Photo of Neil Young
Photo: Ross from hamilton on, Canada · CC BY 2.0

Solo Artist · The Godfather of Grunge

Neil Young

Active1963-present
OriginToronto, Ontario, Canada
Albums41
Tracks407

Most frequent collaborator: David Briggs  ·  135 tracks

Folk RockCountry RockHard RockSoft RockGrunge
92%
Authorship
Artist

Holds writing credit on 374 of 407 tracks

Did Neil Young write his own songs?

Yes, almost all of them. Neil Young is one of the purest solo songwriters in rock: he wrote around 92% of his catalogue, and nearly every one of those entirely by himself. Classics like 'Heart of Gold,' 'Old Man,' 'Cinnamon Girl,' and 'Rockin' in the Free World' are all his. The songs he did not write are a handful of covers, such as Don Gibson's 'Oh Lonesome Me.'

By the Numbers

41
Studio Albums
407
Tracks Credited
92%
Self-Written
63
Years Active
64
Collaborators

Authorship Breakdown 374 / 407 self-written

Who wrote the songs?

Across all 407 tracks: how many Neil Young wrote alone, how many they co-wrote, and how many were written by others. The bracket marks every track they hold any writing credit on.

Neil Young has a writing credit92%
91%
8%
Sole author372tracks91%
Co-written2tracks0%
Outside writers33tracks8%

Role Fingerprint how they contribute

Lyricist Performer Composer Producer
Neil Young's roles across the catalogue

Share of all 407 tracks where they are personally credited, by role.

Lyricist (words)92%
Composer (music)92%
Producer95%
Performer100%

Authorship Over Time writing credit per album

Neil Young's writing credit per album, in release order. Hover any bar for the album.

avg 92%
100%
100%
91%
100%
100%
100%
100%
90%
100%
100%
100%
100%
60%
90%
100%
100%
100%
92%
90%
100%
100%
100%
88%
100%
100%
100%
100%
90%
100%
100%
100%
0%
100%
8%
100%
100%
100%
100%
100%
100%
100%
1968Neil Young
1969Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere
1970After the Gold Rush
1972Harvest
1975Tonight's the Night
1975Zuma
1977American Stars 'n Bars
1978Comes a Time
1979Rust Never Sleeps
1980Hawks & Doves
1981Re·ac·tor
1982Trans
1983Everybody's Rockin'
1985Old Ways
1986Landing on Water
1987Life
1988This Note's for You
1989Freedom
1990Ragged Glory
1992Harvest Moon
1994Sleeps with Angels
1995Mirror Ball
1996Broken Arrow
2000Silver & Gold
2002Are You Passionate?
2003Greendale
2005Prairie Wind
2006Living with War
2007Chrome Dreams II
2009Fork in the Road
2010Le Noise
2012Americana
2012Psychedelic Pill
2014A Letter Home
2015The Monsanto Years
2016Peace Trail
2017The Visitor
2019Colorado
2020Homegrown
2021Barn
2022World Record
Early · 95% written
Mid · 97% written
Late · 83% written

Authorship by Decade track-weighted

100%
1960s
Neil Young, Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere
97%
1970s
After the Gold Rush, Harvest +5 more
93%
1980s
Hawks & Doves, Re·ac·tor +7 more
96%
1990s
Ragged Glory, Harvest Moon +3 more
99%
2000s
Silver & Gold, Are You Passionate? +5 more
72%
2010s
Le Noise, Americana +6 more
100%
2020s
Homegrown, Barn +1 more

Authorship Spectrum pure performer to complete author

Where Neil Young sits on the scale from a pure performer (0%, sings songs written by others) to a complete author (100%, writes everything). The bright marker is their catalogue authorship score, plotted against other artists on the site.

Neil Young
Other artists on the site

Reference artists spread across the scale, closest by genre and era.

