Neil Young has shared a video of himself playing the song “Silver and Gold” live for the first time in nearly two decades.
A little Christmas present to his fans: The singer released the amateur video on December 25th. In it, Young sits in a dimly lit room, tunes his guitar and starts playing. After a long intro, the 79-year-old quietly sings the first verse of “Silver and Gold”: “Workin’ hard every day / Never notice how / The time slips away / People come, seasons go”. At the end of the video, the camera pans to the fireplace and the musician asks: “Was that our first fireside session?”
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“He just lives through the guitar”
The track appeared on his album of the same name in 2000. But he had already written it in 1981. Since then, the songwriter has rarely sang it live, the last time in 2007. After its release, Young explained to “KGSR Radio” how he came about the song. “I tried it in different ways. And it was so beautiful […]. He just lives through the guitar. He’s just there,” he said.
“I recorded it a total of 11 times with different people in all sorts of formations. Neither version of it was worth listening to. But with this one I finally went back to basics. And I just sat down with my guitar and played it and said, ‘That’s it.’ Because I love the song, I feel the song now and it means something to me,” he continued.
Fit again after a recovery break
Neil Young had to cancel most of his “Love Earth Tour” this year due to illness. In a statement, he explained that his body had signaled him to take a break. After a short recovery period, Neil Young returned to the stage with his band Chrome Hearts in September. In October he played a benefit gig with Stephen Stills and John Mayer in Lake Hughes, California. A summer tour is planned for 2025 in which some of the canceled concerts will be rescheduled.