I was first introduced to Neil’s album Prairie Wind when I heard it played in the Heart of Gold documentary directed by Jonathan Demme (Silence of the Lambs, Philadelphia). In the documentary Neil Young performed Prairie Wind at the famous Ryman Auditorium also known as Grand Ole Opry House in Nashville. The first half of the concert consists entirely of songs from Prairie Wind, and the second half consists of acoustic songs from throughout Young’s career.
The concert was Neil Young’s comeback performance after brain surgery. So the songs and the Demme documentary find Young reminiscing about his youth, reflecting on the passing of time, and considering his own mortality in light of his father’s illness and his own health scare. I couldn’t stop watching this documentary when I first procured it and the songs still resonate as strongly with me today as they did back then. For someone who hadn’t previously been very familiar with Neil Young’s career, I found the Prairie Wind concert / documentary a great introduction to Neil Young’s music.
Today’s featured track The Painter opened the concert as well as the album. It is said the original inspiration (The Painter) is Neil’s daughter Amber Jean. She earned a Master’s degree at the San Francisco Art Institute, where she studied painting. You can read more about Amber here.
It’s a reflective song about embracing the present and the creative spirit and while dreams are important, staying grounded and true to yourself is key. I love the production and the sound quality, so open and airy but warm at the same time.
Young recorded the album’s songs on a guitar owned by Hank Williams. Prairie Wind features an acoustic-based sound reminiscent of his earlier commercially successful albums like Heart of Gold and Harvest Moon. The album debuted on the Billboard 200 album chart at number 11. The Painter received a nomination at the 2006 Grammy Awards – Best Rock Solo Performance.
[Verse 1]
The painter stood before her work
She looked around everywhere
She saw the pictures and she painted them
She picked the colors from the air
[Verse 2]
Green to green, red to red
Yellow to yellow in the light
Black to black when the evening comes
Blue to blue in the night
[Chorus]
It’s a long road behind me
It’s a long road ahead
If you follow every dream, you might get lost
If you follow every dream, you might get lost
[Verse 3]
She towed the line, she held her end up
She did the work of two men
But in the end, she fell down
Before she got up again
[Verse 4]
I keep my friends eternally
We leave our tracks in the sound
Some of them are with me now
Some of them can’t be found
[Chorus]
It’s a long road behind me
And I miss you now
If you follow every dream, you might get lost
If you follow every dream, you might get lost
References:
1. Prairie Wind – Wikipedia
“The more I live, the more I learn. The more I learn, the more I realize, the less I know.”- Michel Legrand
Observation Blogger 
I love the fact you picked a great song by Neil Young I didn’t recall, even I previously included it in one of my Sunday posts – granted, it was in December 2021, and I sometimes can’t recall what I heard the previous day! 🙂
“The Painter” is a nice illustration of Neil’s acoustic side. While I also like rockin’ Neil, oftentimes, I feel he’s most compelling when it’s just with with an acoustic guitar and a harmonica.
Thanks Christian. There are just so many songs I have lost track of and then something or someone brings them back to light.
It’s neat we both enjoy ‘The Painter’ and written about it in our respective blogs. I can see why you wrote that ‘Prairie Wind’ was one of his most successful albums in his latter career. It certainly made quite the impression on me.
I have a few rockin’ Neil songs (inc. Clementine, Hey Hey My My, and Big Change).
Overall, I’m probably more partial for his acoustic or slower tunes although I’m hardly well acquainted with his vast discography.
this painter always makes me smile somehow…