# Neil Young’s Bandmates Refused To Play This 1974 Song Live Because It Was Too Unsettling

- URL: https://talkfuse.com/story/neil-youngs-bandmates-refused-to-play-this-1974-song-live-because-it-was-too-unsettling/
- Published: 2026-07-25T11:00:00+00:00
- Original publisher: American Songwriter
- Original article: https://americansongwriter.com/neil-youngs-bandmates-refused-to-play-this-1974-song-live-because-it-was-too-unsettling/
- Topics: Entertainment, Music

## Key points

- CSNY refused to perform Neil Young’s disturbing “Revolution Blues” live.
- The 1974 song was inspired by Charles Manson and his crimes.
- The dispute reflected wider tensions between Young and his bandmates.

## Summary

Neil Young’s 1974 song “Revolution Blues”, from the album On The Beach, was considered so disturbing that his Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young bandmates declined to perform it live. The song adopts the perspective of Charles Manson and references violence against Hollywood celebrities, making it a particularly dark example of Young’s writing and highlighting tensions within the group.

Young said he viewed the track as commentary on contemporary culture, while his bandmates were uncomfortable sharing a stage with it; David Crosby reportedly still disliked it decades later. Young performed the song only occasionally after its release, and his interest was informed partly by having met Manson in the 1960s; the disagreement also reinforced Young’s preference for working with Crazy Horse over CSNY.

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Summarised by TalkFuse (https://talkfuse.com/). Quote the original publisher for the reporting and link this page for the summary and discussion.