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....with those waves singing Caroline, No.


So sang Neil Young last night at the closing ceremony of the Vancouver Winter Olympics. It's of course his love song to a car "Long May You Run" from the Stills-Young Band album of the same name. I've always liked that song, particularly for the BB reference, but the line about the "empty ocean road" leaves me wondering if that line is a put down while the  Caroline, No reference is praise.

Any thoughts?

It's a very evocative song. I think the empty ocean road will be Highway One the great coastal road that runs up through Big Sur. It's beautiful and often empty.

Here's a link to a picture of Neil at the hockey game earlier in the day:  http://twitpic.com/15wxsl
And he's always been a fan of The Boys, too.  I've got some shots of him standing on the side of the stage watching them, during the CSNY/BB shows in '76, sipping on a can of Coors.  In one he's discussing them with Joni Mitchell.

Neil also sang this song recently on Conan O'Brien's last Tonight Show.

Thanks for the input

Did Neil ever hang out with any of the Beach Boys, Brian for instance?

He played organ on Good Vibrations with Brian and his band at the Bridge School Benefit (I think?) it's shown in the Brian Wilson on Tour DVD

At one stage, he was being considered as a Brother Records artist, I believe.

He's one of the few artists from that era who's talked about going out to see Manson and I believe he pointed out that there were many more who thought Manson had some genuine talent but after the killings, preferred not to admit it.

Well, judging by Never Learn Not To Love..........

And let's not forget Neil's duet with Al on the new version of "California Saga"

Further, many people don't know this but Neil Young is an avid surfer.  He actually bought a board custom made by my brother. from his store in Kailua-Kona, Big Island Marine.   Neil has a nice beach house near Hapuna and can be found out on the local break.

So when he sings about surfing, it's from the heart.

 
He most definitely hung out with Dennis.  He also wrote a song based on the Family, called "Revolution Blues".
Here's a quote of Neil's, from the Observer Music Monthly in October 2008, about those times:

"Spooky times. I knew Charlie Manson. A few people were at this house on Sunset Boulevard and the people were different. I didn't know what it was; I was meeting them and he was not a happy guy but he seemed to have a hold on girls. It was the ugly side of the Maharishi. You know, there's one side of the light, nice flowers and white robes and everything, and then there's something that looks a lot like it but just isn't it at all."