Streets of Philadelphia by Bruce Springsteen and sister song Philadelphia by Neil Young are from the Jonathan Demme movie of the same name. Bruce Springsteen won best original song at the 1994 Academy Awards while Neil Young was nominated. Both are exemplary ‘atmospheric’ compositions and showcase the unique musical talents of each. Streets of Philadelphia was a huge hit of course and my first encounter with the music from the film. It will be the subject of another post when we reach the ‘S’ songs in the music library project. Now onto Neil’s submission for the film:
I think the ending / wake scene (see below) from the 1993 Philadelphia film is one of the most affecting and touching scenes I have seen. The reason why it is so poignant is due in major part to Neil Young’s song Philadelphia. While Philadelphia was written specifically for the film of the same name, its message extends far beyond the boundaries of the movie.
The verses of Philadelphia paint vivid images of a city that embodies the concept of brotherly love. Neil Young sings, “City of brotherly love, place I call home. Don’t turn your back on me, I don’t want to be alone.” Here, he implores the city not to abandon him, as he seeks connection and understanding. This plea for companionship and acceptance resonates with so many of us who long for connection in a fast-paced and often disconnected world.
Sometimes I think that I know
What love’s all about
And when I see the light
I know I’ll be all right
I’ve got my friends in the world
I had my friends
When we were boys and girls
And the secrets came unfurled
City of brotherly love
Place I call home
Don’t turn your back on me
I don’t want to be alone
Love lasts forever
Someone is talking to me
Calling my name
Tell me I’m not to blame
I won’t be ashamed of love
Philadelphia
City of brotherly love
Brotherly love
Sometimes I think that I know
What love’s all about
And when I see the light
I know I’ll be all right
Philadelphia
Whenever I listen to “Philadelphia,” I am transported to a place of introspection and contemplation. It reminds me of the importance of love in my own life and inspires me to seek connection and understanding. With its beautiful melodies and powerful lyrics, this song continues to hold a special place in my heart and reminds me of the boundless power of music.
– Marty Mullin, contributor of Old Time Music
It’s said Jonathan Demme wanted a “Southern Man” style anthem but got two of the most heartbreaking songs of the year. Demme recounts how he was able to include two of the biggest rock stars on the planet, Neil Young and Bruce Springsteen, on his acclaimed film Philadelphia. At the time, Demme had never met or worked with Young.
“We’re cutting the movie together and I’m like, [snaps his fingers], I’ve got such a great idea. We’re going to reach out to Neil Young to see if he would like to do a ‘Southern Man’-type anthem to start this movie, ’cause that will send such a strong, reassuring message to testosterone-fuelled men, which is our target audience. It’s like, ‘Well if Neil’s down with it,’ you know?
“So we sent Neil a tape of the movie and his manager calls back right away and says Neil likes the film, he’s wanted to make a statement — oh and by the way when I sent it to him, “Southern Man” was scoring the opening scene — so then, a week later, this audio cassette comes back and it’s Neil’s song for Philadelphia.
“I got in the car, which you always have to do to hear an important song in your life for the first time, so my wife and I popped it in and here’s this heartbreaking ‘Philadelphia’ song by Neil, and yes, I’m crying by the end of it, but I’m also like, this will be great at the end, but we still need the up-front thing.”
References:
1. Jonathan Demme on how he got Bruce Springsteen and Neil Young on the Philadelphia soundtrack – CBC
2. The Meaning Behind The Song: Philadelphia by Neil Young – Old Time Music
“The more I live, the more I learn. The more I learn, the more I realize, the less I know.”- Michel Legrand
Observation Blogger 
This is great….
That Neil Young song is incredible! The crazy thing is I didn’t remember it, even though I watched the movie at the time – unlike Springsteen’s “Streets of Philadelphia”, which I also love. All of this is even more surprising when you consider Neil Young is one of favorite artists.
Apart from his big hits I am not familiar with a lot of Neil Young’s discography, but I love the Heart of Gold documentary by Jonathan Demme and the soundtrack.
Yeh, I’m surprised you didn’t remember his ‘Philadelphia’ as well. It is one of my favourite tracks by him as well as his transcendental ‘It’s a Dream’.
I love this song, which I think is one of Neil Young’s finest. I also love Springsteen’s “Streets of Philadelphia”, which you may recall from one of my recent posts is my favorite song of 1994. Both are equally great, as are many of the songs on the film soundtrack.
This, ‘It’s a Dream’ and ‘Helpless’are my personal favourites by him although I’m hardly a connoisseur of his music.
Now that you mention it, I do recall you highlighting ‘Streets of Philadelphia’ as your fav of 1994.
I have seen Dallas Buyers Club which I really admired although I’m not a huge Matthew McConaughey fan. But I have to hand it to him here. Thanks for the link. I agree there is an element of “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest” to it.