Helpless (song)
Encyclopedia
"Helpless" is a song written by Canadian
singer-songwriter Neil Young
, most famously recorded by Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young on their 1970 album Déjà Vu.
"Helpless" was originally recorded with Young's band Crazy Horse
in early 1969, before Young's new CSNY bandmates (he had joined the then-trio in mid-1969) convinced him it would suit them better. The song was simple, at its core effectively the repetition of one melody
over a descending D-A-G chord progression
. The group found difficulty deciding on an arrangement and many different versions of the song were recorded before the group finally decided on the slow-paced version that appeared on the album. On this final version Young was in the foreground, singing the verses and the chorus with his bandmates providing the "helpless" refrain, while the instrumentation came in the form of acoustic guitar, electric guitar with volume pedal and tremolo), piano, bass and drums. It became one of the most revered songs from the Déjà Vu album (Q
magazine's Peter Doggett regards it as "one of (the album's) showpieces"), and has remained a live favorite of Young's for over thirty years. An alternate mix of the CSNY version was released on Neil Young's "Archives Vol. 1." It features Young playing harmonica prominently in the mix.
Experimental rock artist Bill Nelson recorded a version of the song. k.d lang recorded a version with a lush string section for her album Hymns of the 49th Parallel
. Nick Cave
also recorded a rendition of this song for a Young tribute album. Young also performs the song with the Band
and Joni Mitchell
in the film The Last Waltz
. Patti Smith
covered the song on her album Twelve
. Heavy Metal Band Black Label Society
recorded a version as a bonus track on their album Order of the Black
. Canadian band Cowboy Junkies
recorded a studio version for neath Your Covers, Part 1, a bonus disc of covers that accompanied some orders of their 2004 album One Soul Now
; a live version appears on their 2006 album Long Journey Home (Live)
. Over the Rhine recorded a live version during a winter 2001 concert at Cincinnati's Taft Theatre, which was released on the band's 2002 rarities compilation, "The Cutting Room Floor."
The "town in North Ontario
" referred to in the opening line of the song is often presumed to be Ontario native Young's hometown; Young himself cleared up the rumors in a 1995 Mojo
interview with Nick Kent
:
Omemee
, just west of Peterborough
, is well within what is now considered Southern Ontario
, and 130 km from Toronto
by road.http://maps.google.com/maps?f=d&hl=en&geocode=&saddr=toronto&daddr=omemee,+ontario,+canada+to:peterborough,+on,+ca&mrcr=1&mra=pi&sll=44.152652,-78.744507&sspn=0.721252,1.862183&ie=UTF8&z=9&om=1
The song's second verse contains the surreal
nature-inspired imagery that was typical of Young's early 1970s work, similar to the lyrics of "After the Gold Rush
":
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
singer-songwriter Neil Young
Neil Young
Neil Percival Young, OC, OM is a Canadian singer-songwriter who is widely regarded as one of the most influential musicians of his generation...
, most famously recorded by Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young on their 1970 album Déjà Vu.
"Helpless" was originally recorded with Young's band Crazy Horse
Crazy Horse (band)
Crazy Horse is an American rock band best known for its association with Neil Young. It has been co-credited on a number of albums throughout Young's career and has released five albums of its own.-Early years:...
in early 1969, before Young's new CSNY bandmates (he had joined the then-trio in mid-1969) convinced him it would suit them better. The song was simple, at its core effectively the repetition of one melody
Melody
A melody , also tune, voice, or line, is a linear succession of musical tones which is perceived as a single entity...
over a descending D-A-G chord progression
Chord progression
A chord progression is a series of musical chords, or chord changes that "aims for a definite goal" of establishing a tonality founded on a key, root or tonic chord. In other words, the succession of root relationships...
. The group found difficulty deciding on an arrangement and many different versions of the song were recorded before the group finally decided on the slow-paced version that appeared on the album. On this final version Young was in the foreground, singing the verses and the chorus with his bandmates providing the "helpless" refrain, while the instrumentation came in the form of acoustic guitar, electric guitar with volume pedal and tremolo), piano, bass and drums. It became one of the most revered songs from the Déjà Vu album (Q
Q (magazine)
Q is a popular music magazine published monthly in the United Kingdom.Founders Mark Ellen and David Hepworth were dismayed by the music press of the time, which they felt was ignoring a generation of older music buyers who were buying CDs — then still a new technology...
magazine's Peter Doggett regards it as "one of (the album's) showpieces"), and has remained a live favorite of Young's for over thirty years. An alternate mix of the CSNY version was released on Neil Young's "Archives Vol. 1." It features Young playing harmonica prominently in the mix.
Experimental rock artist Bill Nelson recorded a version of the song. k.d lang recorded a version with a lush string section for her album Hymns of the 49th Parallel
Hymns of the 49th Parallel
Hymns of the 49th Parallel is the ninth studio album by Canadian singer and songwriter k.d. lang, released in 2004. It is an album of songs by Lang's favourite Canadian songwriters, and includes remake version of her original composition initially appeared on 2000 album Invincible Summer.-Title:The...
