American Stars 'n Bars (1977) Songwriting Credits

Authorship Breakdown 9 / 9 documented

Who wrote the songs?

Scored across the 9 tracks with documented writers, by whether Neil Young carries a lyricist or composer credit.

100%

9 trackswritten by Neil Young 0 tracksoutside writers

Neil Young's roles on this album

Share of the 9 tracks where a band member is credited, by role.

Lyricist100%

Composer100%

Producer100%

Performer100%

By the Numbers

9

Tracks

1

Lyricists

4

Producers

Gold (500,000)

US Copies Sold

1977

Released

Data Insight

American Stars 'n Bars is a patchwork assembled from sessions spread across 1974 to 1977, which is why it shifts between rowdy country rock and long electric meditations. Nearly every track is a Neil Young original; the country-flavored side one cut "Saddle Up the Palomino" is the lone co-write, credited to Young with Bobby Charles and Tim Drummond. The centerpiece is "Like a Hurricane," written in 1975 while Young recovered from vocal cord surgery and cut with Crazy Horse, an eight-minute electric guitar epic that became one of his most enduring concert showpieces. The solo acoustic "Will to Love" and the slide-driven "Star of Bethlehem" round out a record that values mood and authorship over a unified concept.

"American Stars 'n Bars" is the 1977 album by Neil Young, drawing on heartland rock, country rock, folk rock, and blues rock from recordings spanning 29 months. The album is best known for "Like a Hurricane," one of Young's signature tracks, and also includes "Will to Love," "Homegrown," and "Star of Bethlehem." Young produced the record with David Briggs, Tim Mulligan, and Elliot Mazer, who produced "Star of Bethlehem." The backing musicians included Crazy Horse members Frank Sampedro, Billy Talbot, and Ralph Molina, plus Ben Keith on pedal steel and vocals from Emmylou Harris, Linda Ronstadt, and Nicolette Larson. It peaked at number 21 on the Billboard 200 and was certified gold by the RIAA, with Young and Briggs delaying the compilation "Decade" so "Like a Hurricane" could appear here first.

Track Listing & Credits 9 tracks

Written by the artist Written by outside writers

#	Title	Lyricist(s)	Composer(s)	Producer(s)	Performers
1	The Old Country Waltz	Neil Percival Young	Neil Percival Young	Neil YoungDavid BriggsTim MulliganElliot Mazer	Neil Young (Lead Vocals, Guitar)
2	Saddle Up the Palomino	Neil Percival Young	Neil Percival Young	Neil YoungDavid BriggsTim MulliganElliot Mazer	Neil Young (Lead Vocals, Guitar)
3	Hey Babe	Neil Percival Young	Neil Percival Young	Neil YoungDavid BriggsTim MulliganElliot Mazer	Neil Young (Lead Vocals, Guitar)
4	Hold Back the Tears	Neil Percival Young	Neil Percival Young	Neil YoungDavid BriggsTim MulliganElliot Mazer	Neil Young (Lead Vocals, Guitar)
5	Bite the Bullet	Neil Percival Young	Neil Percival Young	Neil YoungDavid BriggsTim MulliganElliot Mazer	Neil Young (Lead Vocals, Guitar)
6	Star of Bethlehem	Neil Percival Young	Neil Percival Young	Neil YoungDavid BriggsTim MulliganElliot Mazer	Neil Young (Lead Vocals, Guitar)
7	Will to Love	Neil Percival Young	Neil Percival Young	Neil YoungDavid BriggsTim MulliganElliot Mazer	Neil Young (Lead Vocals, Guitar)
8	Like a Hurricane	Neil Percival Young	Neil Percival Young	Neil YoungDavid BriggsTim MulliganElliot Mazer	Neil Young (Lead Vocals, Guitar)
9	Homegrown	Neil Percival Young	Neil Percival Young	Neil YoungDavid BriggsTim MulliganElliot Mazer	Neil Young (Lead Vocals, Guitar)

Songwriter & Credit Spotlight 5 contributors

NP

Neil Percival Young

Writer

On this album9 written

DB

David Briggs

Producer

On this album9 produced

EM

Elliot Mazer

Producer

On this album9 produced

NY

Neil Young

Producer · Vocals

On this album9 produced

TM

Tim Mulligan

Producer

On this album9 produced

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Frequently Asked Questions American Stars 'n Bars

Who wrote the songs on Neil Young's American Stars 'n Bars?

Neil Young wrote almost every track on the album by himself. The one exception is "Saddle Up the Palomino," which Young co-wrote with Bobby Charles and Tim Drummond. The remaining eight songs, including "Like a Hurricane," "Will to Love," and "Homegrown," are credited to Young alone.

Who wrote Like a Hurricane and when?

Neil Young wrote "Like a Hurricane" by himself in July 1975, during a period when he could not sing because of vocal cord surgery. He recorded the basic track with Crazy Horse on November 29, 1975, at his Broken Arrow Ranch, and added the vocals later once his voice recovered. It runs more than eight minutes and is the longest song on the album.

Did Like a Hurricane chart as a single?

"Like a Hurricane" was released as a single in August 1977 in an edited form, but it did not chart on the Billboard Hot 100. Despite that, it became one of Neil Young's most recognizable songs and a fixture of the electric side of his live shows for decades.

Why does American Stars 'n Bars sound like a mix of different styles?

The album was compiled from recording sessions stretched across several years, from 1974 through 1977, rather than cut as a single cohesive project. That assembly explains why honky-tonk country rock numbers such as "The Old Country Waltz" and "Bite the Bullet" sit alongside the solo acoustic "Will to Love" and the electric epic "Like a Hurricane."

Who played on American Stars 'n Bars with Neil Young?

Several of Young's collaborators appear across the album, reflecting its multiple sessions. Crazy Horse backs him on tracks including "Like a Hurricane," while the country-leaning side one features Linda Ronstadt and Nicolette Larson on backing vocals, with Ben Keith on steel guitar and Tim Drummond on bass.

What is Will to Love on the album?

"Will to Love" is a roughly seven-minute solo acoustic recording that Neil Young made largely by himself, reportedly tracked in front of a fireplace. The song uses an extended metaphor comparing the singer to a salmon swimming upstream, and it stands apart from the band-driven material elsewhere on the record.

How did American Stars 'n Bars perform on the charts?

The album reached number 21 on the US Billboard 200 and number 17 on the UK Albums Chart in 1977. It later earned a Gold certification from the RIAA in the United States and a Silver certification from the BPI in the United Kingdom.

Who produced American Stars 'n Bars?

The album was produced by Neil Young together with David Briggs and Tim Mulligan, with Elliot Mazer co-producing "Star of Bethlehem." It was released on Reprise Records on May 27, 1977.

Was Saddle Up the Palomino written only by Neil Young?

No. "Saddle Up the Palomino" is the only co-written song on the album. Neil Young shares the writing credit with Bobby Charles and Tim Drummond, making it the sole track not credited to Young alone.

Sources

Wikipedia: American Stars 'n Bars Wikipedia: Like a Hurricane (song) MusicBrainz: American Stars 'n Bars release-group Cover Art Archive: American Stars 'n Bars front cover Songfacts: Like a Hurricane Cover Art Archive: American Stars 'n Bars by Neil Young

American Stars 'n Bars Songwriting Credits by Neil Young

Authorship Breakdown 9 / 9 documented

By the Numbers

Track Listing & Credits 9 tracks

Songwriter & Credit Spotlight 5 contributors

More from Neil Young

Frequently Asked Questions American Stars 'n Bars

Sources