"Heart of Gold" Women's Crew Tee (Lyrics by Neil Young)

Neil Young's Only Number-One Hit. He Spent the Next Three Years Running as Far From It as Possible.

In early 1972, Neil Young had a bad back. He'd injured it badly enough that he couldn't stand on stage with an electric band, so he went to Nashville and recorded sitting down. The resulting album, Harvest, featured just his acoustic guitar, a pedal steel, some strings, and backing vocals from Linda Ronstadt and James Taylor — who happened to be in town. "Heart of Gold" was the lead single. It hit #1 in February 1972 and stayed there for a week. It was the only time Neil Young ever topped the charts.

He was 26 when he wrote the line "keeps me searching for a heart of gold / and I'm getting old." He has said it was the most personal thing he'd ever recorded. The song is about looking for something genuine when everything around you feels compromised. The harmonica is his own. The vulnerability in the vocal is not an accident.

Young later said that "Heart of Gold" put him "in the middle of the road" — and that the middle of the road was not where he wanted to be. Over the next three years he made Time Fades Away, On the Beach, and Tonight's the Night — three dark, uncommercial, deliberately difficult records now known collectively as the Ditch Trilogy. He drove into the ditch on purpose. The records took decades to be recognized as among the most important he ever made.

Harvest is still his best-selling album. "Heart of Gold" has never gone away. The man who wrote it kept searching anyway.

Also in the collection: See our full Classic Rock collection.

Premium Women's Crew

• Premium women's crew fit — Relaxed through the body, comfortable all day
• Soft, fine-knit fabric — Holds its shape, gets better with wear
• Perfect for layering — Works over a tee or under a jacket
• Tear-away label — Clean comfort all day

Made to Order

For environmental and quality reasons, this crew is made specifically for you after you order. Please allow approximately one week for production. Tracking information will be sent as soon as it ships.