Ragged Glory cover art

  Studio Album · No. 19

Ragged Glory Songwriting Credits by Neil Young

1990 10 tracks 63 min
Garage rockHard rockGrunge
90%
Authorship
Artist

Holds writing credit on 9 of 10 tracks

Authorship Breakdown 9 / 10 documented

Who wrote the songs?

Scored across the 10 tracks with documented writers, by whether Neil Young carries a lyricist or composer credit.

90%
9 trackswritten by Neil Young 1 trackoutside writers
Neil Young's roles on this album

Share of the 10 tracks where a band member is credited, by role.

Lyricist90%
Composer90%
Producer100%
Performer100%

By the Numbers

10
Tracks
3
Lyricists
2
Producers
1990
Released

Awards & Recognition 1

Named Album of the Year in the 1990 Village Voice Pazz & Jop critics' poll.
Data Insight

Ragged Glory is Neil Young's loud reunion with Crazy Horse, a record built around long, distorted guitar workouts cut nearly live in a barn at his Broken Arrow Ranch. Young wrote eight of the ten songs alone, shared credit with guitarist Frank Sampedro on "Fuckin' Up," and reached back to his teenage years for the lone outside song, a raucous garage cover of Don and Dewey's "Farmer John." The album leans on extended jams like "Love to Burn" and "Love and Only Love," both stretching past the ten-minute mark, before closing with "Mother Earth (Natural Anthem)," which Young set to the melody of the traditional "Comin' Thro' the Rye." Its ragged, feedback-soaked sound landed right as grunge was rising, and the record is often cited as a touchstone for that movement.

"Ragged Glory" is the 1990 album by Neil Young and Crazy Horse, a garage rock and grunge record that revisited the heavy guitar sound of their earlier work. It includes "Mansion on the Hill," "Over and Over," and a cover of "Farmer John," with two songs stretching past ten minutes in extended guitar jams. Young and David Briggs produced the album, backed by Crazy Horse members Frank Sampedro on guitar, Billy Talbot on bass, and Ralph Molina on drums. It peaked at number 31 on the Billboard 200 and was certified gold in Canada and silver in the UK. The album won album of the year in The Village Voice's Pazz & Jop critics' poll and later ranked among Rolling Stone's greatest grunge albums and best albums of the 1990s.

Track Listing & Credits 10 tracks

Written by the artist Written by outside writers
#TitleLyricist(s)Composer(s)Producer(s)Performers
1
Country Home
Neil Percival Young Neil Percival Young Neil YoungDavid Briggs Neil Young (Lead Vocals, Guitar)
2
White Line
Neil Percival Young Neil Percival Young Neil YoungDavid Briggs Neil Young (Lead Vocals, Guitar)
3
F*!#in' Up
Neil Percival Young Neil Percival Young Neil YoungDavid Briggs Neil Young (Lead Vocals, Guitar)
4
Over and Over #33
Neil Percival Young Neil Percival Young Neil YoungDavid Briggs Neil Young (Lead Vocals, Guitar)
5
Love to Burn
Neil Percival Young Neil Percival Young Neil YoungDavid Briggs Neil Young (Lead Vocals, Guitar)
6
Farmer John
Don HarrisDewey Terry Don HarrisDewey Terry Neil YoungDavid Briggs Neil Young (Lead Vocals, Guitar)
7
Mansion on the Hill #3
Neil Percival Young Neil Percival Young Neil YoungDavid Briggs Neil Young (Lead Vocals, Guitar)
8
Days That Used to Be
Neil Percival Young Neil Percival Young Neil YoungDavid Briggs Neil Young (Lead Vocals, Guitar)
9
Love and Only Love
Neil Percival Young Neil Percival Young Neil YoungDavid Briggs Neil Young (Lead Vocals, Guitar)
10
Mother Earth (Natural Anthem)
Neil Percival Young Neil Percival Young Neil YoungDavid Briggs Neil Young (Lead Vocals, Guitar)

Songwriter & Credit Spotlight 5 contributors

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Frequently Asked Questions Ragged Glory

When was Neil Young's Ragged Glory released and on what label?
Ragged Glory was released on September 10, 1990, by Reprise Records. It was credited to Neil Young & Crazy Horse and reached number 31 on the Billboard 200.
Who wrote the songs on Ragged Glory?
Neil Young wrote eight of the ten songs on his own. He co-wrote "Fuckin' Up" with Crazy Horse guitarist Frank "Poncho" Sampedro, and the only outside song is "Farmer John," a cover written by Don Harris and Dewey Terry of the duo Don and Dewey.
Is "Farmer John" on Ragged Glory a cover?
Yes. "Farmer John" was written by Don Harris and Dewey Terry and originally recorded by the R&B duo Don and Dewey in the late 1950s. Young played it in his first teenage band and cut a loose, spontaneous garage version with Crazy Horse for the album.
What melody does "Mother Earth (Natural Anthem)" on Ragged Glory use?
"Mother Earth (Natural Anthem)" is set to the melody of the traditional song "Comin' Thro' the Rye." Young reworked the old tune, describing it as part of the folk process, and recorded a feedback-heavy version to close the album.
Why are so many songs on Ragged Glory so long?
Ragged Glory was built around extended electric jams with Crazy Horse. "Love and Only Love" runs about ten and a quarter minutes and "Love to Burn" reaches roughly ten minutes, with both "Over and Over" and "Country Home" also stretching well past the usual length to leave room for long guitar passages.
How was Ragged Glory recorded?
The album was recorded largely live with Crazy Horse in a barn studio at Young's Broken Arrow Ranch in Woodside, California, in spring 1990. The band ran through sets of songs repeatedly, then chose the best takes, an approach Young used to keep the performances loose and unanalyzed.
What singles were released from Ragged Glory?
"Mansion on the Hill" was the lead single and reached number 3 on the Billboard Mainstream Rock Tracks chart. A follow-up, "Over and Over," peaked at number 33 on the same chart.
Is Ragged Glory considered an influence on grunge?
Yes. Its loud, distorted, feedback-laden guitar sound arrived as grunge was emerging, and the record is frequently described in garage rock and grunge terms. Young's standing with that scene later earned him the informal nickname the Godfather of Grunge.
Was Ragged Glory certified?
Ragged Glory was certified Gold in Canada by Music Canada and Silver in the United Kingdom by the BPI. No higher certification is documented in the sources consulted.

Sources