Pure Performer0%
Songwriter~50%
Complete Author100%

Who Really Wrote the Hits signature songs

Cinnamon Girl
Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere
Written by Neil Percival Young
Wrote it
Only Love Can Break Your Heart
After the Gold Rush
Written by Neil Young
Wrote it
When You Dance I Can Really Love
After the Gold Rush
Written by Neil Young
Wrote it
Heart of Gold
Harvest
Written by Neil Young
Wrote it
Old Man
Harvest
Written by Neil Young
Wrote it
Lookin' for a Love
Zuma
Written by Neil Percival Young
Wrote it
Four Strong Winds
Comes a Time
Written by Ian Tyson
Outside writers
Hey Hey, My My (Into the Black)
Rust Never Sleeps
Written by Neil Young
Wrote it
Southern Pacific
Re·ac·tor
Written by Neil Percival Young
Wrote it
Little Thing Called Love
Trans
Written by Neil Percival Young
Wrote it
Weight of the World
Landing on Water
Written by Neil Percival Young
Wrote it
Touch the Night
Landing on Water
Written by Neil Percival Young
Wrote it
This Note's for You
This Note's for You
Written by Neil Percival Young
Wrote it
Rockin' in the Free World
Freedom
Written by Neil Percival Young
Wrote it
No More
Freedom
Written by Neil Percival Young
Wrote it
Mansion on the Hill
Ragged Glory
Written by Neil Percival Young
Wrote it
Over and Over
Ragged Glory
Written by Neil Percival Young
Wrote it
Harvest Moon
Harvest Moon
Written by Neil Young
Wrote it
Unknown Legend
Harvest Moon
Written by Neil Young
Wrote it
Change Your Mind
Sleeps with Angels
Written by Neil Percival Young
Wrote it
Piece of Crap
Sleeps with Angels
Written by Neil Percival Young
Wrote it
Downtown
Mirror Ball
Written by Neil Percival Young
Wrote it
Peace and Love
Mirror Ball
Written by Neil Percival Young
Wrote it
Razor Love
Silver & Gold
Written by Neil Percival Young
Wrote it

Discography 41 albums

This page covers 41 of Neil Young's 46 studio albums, focusing on key albums. Full catalog data is planned.

Neil Young cover
1968100%

Neil Young

10 tracks
Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere cover
1969100%

Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere

7 tracks
After the Gold Rush cover
197091%

After the Gold Rush

Reprise Records

11 tracks
Harvest cover
1972100%

Harvest

Reprise Records

10 tracks
Tonight's the Night cover
1975100%

Tonight's the Night

12 tracks
Zuma cover
1975100%

Zuma

9 tracks
American Stars 'n Bars cover
1977100%

American Stars 'n Bars

9 tracks
Comes a Time cover
197890%

Comes a Time

10 tracks
Rust Never Sleeps cover
1979100%

Rust Never Sleeps

Reprise Records

9 tracks
Hawks & Doves cover
1980100%

Hawks & Doves

9 tracks
Re·ac·tor cover
1981100%

Re·ac·tor

8 tracks
Trans cover
1982100%

Trans

9 tracks
Everybody's Rockin' cover
198360%

Everybody's Rockin'

10 tracks
Old Ways cover
198590%

Old Ways

10 tracks
Landing on Water cover
1986100%

Landing on Water

10 tracks
Life cover
1987100%

Life

9 tracks
This Note's for You cover
1988100%

This Note's for You

10 tracks
Freedom cover
198992%

Freedom

12 tracks
Ragged Glory cover
199090%

Ragged Glory

10 tracks
Harvest Moon cover
1992100%

Harvest Moon

Reprise Records

10 tracks
Sleeps with Angels cover
1994100%

Sleeps with Angels

12 tracks
Mirror Ball cover
1995100%

Mirror Ball

11 tracks
Broken Arrow cover
199688%

Broken Arrow

Reprise Records

8 tracks
Silver & Gold cover
2000100%

Silver & Gold

10 tracks
Are You Passionate? cover
2002100%

Are You Passionate?

Reprise Records

11 tracks
Greendale cover
2003100%

Greendale

10 tracks
Prairie Wind cover
2005100%

Prairie Wind

10 tracks
Living with War cover
200690%

Living with War

10 tracks
Chrome Dreams II cover
2007100%

Chrome Dreams II

10 tracks
Fork in the Road cover
2009100%

Fork in the Road

10 tracks
Le Noise cover
2010100%

Le Noise

Reprise Records

8 tracks
Americana cover
20120%

Americana

11 tracks
Psychedelic Pill cover
2012100%

Psychedelic Pill

Reprise Records

8 tracks
A Letter Home cover
20148%

A Letter Home

Third Man Records

12 tracks
The Monsanto Years cover
2015100%

The Monsanto Years

9 tracks
Peace Trail cover
2016100%

Peace Trail

10 tracks
The Visitor cover
2017100%

The Visitor

Reprise Records

10 tracks
Colorado cover
2019100%

Colorado

Reprise Records

10 tracks
Homegrown cover
2020100%

Homegrown

Reprise Records

12 tracks
Barn cover
2021100%

Barn

Reprise Records

10 tracks
World Record cover
2022100%

World Record

Reprise Records

11 tracks

Collaborator Network who they worked with most

Neil Young407 tracks
DB135 TM87 EM69 BK62 NB61 JH58

Bubble size = tracks worked on together. DB David Briggs · TM Tim Mulligan · EM Elliot Mazer · BK Ben Keith · NB Niko Bolas · JH John Hanlon

