Studio Album · No. 34
A Letter Home Songwriting Credits by Neil Young
Produced by Neil Young, Jack White
Holds writing credit on 1 of 12 tracks
Authorship Breakdown 1 / 12 documented
Scored across the 12 tracks with documented writers, by whether Neil Young carries a lyricist or composer credit.
Share of the 12 tracks where a band member is credited, by role.
By the Numbers
Awards & Recognition 1
A Letter Home contains no Neil Young originals beyond the spoken "A Letter Home Intro," making it entirely an album of covers drawn from songwriters Young grew up admiring: Phil Ochs, Bob Dylan, Bert Jansch, Gordon Lightfoot, Willie Nelson, Tim Hardin, Bruce Springsteen, and Ivory Joe Hunter, plus a closing Everly Brothers number. Young and co-producer Jack White cut the record live to acetate inside a restored 1947 Voice-o-Graph booth at White's Third Man studio in Nashville, capturing each performance straight to disc with only acoustic guitar, piano, and harmonica. The deliberately lo-fi, hiss-laden result frames the interpreter rather than the writer, so the authorship interest lies not in composition but in Young's reading of other people's material through a vintage recording medium.
"A Letter Home" is a 2014 covers album by Neil Young rooted in folk rock and lo-fi, recorded in a refurbished 1947 Voice-o-Graph vinyl booth at Jack White's Third Man Records studio in Nashville. Neil Young and Jack White co-produced the album, cutting tracks in short segments on vinyl discs that were spliced together digitally, with White describing the goal as "obfuscating beauty on purpose to get to a different place." The record reinterprets songs by Bruce Springsteen, Bob Dylan, Willie Nelson, Gordon Lightfoot, Phil Ochs, Bert Jansch, Tim Hardin, and the Everly Brothers, framed by spoken-word intros addressing Young's late mother. Released April 19, 2014 for Record Store Day on Third Man Records, it peaked at number 13 on the Billboard 200 and topped the Americana/Folk Albums chart. Rolling Stone called it "one of the most enjoyable records Young has made this century."
Track Listing & Credits 12 tracks
| # | Title | Lyricist(s) | Composer(s) | Producer(s) | Performers |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
A Letter Home Intro
|
Neil Young | Neil Young | Neil YoungJack White | Neil Young (Lead Vocals, Guitar) |
| 2 |
Changes
|
Phil Ochs | Phil Ochs | Neil YoungJack White | Neil Young (Lead Vocals, Guitar) |
| 3 |
Girl from the North Country
|
Bob Dylan | Bob Dylan | Neil YoungJack White | Neil Young (Lead Vocals, Guitar) |
| 4 |
Needle of Death
|
Bert Jansch | Bert Jansch | Neil YoungJack White | Neil Young (Lead Vocals, Guitar) |
| 5 |
Early Morning Rain
|
Gordon Lightfoot | Gordon Lightfoot | Neil YoungJack White | Neil Young (Lead Vocals, Guitar) |
| 6 |
Crazy
|
Willie Nelson | Willie Nelson | Neil YoungJack White | Neil Young (Lead Vocals, Guitar) |
| 7 |
Reason to Believe
|
Tim Hardin | Tim Hardin | Neil YoungJack White | Neil Young (Lead Vocals, Guitar) |
| 8 |
On the Road Again
|
Willie Nelson | Willie Nelson | Neil YoungJack White | Neil Young (Lead Vocals, Guitar) |
| 9 |
If You Could Read My Mind
|
Gordon Lightfoot | Gordon Lightfoot | Neil YoungJack White | Neil Young (Lead Vocals, Guitar) |
| 10 |
Since I Met You Baby
|
Ivory Joe Hunter | Ivory Joe Hunter | Neil YoungJack White | Neil Young (Lead Vocals, Guitar) |
| 11 |
My Hometown
|
Bruce Springsteen | Bruce Springsteen | Neil YoungJack White | Neil Young (Lead Vocals, Guitar) |
| 12 |
I Wonder If I Care as Much
|
Don EverlyPhil Everly | Don EverlyPhil Everly | Neil YoungJack White | Neil Young (Lead Vocals, Guitar) |