Neil Young Says He Plays This Beloved Song for Fans “More Than I Do It for Myself”

Neil Young has plenty of iconic hits that are fun to play and make audiences happy, but his decision to include one particular song in his live performances has more to do with his fans than his own enjoyment. The song first appeared as a demo record for New York City’s Elektra Records in 1965, one year after Young wrote it.

Young wrote the track when he was only 19 years old, which likely explains why the Canadian singer-songwriter feels some disconnect from the song now. (After all, who doesn’t view the 19-year-old versions of themselves as a complete stranger in hindsight?) Nevertheless, the track remains a deep-cut favorite among avid Young fans.

Young, ever a man of the people, obliges.

A Testament To Fleeting Youth From The Youth

A freshly-19-year-old Neil Young wrote “Sugar Mountain” in an Ontario hotel while touring with his band, the Squires. The whimsical song is quintessentially Young: a bit simplistic, a bit trippy, and very thought-provoking. Staring down the last years of his teenhood, Young’s chorus offers a wistful glimpse toward a state of being where age and time presumably don’t exist.

Oh, to live on Sugar Mountain with the barkers and the colored balloons, Young begins. You can’t be twenty on Sugar Mountain, though you’re thinking that you’re leaving there too soon. You’re leaving there too soon.

The song’s origin story varies slightly when Joni Mitchell tells it. According to Mitchell, Young’s lament over youth was even more literal. The aspiring folk artist was quickly aging out of the teens-only clubs he, his friends, and his bandmates often frequented together. The notion that even a 20-something would feel like their life was over inspired Mitchell to write her own musical response, “Circle Game.”

Whether Young was 19 or 21 is irrelevant, as fans clearly resonated with the longing hopefulness of the song just the same. And that steadfast admiration is the only reason it remains in Young’s repertoire today.

Neil Young Only Plays This Song For The Fans

In a 1985 interview with NME, Neil Young admitted that “Sugar Mountain” wasn’t high on the list of his favorite songs to perform. “I do “Sugar Mountain” really for the people more than I do it for myself,” he said (via SongFacts). “I think I owe it to them ‘cause it seems to really make them feel happy. So, that’s why I do that.”

“They pay a lot of money to come and see me,” he continued. “I lay a lotta things on ‘em that they’ve never heard before. I think I owe it to them to do things they can really identify with. It’s such a friendly song, and the older I get and the older my audience gets the more relevant it becomes, especially since they’ve been singing it for 20 years. It really means a lot to them. So, I like to give ‘em the chance to enjoy that moment.”

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