Heart of Gold (Neil Young song)

"Heart of Gold"
Single by Neil Young
from the album Harvest
B-side"Sugar Mountain"
ReleasedJanuary 1972 (U.S.)
RecordedFebruary 6–7, 1971
StudioQuadrafonic Sound, Nashville, Tennessee
Genre
Length3:07
LabelReprise
Songwriter(s)Neil Young
Producer(s)
Neil Young singles chronology
"When You Dance I Can Really Love"
(1971) 		"Heart of Gold"
(1972) 		"Old Man"
(1972)
Audio sample

"Heart of Gold" is a song by Canadian singer-songwriter Neil Young. From his fourth album Harvest, it is Young's only U.S. No. 1 single. In Canada, it reached No. 1 on the RPM national singles chart for the first time on April 8, 1972, on which date Young held the top spot on both the singles and albums charts, and No. 1 again on May 13.[5] Billboard ranked it as the No. 17 song for 1972.[6]

In 2004, Rolling Stone ranked it No. 297 on their list of the 500 greatest songs of all time,[7] No. 303 in an updated 2010 list,[8] and No. 259 in 2021.[9]

  1. ^ Haeems, Neil (June 25, 2020). "Neil Young's sorrowful 'Homegrown' finally surfaces after 45 years". The Daily Californian. Retrieved October 21, 2020. Thanks to Helm, 'Separate Ways' sits perfectly beside Young classics such as 'Cinnamon Girl' and 'Heart of Gold' as one of the greatest contributions to folk-rock.
  2. ^ Rosenbaum, Ron (February 27, 2006). "The Two Neil Youngs: Demme's Film Shows A Saccharine Singer". The Guardian Observer. Retrieved October 18, 2020. with a few older 'country-rock' throw-ins like "Heart of Gold."
  3. ^ "Sound Familiar? 10 Famous Cameos That May Surprise You – 60s and 70s Pop – Oldies Music". May 26, 2015. Archived from the original on May 26, 2015.
  4. ^ "Harvest". Discogs. February 1972. Retrieved July 21, 2015.
  5. ^ "RPM Top 100 Singles - May 13, 1972" (PDF).
  6. ^ "Billboard Top 100 – 1972". Archived from the original on February 16, 2016. Retrieved January 2, 2011.
  7. ^ The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time Rolling Stone. Issue 963, December 9, 2004.
  8. ^ The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time - Neil Young, Heart of Gold. Rolling Stone. 2010.
  9. ^ "Heart of Gold ranked #259 on Rolling Stone 500 Greatest Songs List". Rolling Stone. September 15, 2021. Retrieved September 23, 2021.