The Writers & Producers Behind Neil Young 6 key collaborators

The Authorship Story

Data Insight

Neil Young represents one of the purest authorship profiles in this dataset. He writes virtually every song himself and plays most of the instruments on his records, carrying sole lyricist and composer credit across nearly his entire catalog. Across the four albums examined here, totaling 40 tracks, the only non-Young composition is 'Oh Lonesome Me' on After the Gold Rush (a Don Gibson cover). That 97.5% sole-authorship rate across more than four decades of recording is extraordinary by any measure, and it has held steady whether he is working with Crazy Horse, the Stray Gators, or entirely alone.

Quick Facts

  • Rock Hall twiceInducted as a solo artist (1995) and again with Buffalo Springfield (1997)
  • Godfather of GrungeEarned the nickname for his distorted guitar work, especially with Crazy Horse
  • Heart of GoldHis only US number-one single, from 1972's Harvest
  • CSNYA member of Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young from 1969
  • Certifications21 of his albums and singles are certified gold or platinum in the US

Creative Fingerprint

One of rock's purest solo writers: Neil Young wrote virtually every one of his songs himself across more than 40 albums, from 'Heart of Gold' to 'Rockin' in the Free World,' with only the occasional cover breaking a near-total solo authorship.

The Story

Neil Young is a Canadian-American singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist whose prolific output, spanning more than 46 studio albums across six decades, has made him one of the most consistently creative figures in rock history. His ability to move fluidly between folk intimacy, hard rock ferocity, and country tenderness, often within the same record, earned him the nickname 'the Godfather of Grunge' after the Seattle scene credited him as a foundational influence in the late 1980s and early 1990s. From After the Gold Rush and Harvest to Rust Never Sleeps and Harvest Moon, Young has maintained an uncompromising artistic vision and near-total authorship of his catalog throughout his entire career.

Awards & Recognition

Inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame twice, as a solo artist (1995) and with Buffalo Springfield (1997)
Nicknamed the 'Godfather of Grunge' for his influence on the Seattle scene
Won multiple Grammy Awards over his career
21 of his albums and singles are certified gold or platinum in the US
'Heart of Gold' (1972) was his only US number-one single

Frequently Asked Questions Neil Young

Did Neil Young write his own songs?
Yes, almost all of them. Neil Young is one of the purest solo songwriters in rock: he wrote around 92% of his catalogue, and nearly every one of those entirely by himself. Classics like 'Heart of Gold,' 'Old Man,' 'Cinnamon Girl,' and 'Rockin' in the Free World' are all his. The songs he did not write are a handful of covers, such as Don Gibson's 'Oh Lonesome Me.'
Who wrote 'Heart of Gold'?
'Heart of Gold' (1972) was written entirely by Neil Young for the album Harvest. It became his only US number-one single and one of his best-known songs.
Who wrote 'Rockin' in the Free World'?
'Rockin' in the Free World' (1989) was written by Neil Young for the album Freedom. It became one of his signature rock anthems and a staple of his live shows.
Why is Neil Young called the Godfather of Grunge?
He earned the nickname for his raw, distorted electric guitar work, especially with his band Crazy Horse, which heavily influenced the Seattle grunge bands of the late 1980s and early 1990s.
Who is Crazy Horse?
Crazy Horse is Neil Young's longtime backing band for his louder, guitar-driven records. Young writes the songs, and the band gives them their ragged, powerful sound on albums like Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere and Ragged Glory.
How many albums has Neil Young released?
This catalogue covers 41 of his studio albums, a career spanning six decades, from his 1968 self-titled debut through classics like Harvest and Rust Never Sleeps.
Is Neil Young in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame?
Yes, twice. He was inducted as a solo artist in 1995 and again in 1997 as a member of Buffalo Springfield.
Was Neil Young in CSNY?
Yes. He joined Crosby, Stills & Nash in 1969, turning the group into Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, while continuing his solo career at the same time.
Who wrote 'Old Man'?
'Old Man' (1972) was written entirely by Neil Young, also from the album Harvest. He wrote it about the caretaker of a ranch he had bought.
What genre is Neil Young?
He moves across folk rock, country rock, and hard rock, sometimes within a single album. His acoustic side gave us 'Heart of Gold,' while his electric side with Crazy Horse shaped grunge.

Sources