'World Record' by Neil Young and Crazy Horse

Written by Abby Power

November 19th, 2022

Released on November 18th, 2022, World Record by Neil Young and Crazy Horse speaks about the Earth, nostalgia, and a dystopian world where pessimism often rises to surface. The first album track ‘Love Earth’ provides listeners with a simple thought of loving their Earth, whereas ‘Chevrolet’, the tenth album track, features lyrical content of Young’s love of cars. The lyrical content of the album does not go too far in-depth, but the significance of the messages being told and the pleas being spoken, speak volumes.

World Record is Neil Young’s 42nd album, and his 13th album with Crazy Horse, featuring harmonies that are all too similar to Young’s work with Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young (CSNY). The album was produced by Rick Rubin and recorded in Rubin’s Shangri-La studio in California, using an analog tape, with Young and Crazy Horse performing live off the floor. World Record brings a mix of folk and classic rock to the forefront, while staying on the surface in regards to the concepts of songs. It reflects upon Young’s personality and his love of planet Earth, though he sings of the Earth’s decline. The instruments used on the album provide the classic Young and Crazy Horse folk sound, and give a respectful nod to harder album tracks ‘I Walk with You (Earth Ringtone)’, ‘The World (Is In Trouble Now)’, and ‘Break the Chain’.