The mystery of Neil Young’s “Cinnamon Girl”

Neil Young’s second solo album, 1969’s Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere, marked the first time he made an album with Crazy Horse as his backing band. Created in a rush of musical output from Young, concurrent with his work with Crosby, Stills, and Nash, it set the stage for the type of sound Young wanted to make as a solo artist: stripped back, without any fancy studio-created bells and whistles. Three of the songs on that album were written while Young had a fever from the flu, and one of them, “Cinnamon Girl,” led to Young earning the nickname “The Godfather of Grunge” decades later when bands like Nirvana embraced the the innovative way he downtuned his guitar. But who is the subject of this gritty, hypnotic tune? Find out in this episode of Behind The Song.

Music Producer: Christian Lane
Video Director: Eva Empleo

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About Janda:
Behind The Song podcast host and creator Janda Lane is a radio DJ at WDRV-FM in Chicago, the city she calls home with her husband and podcast partner, Christian Lane, and their two cats, Ollie and Liam.

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[grahamgillard]

All the songs on that record have stood the test of time. That record set the standard by which all later Neil Young songs have been judged. And you know what? I bought that record in 1969 and I treasure it.

[HaXaW]

Man! The backing track is so spot on. I could listen to it all day. Great job as always folks.

[jtfdan]

Amazing song...the first time I heard it on the radio in 1969 I was floored by how addictive the deep dark dirty sound never gets

[Thadmotor]

Iconic LP . Top 100 rock LP all time . I still listen to this today since Neil handed me a copy out front of the Groove co record store, Newport Beach, Ca back in the day . He put out a stool and played Sugar Mountain, got back in the limo and sped away .

[Footjones]

Truly, this is my favorite song ever. I can’t explain the hold it has on me, but it is undeniable. Thank you for sharing this post!

[gerhardvanderwesthuizen]

Incredible that he wrote "Cowgirl in the sand" and "Down by the river" in the same afternoon. Not many people are as creative and productive while in bed with a fever.

[bobschenkel]

Have heard many of these factoids over the years, but never all together in one concise delivery. Thank you for putting it all down in a way that even an old Dead Head like me can understand. Neil Young has been one of my two or three favorite artists since I saw him on the "Everybody's Rockin' " tour with the band The Shocking Pinks. Seen him a few times since, and it has always been different, and it has always been excellent. Love watching him stomp around the stage with his Guitar, it's real Rock and Roll. Neil Young is The MAN!!!

[bunkey]

When I grew up with Neil, he took me to places that I never thought was possible with songs like Down by the River or Cinnamon girl and his voice still haunts me to this day. I am 77 years old and love his music but we never analyzed it to the nth degree, we jus t enjoyed how it made us feel and that our journey was going in the right direction, acidly speaking. He is special and followed his own interpretation of what is Neil Young, much like Eric Clapton followed his dream as a blues guitarist. It is so nice to see younger people enjoying and in awe of this kind of talent. The fact that he is Canadian is even more special because we grew up together in the same place.

[martingray]

I was a fledgling Neil Young fan in 1990 while travelling to Toronto first time.. buying up all the cheap cassette tapes I could find (and there were a lot!)..
That short trip in late Sept/early Oct I went to the annual food fair in the city and tried Cinnamon Rolls....(never had them before.. am from NZ)
For days after I was humming the lines to myself: "I wanna live with the Cinnamon Roll... I could be happy the rest of my life with a Cinnamon Roll" !!!
Seriously !!!!

[georgestevens]

The title track and Losing End should not be overlooked. Love both of those too.

[dilligaf]

This and After the goldrush my all time favs of Young.I luv plenty other or his early albums but these are the my all times.

[michaelmasson]

I've always considered this one of the greatest "short" rock songs ever. Great opening riff and vocals, mysterious lyrics, and classic solo at the end. A force and urgency through and through. Thank you for this analysis.

[michaeldrysch]

Been away for awhile and forgot how beautiful you are on these. Awesome back story as always Janda...Thank you!!! And thanks to Christian for the great mix!!! Keep On Rocking!!!

[destinationsroadslesstraveled]

One of my favorite albums. Having lived in Thailand for many years always reminded of a Asian woman dancing in a bar. Many years later I met my Cinnamon Girl.

[hoobeydoobey]

Cin Girl & Like a Hurricane were faves in my childhood. Amazing songs that only made sense by giving up sense and just going with the flow.

[TheEngstfeld]

I was hoping (and glad) to hear you give due credit where it was due. Danny Whitten’s influence on this album cannot be understated.

[paulperkins]

Nice job of documenting the backstory of this great song.

[DonJoyce]

What a fascinating story! Thanks for sharing, Janda!

[i.marchand]

Well researched (best I can tell, without doing a lot more of my own research) and very well presented. As others have noted, the backing track is superb, too.

[rgsd]

this song has the greatest 1 note solo ever!!!! love this song