Harvest (Neil Young song)

"Harvest" is a slow country dance tune. Music critic Johnny Rogan describes the lyrics as presenting rhetorical questions about a relationship with a woman. To Rogan, the singer wonders how much love he will receive from the relationship and the extent to which we will be able to accept – or harvest – that love. Yet another interpretation is that the lyrics are about "maturing out of adolescence." Young biographer Jimmy McDonough interprets lyrics such as "Did she wake you up to tell you that/It was only a change of plan" as referring to his then mother-in-law's previous suicide attempts. Inglis also interprets the line "Did I see you down in a young girl's town/With your mother in so much pain" as referring to this situation. Young has stated that this song, as well as "Out on the Weekend" and "Heart of Gold" from the same album, were inspired by his then blossoming love for actress Carrie Snodgress. ==Recording==

"Harvest" was recorded in April 1971. Unlike most of the songs on Harvest, which required a lot of mixing work, the released version of "Harvest" is a live two-track mix. ==Reception==

Inglis describes "Harvest" as one of Young's best confessional songs where he expresses his guilt about being unable accept and reciprocate all the love that a woman wants to give him. Allmusic critic Matthew Greenwald described it as having a "retrained, artless grace that is truly timeless." Young himself declared that "'Harvest' is one of my best songs. That is the best thing on Harvest." ==Personnel==

• Neil Young – guitar, vocals • Ben Keith – pedal steel guitar • John Harris – piano • Tim Drummond – bass • Kenny Buttrey – drums ==References==