Neil Young: his 15 greatest songs ranked by BBC Classical Music magazine

Even Classical music devotees bow to Neil Young. British magazine BBC Classical Music has in fact dedicated an in-depth feature to the Canadian singer-songwriter, complete with a ranking of his best songs. “Whether in his fragile singer-songwriter guise or while raising walls of sound with his electric guitar, Neil Young is a hero of songwriting,” the magazine notes in its introduction. “From his early days with Buffalo Springfield, through his time with Crosby, Stills and Nash, his solo career and numerous collaborations, Young has always been a restless and gloriously unconventional presence, the author of hundreds of songs ranging from heart-wrenching ballads to political invective, from tales of folk legends to tributes to electric cars. He's been a folk storyteller, a wild rocker, an electronic pioneer, a rock'n'roll revivalist, a country singer and much more. Narrowing his catalogue down to a top 15 is no easy task, but these are some of his greatest solo songs.”

So here is BBC Classical Music's ranking of Neil Young's best songs (full feature here)

15. Sugar Mountain

14. Only Love Can Break Your Heart

13. Old Man

12. Don't Be Denied

11. Tonight’s The Night

10. Like A Hurricane

9. Revolution Blues

8. Harvest Moon

7. Powderfinger

6. After The Gold Rush

5. Ambulance Blues

4. Down By The River

3. Cinnamon Girl

2. Cortez The Killer

1. Hey, Hey, My, My (Out Of The Black)

A similar exercise was undertaken a few months ago by Mojo magazine, which widened the field to 50 songs. Here is Mojo's ranking of the 50 greatest songs by Neil Young (full feature here).

50. Music Arcade (Broken Arrow, 1996)

49. I Am A Child (Live Rust, 1979)

48. Ambulance Blues (On The Beach, 1974)

47. Old King (Harvest Moon, 1992)

46. Winterlong (Decade, 1977)

45. Thrasher (Rust Never Sleeps, 1979)

44. Here We Are In The Years (Neil Young, 1968)

43. It's A Dream (Prairie Wind, 2005)

42. Sleeps With Angels (Sleeps With Angels, 1994)

41. Broken Arrow (Buffalo Springfield Again, 1967 / Greatest Hits Version)

40. See The Sky About To Rain (On The Beach, 1974)

39. Will To Love (American Stars 'N Bars, 1977)

38. Goin' Back (Comes A Time, 1978)

37. Transformer Man (Trans, 1982)

36. F*!#In' Up (Ragged Glory, 1990)

35. Don’t Let It Bring You Down (After The Gold Rush, 1970)

34. Don’t Be Denied (Time Fades Away, 1973)

33. Revolution Blues (On The Beach, 1974)

32. Words (Between The Lines Of Age) (Harvest, 1972)

31. Rockin’ In The Free World (Freedom, 1989)

30. I Believe In You (After The Gold Rush, 1970)

29. Mellow My Mind (Tonight’s The Night, 1975)

28. For The Turnstiles (On The Beach, 1974)

27. Cowgirl In The Sand (CSNY – 4 Way Street, 1971… On Spotify I Found This Live Version From Neil Young Archives; Originally The Track Is From Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere, 1969)

26. Sugar Mountain (Single, 1968)

25. Pocahontas (Rust Never Sleeps, 1979)

24. Harvest Moon (Harvest Moon, 1992)

23. Philadelphia (Philadelphia OST, 1993)

22. On The Beach (On The Beach, 1974)

21. Tired Eyes (Tonight’s The Night, 1975)

20. A Man Needs A Maid (Live At Massey Hall 1971, 2007; Originally From Harvest, 1972)

19. Hey Hey, My My (Into The Black) (Rust Never Sleeps, 1979)

18. Old Man (Harvest, 1972)

17. Expecting To Fly (Buffalo Springfield Again, 1967)

16. Tell Me Why (After The Gold Rush, 1970)

15. Southern Man (After The Gold Rush, 1970)

14. Cortez The Killer (Zuma, 1975)

13. Ohio (Decade, 1977)

12. Powderfinger (Rust Never Sleeps, 1979)

11. Tonight’s The Night (Tonight’s The Night, 1975)

10. Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere (Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere, 1969)

9. The Needle And The Damage Done (Harvest, 1972)

8. Mr. Soul (Buffalo Springfield Again, 1967)

7. Down By The River (Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere, 1969)

6. Helpless (Live At Massey Hall 1971, 2007)

5. Like A Hurricane (Weld, 1991)

4. Only Love Can Break Your Heart (After The Gold Rush, 1970)

3. Heart Of Gold (Harvest, 1972)

2. Cinnamon Girl (Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere, 1969)

1. After The Gold Rush (After The Gold Rush, 1970)

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