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Neil Young wrote a classic in 1970. Years later, he couldn’t remember what he meant
Neil Young later stopped performing ‘Tell Me Why’, a song from his 1970 album *After the Gold Rush*, because he could no longer understand what some of its lyrics meant. His comments point to how songwriting can preserve an instinctive feeling that even its creator may struggle to explain years later.
The article describes the song as an intimate acoustic performance shaped by uncertainty about growing up and taking on responsibility. Nils Lofgren, then 18, played the second acoustic guitar during the sessions, and Young gave him the Martin D-18 afterwards. Young also questioned the meaning of ‘I Am a Child’ in the same interview; the article suggests he may have retired ‘Tell Me Why’ during a career slump before returning to rock with *Freedom*.
In short
- Young retired ‘Tell Me Why’ because its lyrics no longer made sense to him.
- The song appeared on *After the Gold Rush* in 1970.
- Eighteen-year-old Nils Lofgren played the second acoustic guitar.
Explained simply
Neil Young is a Canadian singer-songwriter whose early solo work helped shape folk-influenced rock. His 1970 album After the Gold Rush includes “Tell Me Why”, an acoustic song about uncertainty and growing up.
Nils Lofgren, then 18, played a second acoustic guitar on the recording; he later became known as a guitarist and singer in his own right. Young also wrote “I Am a Child” around this period, another song whose meaning he later questioned.
After a difficult period in his career, Young returned to rock music with the 1989 album Freedom. “Tell Me Why” is an example of how a song can carry a feeling for listeners even when its writer cannot later explain every line.