Out on the Weekend explained

Out on the Weekend
Type:Song
Artist:Neil Young
Album:Harvest
Released:February 1, 1972
Recorded:April 2, 1971
Studio:Quadrafonic Sound Studios, Nashville
Genre:Country rock
Length:4:35
Label:Reprise
Producer:

"Out on the Weekend" is a song written by Neil Young that was the opening song of his 1972 album Harvest.

Music and lyrics

"Out on the Weekend" is a country ballad.[1] Music lecturer Ken Bielen describes it as an "easy-flowing pop song".[2] The Stray Gators provide the backing music. Allmusic critic Matthew Greenwald describes Ben Keith's playing on pedal steel to be a highlight of the song.[1] Young biographer David Downing describes his pedal steel playing as having a "blue-sky purity."[3] According to Greenwald, the music has a "searching, yearning melody that has the element of infinity and journey" that perfectly reflects the theme of the lyrics.[1] Sound on Sound editor Sam Inglis describes the mood of the song as being "one of resignation, perhaps even exhaustion."[4]

The song starts by describing a man getting away from the big city.[1] Although the singer is traveling, he is reflecting on his past with what Downing describes as being "full of joy he can't relate to, floating in a dreamy sort of sadness."[3] The lyrics then take on the theme of lovers who are lonely because they can't connect.[2] Music critic Nigel Williamson describes the lyrics as reflecting an "emotional ambivalence."[5] There is a contrast between comforting images such as a woman who is "so fine she is on [the singer's] mind" and "her big brass bed" and a "brand new day" against images of "a lonely boy" who "can't relate to joy" and is "so down today."[5]

Young recognized this contrast, stating "Even when I'm happy it sounds like I'm not and when I try to say I'm happy I try to disguise it."[5] About the boy who can't relate to joy Young stated that it "just means I'm so happy that I can't get it all out. But it doesn't sound happy. The way I wrote it sounds sad, like I tried to hide it."[5] [6]

Young has stated that this song, as well as "Harvest" and "Heart of Gold" from the same album, were inspired by his then blossoming love for actress Carrie Snodgress.[7]

Reception

Bielen claims "Out on the Weekend" has a "catchy hook" and could have been a hit if it was released as a single.[2] According to music critic Johnny Rogan, the opening line of "Think I'll pack it in and buy a pickup" is one of Young's best expressions of "laid-back star-weariness."[6] Inglis describes it as "a relatively slight song" but acknowledges that it "exemplifies the finesse at the heart of the Harvest sound.[4] Inglis feels that combination of Young's "garage-band aesthetic" with "Nashville professionalism" "worked perfectly" on "Out on the Weekend."[4] On the other hand, in his initial review of the Harvest album, Rolling Stone Magazine critic John Mendelsohn criticized the Stray Gators' playing as a "flaccid imitation" of Young's other backing band of the period, Crazy Horse.[8]

Lady Gaga covered a verse from "Out on the Weekend" within her song "Fooled Me Again, Honest Eyes."[9] [10]

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Out on the Weekend. Greenwald, Matthew. Allmusic. 2020-03-21.
  2. Book: The Words and Music of Neil Young. Bielen, Ken. 21. 2008. Praeger. 9780275999025.
  3. Book: A Dreamer of Pictures: Neil Young, the Man and His Music. Downing, D.. David Downing. 87–88. 1994. Da Capo. 9780306806117.
  4. Book: Harvest. 73–76. Inglis, Sam. Continuum. 2004. 9780826414953.
  5. Book: Journey Through the Past: The Stories Behind the Classic Songs of Neil Young. Williamson, N.. 38–39. 2002. Hal Leonard. 9780879307417.
  6. Book: The Complete Guide to the Music of Neil Young. 38. Rogan, Johnny. Johnny Rogan. 1996. Omnibus Press. 978-0711953994.
  7. Neil Young. February 1, 2022. Sirius XM. Neil Young Radio.
  8. Web site: Harvest. Mendelsohn, John. Rolling Stone Magazine. 2020-03-15. March 30, 1972.
  9. Book: Neil Young FAQ: Everything Left to Know About the Iconic and Mercurial Rocker. Boyd, Glen. Backbeat Books. 2012. 271, 274. B008RYZ7WM.
  10. Web site: Lady GaGa Covers Neil Young's "Out on the Weekend". January 8, 2010. 2020-03-21. Neil Young News.