. Nick Cave
Nick Cave
Nicholas Edward "Nick" Cave is an Australian musician, songwriter, author, screenwriter, and occasional film actor.He is best known for his work as a frontman of the critically acclaimed rock band Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, established in 1984, a group known for its eclectic influences and...
also recorded a rendition of this song for a Young tribute album. Young also performs the song with the Band
The Band
The Band was an acclaimed and influential roots rock group. The original group consisted of Rick Danko , Garth Hudson , Richard Manuel , and Robbie Robertson , and Levon Helm...
and Joni Mitchell
Joni Mitchell
Joni Mitchell, CC is a Canadian musician, singer songwriter, and painter. Mitchell began singing in small nightclubs in her native Saskatchewan and Western Canada and then busking in the streets and dives of Toronto...
in the film The Last Waltz
The Last Waltz
The Last Waltz was a concert by the rock group The Band, held on American Thanksgiving Day, November 25, 1976, at Winterland Ballroom in San Francisco...
. Patti Smith
Patti Smith
Patricia Lee "Patti" Smith is an American singer-songwriter, poet and visual artist, who became a highly influential component of the New York City punk rock movement with her 1975 debut album Horses....
covered the song on her album Twelve
Twelve (Patti Smith album)
Twelve is an album by Patti Smith, released April 17, 2007 on Columbia Records. As the title suggests, the album contains twelve tracks, all of which are cover versions. It debuted on Billboard 200 at number 60, with 11,000 copies sold in its first week...
. Heavy Metal Band Black Label Society
Black Label Society
Black Label Society is a heavy metal band formed by Zakk Wylde, with nine studio albums, one live album, two compilation albums, one EP, and three video albums released since formation of the band.-Formation and Sonic Brew :...
recorded a version as a bonus track on their album Order of the Black
Order of the Black
-Personnel:*Zakk Wylde – vocals, guitars, piano*John DeServio – bass, backing vocals*Will Hunt – drums*Nick Catanese – guitar Production*Produced by Zakk Wylde*Associate producer – John DeServio*Engineered by Adam Klumpp...
. Canadian band Cowboy Junkies
Cowboy Junkies
Cowboy Junkies are a Canadian alternative country/blues/folk rock band. The group was formed in Toronto in 1985 by Margo Timmins , Michael Timmins , Peter Timmins and Alan Anton ....
recorded a studio version for neath Your Covers, Part 1, a bonus disc of covers that accompanied some orders of their 2004 album One Soul Now
One Soul Now
One Soul Now is a 2004 album by the Canadian rock band Cowboy Junkies. It is their first album of new material since Open in 2001.It was released on Latent Records in Canada, and Zoe Records internationally.-Track listing:...
; a live version appears on their 2006 album Long Journey Home (Live)
Long Journey Home (Live)
Long Journey Home is an album by the Canadian rock band Cowboy Junkies, released in 2007- Track listing :# "Sweet Jane"# "Cause Cheap Is How I Feel"# "200 More Miles"# "Why This One"# "Pale Sun"# "He Will Call You Baby"...
. Over the Rhine recorded a live version during a winter 2001 concert at Cincinnati's Taft Theatre, which was released on the band's 2002 rarities compilation, "The Cutting Room Floor."
The "town in North Ontario
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
" referred to in the opening line of the song is often presumed to be Ontario native Young's hometown; Young himself cleared up the rumors in a 1995 Mojo
Mojo (magazine)
MOJO is a popular music magazine published initially by Emap, and since January 2008 by Bauer, monthly in the United Kingdom. Following the success of the magazine Q, publishers Emap were looking for a title which would cater for the burgeoning interest in classic rock music...
interview with Nick Kent
Nick Kent
Nick Kent is a British rock critic and musician.-Career:Along with writers including Paul Morley, Charles Shaar Murray and Danny Baker, Nick Kent is seen as one of the most important and influential UK music journalists of the 1970s. He wrote for the British music publication New Musical Express,...
:
- "Well, it's not literally a specific town so much as a feeling. Actually, it's a couple of towns. Omemee, Ontario, is one of them. It's where I first went to school and spent my 'formative' years. Actually I was born in Toronto..."
Omemee
Omemee, Ontario
Omemee is a community within the city of Kawartha Lakes, Ontario, Canada, formerly known as Victoria County. Omemee is one of the major communities in the Kawartha Lakes, as the proclaimed "city" is vastly rural and has but one major population centre...
, just west of Peterborough
Peterborough, Ontario
Peterborough is a city on the Otonabee River in southern Ontario, Canada, 125 kilometres northeast of Toronto. The population of the City of Peterborough was 74,898 as of the 2006 census, while the census metropolitan area has a population of 121,428 as of a 2009 estimate. It presently ranks...
, is well within what is now considered Southern Ontario
Southern Ontario
Southern Ontario is a region of the province of Ontario, Canada that lies south of the French River and Algonquin Park. Depending on the inclusion of the Parry Sound and Muskoka districts, its surface area would cover between 14 to 15% of the province. It is the southernmost region of...
, and 130 km from Toronto
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
by road.http://maps.google.com/maps?f=d&hl=en&geocode=&saddr=toronto&daddr=omemee,+ontario,+canada+to:peterborough,+on,+ca&mrcr=1&mra=pi&sll=44.152652,-78.744507&sspn=0.721252,1.862183&ie=UTF8&z=9&om=1
The song's second verse contains the surreal
Surrealism
Surrealism is a cultural movement that began in the early 1920s, and is best known for the visual artworks and writings of the group members....
nature-inspired imagery that was typical of Young's early 1970s work, similar to the lyrics of "After the Gold Rush
After the Gold Rush (song)
"After the Gold Rush" is a song written by Neil Young from the 1970 album of the same name. In addition to After the Gold Rush, it also appears on Decade, Greatest Hits and Live Rust....
":
- Blue, blue windows behind the stars
- Yellow moon on the rise
- Big birds flying across the sky
- Throwing shadows on our eyes