song at theKoussevitzky Music Shed,inLenox, Massachusetts,on July 7, 1970, and at theUniversity of Leeds RefectoryinLeeds, England,on November 21, 1970.
- TheSmashing Pumpkinsreleased a version on the 2012 reissue ofPisces Iscariot.
- Wilcoand members ofMy Morning Jackethave performed the song at various stops on the 2013 Americanarama Music Festival tour.
- Matthew SweetandSusanna Hoffscovered the song on their album,Under the Covers, Vol. 1(2006).
- Danish bandKashmirperformed a cover version on their live CD/DVDThe Aftermath.
- Phishhas covered the song a total of four times, once at Gallagher's in Vermont on January 3, 1989, twice during their 1997 tours, and once at Madison Square Garden on July 29, 2017.[16]
- The Dream Syndicateincluded a version on their 1986 albumOut of the Grey.
- Andy Currancovered the song on the Neil Young tribute albumBorrowed Tunes: A Tribute to Neil Young.
- The indie rock bandsBig Head Todd and the MonstersandToad the Wet Sprocketunited to cover the song in the Monsters Music Monthly series.[17]
- Radioheadis known to have played the song live on several occasions and bootlegs are common onYouTube.[18]
- Foo Fighterscovered this song live at their first of two Toronto, Ontario, Canada shows on July 8, 2015.
- TheMadison, Wisconsin-based noise rock bandKilldozer (band)covered this song for their 1985 albumSnake Boy.
- Boyd Tinsleycovered the song on his solo albumTrue Reflections.
- Mudhoneyincorporated the outro of "Cinnamon Girl" into the song "Broken Hands" on their 1991 albumEvery Good Boy Deserves Fudge.
- The Pretty Recklessdid a live acoustic version for SiriusXM octane with Shannon Gunz in January 2017.
- OROrecorded a live version included on their albumMetido en la Corriente(2018), featuring Uruguayan singer Alberto "Mandrake" Wolf.
- "Weird Al" Yankoviccovered the song at aRidiculously Self-Indulgent, Ill-Advised Vanity Tourperformance in New York on March 23, 2018.[19]
- Philip Saycecovered the song on his 2005 album Peace Machine.
References
edit- ^Stanley, Bob (September 13, 2013)."Before and After the Gold Rush: Laurel Canyon".Yeah Yeah Yeah: The Story of Modern Pop.Faber & Faber. p. 409.ISBN978-0-571-28198-5.
- ^Williamson, N. (2002).Journey Through the Past: The Stories Behind the Classic Songs of Neil Young.Hal Leonard. pp.27–28.ISBN9780879307417.
- ^abcCreswell, T.(2006).1001 Songs: The Great Songs of All Time.Thunder's Mouth Press. pp. 267, 372.ISBN978-1560259152.
- ^ab"50 Greatest Guitar Riffs Of All Time".NME.October 25, 2012.RetrievedJune 27,2020.
- ^"HyperRust: It's All One Song! - Neil's Tunings".hyperrust.org.RetrievedJanuary 18,2018.
- ^abcRogan, J.(1996).The Complete Guide to the Music of Neil Young.Omnibus Press. p. 18.ISBN978-0711953994.
- ^Ben, Party."Music: Great One-Note Guitar Solos".Mother Jones.RetrievedAugust 5,2015.
- ^"The 10 Best Solos of Neil Young".Guitars Exchange.RetrievedOctober 8,2018.
- ^abBielen, K. (2008).The Words and Music of Neil Young.Praeger. p. 11.ISBN978-0275999025.
- ^"Whittier College Writers Festival - Music of the Wolves: An Evening with Louie Pérez and David Hidalgo".Whittier College. Archived fromthe originalon May 5, 2015.RetrievedMay 2,2015.
- ^"Lyrically Speaking: Demystifying the surreal world of Neil Young song" Cinnamon Girl "".Far Out.November 12, 2023.RetrievedJuly 21,2024.
- ^Whitburn, Joel(2013).Joel Whitburn's Top Pop Singles, 14th Edition: 1955-2012.Record Research. p. 935.
- ^Kent, David(1993).Australian Chart Book 1970–1992(illustrated ed.). St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. p. 123.ISBN0-646-11917-6.
- ^Harris, Bob(May 14, 2015).Still Whispering After All These Years/.Michael O'Mara Books.p. 216.ISBN978-1782433613.
- ^Whitburn, Joel(2013).Joel Whitburn's Top Pop Singles, 14th Edition: 1955-2012.Record Research. p. 335.
- ^"Cinnamon Girl History".Phish.net.RetrievedOctober 3,2016.
- ^Bernstein, Scott (May 31, 2019)."Big Head Todd & The Monsters And Toad The Wet Sprocket Cover Neil Young".Jambase.RetrievedOctober 23,2021.
- ^"EMI & Canal + Present Kid A: Amnesiac In Paris".radiohead.com.April 28, 2001.RetrievedJune 19,2020.
- ^"'Weird Al' Yankovic - 77 Cover Songs ".June 13, 2018.Archivedfrom the original on December 21, 2021.RetrievedJune 14,2018– via YouTube.
External links
edit- Planer, Lindsay (2008)."'Cinnamon Girl' review",AllMusic.