It’s often that artists pride themselves on putting too much thought into their works, discussing how they had spent months in the studio trying to perfect every little detail to create their next magnum opus. You’ve probably seen countless interviews where musicians talk about putting in much hard work while making an album.
One might surely appreciate and respect all the energy behind the scenes during recording sessions since various producers and sound engineers also put all their thought into perfecting a recording. However, this also brings up an innocent question: Is an artist’s work as authentic as it should be after all these processed elements and thoughts come into play?
An artist’s most potent weapon usually lies in their ability to improvise and unleash their raw, unfiltered emotions at the moment. Rick Rubin, the legendary producer, even once noted that improvisation was a key ingredient for musical greats like Jay-Z and Red Hot Chili Peppers’ Anthony Kiedis, as the pair wouldn’t write any lyrics before getting into the studio, spit out whatever they felt at the moment.
Even though the rapper and the rocker’s methods differed, their key to successful tracks came through improvisation. They didn’t need particular lyrics to create the next hit. Anthony’s RHCP bandmate Flea might also share his views on how important it is to generate raw tunes and lyrics rather than trying too hard to eliminate any detuning.
When Neil Young was named one of ‘The Immortals: 50 Greatest Artists Of All Time’ by Rolling Stone, it was Flea who was given to honor of writing an introduction to Young’s entry. As a devoted fan of Neil, the bassist praised Young’s ability to harness contradictions in his songs and pointed out that despite being a talented and meticulous songwriter, Neil never fixated on perfecting his melodies and words.
Flea recognized the rocker’s artistry and lauded his willingness to embrace imperfection and spontaneity as essential parts of his creative process. He further emphasized that Neil was not concerned with creating ‘flawless records.’ So, even when some of Young’s albums had their flaws, that was the fact that made them stand out from the rest of the industry.
The free flow of thought, the authentic and raw lyrics, and the mismatched chords allowed the fans to delve deep into Neil’s mind, which proved the truth behind the singer’s music. Young never tried to hide away from his fans while recording, wanting them to face the uncensorship and flawed reality behind his songs. For Flea, there’d never been a moment when Young faked a formula and his feelings.
Flea on Neil’s contradictory traits while songwriting:
“There’s a rare contradiction in Neil Young’s work. He works so hard as a songwriter, and he’s written a phenomenal number of perfect songs. And, at the same time, he doesn’t give a f*ck. That comes from caring about essence. There can be things out of tune and all wild-sounding and not recorded meticulously.
And he doesn’t care. He’s made whole albums that aren’t great, and instead of going back to a formula that he knows works, he would rather represent where he is at the time.
He’s made whole albums that aren’t great, and instead of going back to a formula that he knows works, he would rather represent where he is at the time. That’s what’s so awesome: watching his career wax and wane according to the truth of his character at the moment. It’s never phony. It’s always real. The truth is not always perfect.”
It appears that the fact Neil never shied away from his flaws and still managed to become a great songwriter, putting his words to great use, was what made him a great rocker for Flea. Young, unlike the others, thrived in his contradictions, and this fact solidified his place among the best artists in the industry.
