8+

“Cowgirl in the Sand” by Neil Young & Crazy Horse which clocks in at 10:06

In hopes of continuing to keep this site an experience for the people, and sometimes by the people, I offer another 8+ written by an EAR FARM reader/friend. This one comes to us from Juno who has selected an excellent song by one of her favorite artists of all time...

Neil Young is, in my humble opinion, the quintessential American rock star. He’s stubborn and brooding, yet seemingly humble and diffident at the same time. He pervades a simultaneously quiet and thunderous demeanor and, perhaps unsuprisingly, it is Neil’s polarities that drive his fervent songs. His unique songwriting styles are sublimely showcased in the final track “Cowgirl in the Sand” from his 1969 album Everybody Knows This is Nowhere.

When I first heard this song as a college sophomore, I knew immediately that Neil Young was cooler than the rest of us. The song instantly set a tone…a mood. That underlying groovy bass line, Neil’s ominous guitar riffs and singing style, his suggestive lyrics, and improvisational melodies…I should have been driving a rusty old Ford pick-up truck through the desolate highways of the southwest, Budweiser in hand. No, better yet… I should have been driving a motorcycle. Wait… even better, I should have been riding on the back of Neil’s motorcycle. Gripping his sideburns and holding on for dear life as we sped through the desert - stopping late into the night to build a fire, smoke a joint, and stare at the stars in the vast desert sky. The song was written for me… it was all mine:

"Hello cowgirl in the sand
Is this place at your command
Can I stay here for a while
Can I see your sweet sweet smile
Old enough now to change your name
When so many love you is it the same?
It’s the woman in you that makes you want to play this game…"

Does this make me the only person under the age of 50 to have a Neil Young fantasy?

Listen for yourself. Maybe you’ll develop a Neil fantasy of your own…

Speaking of which...if you'd like to tell us all about your musical fantasies slash write an 8+ to be considered for EAR FARM's weekly 8+ series, well, go ahead! Send me something you've written about a song longer than eight minutes. No guarantees on when (or if) it gets posted, but if it does you'll get all the credit and linkage you'd like. Contact info for me HERE.

(photo from 1974 from HERE)

Buy Everybody Knows This is Nowhere HERE on Amazon.

EAR FARM's 8+ is a weekly feature that showcases songs longer than 8 minutes. In the recent past these songs were featured on EF's 8+:
British Sea Power - "Lately"
Islands - "Swans"
Isolée - "Pillowtalk"
Animal Collective - "Banshee Beat"
Wilderness - "Post Plethoric Rhetoric"
The Wedding Present - "Interstate 5"
Sleater-Kinney - "Let's Call It Love"
My Morning Jacket - "Dondante"
Wilco - "Spiders (Kidsmoke)"
Isis - "From Sinking"
Lemon Jelly - "A Tune For Jack"
Herbie Hancock - "Sly"
New Order - "Temptation"
Polvo - "El Rocio"
Pulp - "Countdown"
Morrissey - "The Teachers Are Afraid of the Pupils"
Dungen - "Du är för fin för mig"
Loose Fur - "Wreckroom"
The Who - "A Quick One, While He's Away"
Destroyer - "Rubies"
Neu! - "Fuer Immer (forever)"
Iggy Pop - "Mass Production"
The Cure - "Fascination Street" (Extended Mix)
Yo La Tengo - "Let's Be Still"
George Michael - "I Want Your Sex, Pts. 1 &2"
Digital Underground - "Doowutchyalike"
Stephen Malkmus & the Jicks - "1% Of One"
Big Brother & the Holding Company - "Ball And Chain"
The Stone Roses - "I Am The Resurrection"
DJ Shadow - "Napalm Brain/Scatter Brain"