Are You Passionate? cover art

  Studio Album · No. 25

Are You Passionate? Songwriting Credits by Neil Young

2002 Reprise Records 11 tracks 66 min

Produced by Neil Young, Booker T. Jones, Donald Dunn, Frank Sampedro  ·  Engineered by Tim Mulligan, John Hanlon

Reprise Records SoulR&BRock
100%
Authorship
Complete Artist

Holds writing credit on 11 of 11 tracks

Authorship Breakdown 11 / 11 documented

Who wrote the songs?

Scored across the 11 tracks with documented writers, by whether Neil Young carries a lyricist or composer credit.

100%
11 trackswritten by Neil Young 0 tracksoutside writers
Neil Young's roles on this album

Share of the 11 tracks where a band member is credited, by role.

Lyricist100%
Composer100%
Producer100%
Performer100%

By the Numbers

11
Tracks
1
Lyricists
4
Producers
2002
Released
Data Insight

Neil Young wrote every song on Are You Passionate?, and the record stands apart as his deliberate move into soul and R&B, cut largely with Booker T. & the M.G.'s, the Memphis house band whose grooves anchored the Stax sound. Booker T. Jones, Donald "Duck" Dunn, and drummer Steve Potts give songs like "You're My Girl," "Differently," and "Be with You" a slow-burning soul feel, and Young has noted that several of those tracks lean on the riff from the M.G.'s instrumental "Time Is Tight." The major exception is "Goin' Home," a long electric rocker recorded with Crazy Horse rather than the soul band. The album's most discussed track is "Let's Roll," Young's response to United Airlines Flight 93 on September 11, built around Todd Beamer's reported call to action as passengers rushed the hijackers.

"Are You Passionate?" is a 2002 rock and soul album by Neil Young, his only studio collaboration with Booker T. & the M.G.'s. Neil Young produced the record with Booker T. Jones, Duck Dunn, and Frank Sampedro, and Young described his approach by saying he wanted to play his guitar "more like a saxophone this time." The album includes "Let's Roll," written as a response to the September 11 attacks, the soul-leaning "You're My Girl" and "Mr. Disappointment," and the extended jam "She's a Healer." Crazy Horse appears on the track "Goin' Home," the ninth Young album to feature the band. Released April 9, 2002, "Are You Passionate?" peaked at number 10 on the Billboard 200 and drew mixed reviews for its soul direction.

Track Listing & Credits 11 tracks

Written by the artist Written by outside writers
#TitleLyricist(s)Composer(s)Producer(s)Performers
1
You're My Girl
Neil Young Neil Young Neil YoungBooker T. JonesDonald DunnFrank Sampedro Neil Young (Lead Vocals, Guitar)Booker T. & the M.G.'s (Backing Band)
2
Mr. Disappointment
Neil Young Neil Young Neil YoungBooker T. JonesDonald DunnFrank Sampedro Neil Young (Lead Vocals, Guitar)Booker T. & the M.G.'s (Backing Band)
3
Differently
Neil Young Neil Young Neil YoungBooker T. JonesDonald DunnFrank Sampedro Neil Young (Lead Vocals, Guitar)Booker T. & the M.G.'s (Backing Band)
4
Quit (Don't Say You Love Me)
Neil Young Neil Young Neil YoungBooker T. JonesDonald DunnFrank Sampedro Neil Young (Lead Vocals, Guitar)Booker T. & the M.G.'s (Backing Band)
5
Let's Roll
Neil Young Neil Young Neil YoungBooker T. JonesDonald DunnFrank Sampedro Neil Young (Lead Vocals, Guitar)Booker T. & the M.G.'s (Backing Band)
6
Are You Passionate?
Neil Young Neil Young Neil YoungBooker T. JonesDonald DunnFrank Sampedro Neil Young (Lead Vocals, Guitar)Booker T. & the M.G.'s (Backing Band)
7
Goin' Home
Neil Young Neil Young Neil YoungBooker T. JonesDonald DunnFrank Sampedro Neil Young (Lead Vocals, Guitar)Crazy Horse (Backing Band)
8
When I Hold You in My Arms
Neil Young Neil Young Neil YoungBooker T. JonesDonald DunnFrank Sampedro Neil Young (Lead Vocals, Guitar)Booker T. & the M.G.'s (Backing Band)
9
Be with You
Neil Young Neil Young Neil YoungBooker T. JonesDonald DunnFrank Sampedro Neil Young (Lead Vocals, Guitar)Booker T. & the M.G.'s (Backing Band)
10
Two Old Friends
Neil Young Neil Young Neil YoungBooker T. JonesDonald DunnFrank Sampedro Neil Young (Lead Vocals, Guitar)Booker T. & the M.G.'s (Backing Band)
11
She's a Healer
Neil Young Neil Young Neil YoungBooker T. JonesDonald DunnFrank Sampedro Neil Young (Lead Vocals, Guitar)Booker T. & the M.G.'s (Backing Band)

Songwriter & Credit Spotlight 6 contributors

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Frequently Asked Questions Are You Passionate?

Who wrote the songs on Neil Young's Are You Passionate??
Neil Young wrote all eleven songs on Are You Passionate? himself. There are no covers or outside co-writes on the album, so every track is credited solely to Young.
Why does Are You Passionate? sound like a soul album?
Young recorded most of it with Booker T. & the M.G.'s, the Memphis group that backed many classic Stax soul records. Booker T. Jones on organ, Donald "Duck" Dunn on bass, and drummer Steve Potts give the album its slow, groove-based soul and R&B feel, a deliberate departure from Young's usual folk and rock.
What is the song Let's Roll by Neil Young about?
"Let's Roll" is Neil Young's response to United Airlines Flight 93, hijacked on September 11, 2001, before it crashed in Pennsylvania. The title comes from the reported words of passenger Todd Beamer as travelers moved to confront the hijackers, and Young wrote it as a tribute to that act.
Was Let's Roll released before the album?
Yes. Young sent "Let's Roll" to radio stations in late 2001, well ahead of the album's April 2002 release. It was not pushed as a standard commercial single but received airplay and reached the upper part of the mainstream rock chart.
Which song on Are You Passionate? was recorded with Crazy Horse instead of Booker T. & the M.G.'s?
"Goin' Home" is the exception on the album. It is a long electric rocker recorded with Crazy Horse rather than the soul band, which makes it the loudest and most guitar-driven track on an otherwise soul-oriented record.
Did any songs on the album reuse the same musical riff?
Yes. Several tracks, including "You're My Girl," "Differently," and "Be with You," lean on variations of the riff from Booker T. & the M.G.'s instrumental "Time Is Tight." That shared groove ties much of the album together and reflects the M.G.'s deep involvement in the sessions.
How did Are You Passionate? perform on the charts?
The album reached number 10 on the US Billboard 200, helped in part by airplay for "Let's Roll" on the mainstream rock chart. It also charted in the top five in Norway and Sweden and made the top ten or twenty across several other European countries.
Was there a song left off Are You Passionate? that surfaced later?
Yes. A track called "Gateway of Love" was listed on the back-cover artwork but did not appear on the final album. It eventually surfaced years later on Young's 2022 release Toast, which collected unreleased recordings from this period.

Sources