Neil Young has written hundreds of songs during his long career, but perhaps none more famous than “Heart Of Gold.” On March 18, 1972, Young scored his first and only No. 1 hit on the Billboard Hot 100 with the melodic country-folk tune.
Neil released “Heart Of Gold” in January 1972 as the lead single from his acclaimed studio album, Harvest. Harvest, which hit stores in February 1972, became Young’s only album to top the Billboard 200, reaching No. 1 on that chart a week before “Heart Of Gold” did so on the Hot 100.
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Interestingly, “Heart Of Gold” features backing vocals by two artists who, like Young, were later inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.
Neil recorded the song during the initial sessions for Harvest in early February 1971 at Quadrafonic Sound Studios in Nashville. At that time, he, Linda Ronstadt, and James Taylor were all in Nashville for an appearance on Johnny Cash’s TV variety show. At Young’s prompting, Harvest co-producer Elliott Mazer arranged for Ronstadt and Taylor to sing on some tracks.
In an interview with the U.K.’s Mojo magazine, reposted by Songfacts, Ronstadt shared recollections about the “Heart Of Gold” session.
“We were sat on the couch in the control room. But I had to get up on my knees to be on the same level as James because he’s so tall,” she remembered. “Then we sang all night, the highest notes I could sing. It was so hard, but nobody minded. It was dawn when we walked out of the studio.”
Ronstadt and Taylor also contributed backing vocals on another famous Harvest track, “Old Man.”
More About “Heart Of Gold”
“Heart Of Gold” knocked Harry Nilsson’s soaring cover of Badfinger’s “Without You” from the top of the Hot 100. “Heart Of Gold,” in turn, was replaced at No. 1 after one week by America’s “Horse With No Name.” Interestingly, America’s song was heavily influenced by Young’s music.
Neil was uncomfortable with the pop success of “Heart Of Gold.” In the liner notes to his 1977 compilation Decade, he wrote, “This song put me in the middle of the road. Traveling there soon became a bore so I headed for the ditch. A rougher ride, but I saw more interesting people there.”
“Heart Of Gold” also featured some talented Nashville session musicians, including drummer Kenny Buttrey and pedal-steel guitarist Ben Keith. Keith continued to collaborate frequently with Young up until Ben’s death in 2010.
Young has said that “Heart Of Gold” was influenced by the 1967 French tune “Love Is Blue,” by André Popp and Pierre Cour.
(Photo by Gijsbert Hanekroot/Redferns)