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Protest Song Of The Week: ‘She Showed Me Love’ By Neil Young and Crazy Horse

In an interview for MOJO Magazine, Neil Young said it is a “hell of a time to be alive. I wouldn’t wish what’s gonna happen on my grandchildren, and even my children. I’ll probably be here long enough to see the very beginning of the devastation.” That is, “unless we do something to change it.”

The rage from Young is personal. In 2018, he lost a home in Malibu, California, to a wildfire. It prompted the longtime musician to rant against President Donald Trump for his deadly climate change denial.

Young and his band, Crazy Horse, recently released “Colorado,” an album filled with lyrics that attend to the environmental devastation surrounding us. Of particular note is a 13-minute jam called “She Showed Me Love.”

On the track, Young sings about what Mother Nature has taught him. He recognizes the light that she brings. But Young protests against the “old white guys trying to kill mother nature.”

As he fumes over what MOJO describes as a “staccato stomp,” Young pays tribute to the youth that are “fighting to save Mother Nature.” They are demonstrating, taking a stand for themselves, and recognize the importance of saving the planet, even if their parents or grandparents do not share their urgency.

Later, Young sings about “Mother Nature pushing Earth in a baby carriage.” It’s his way of calling attention to how the environment nurtures life.

Crazy Horse has been around for fifty years, backing up Young when he called on them. Young feels like cosmic forces align when he plays with the Horse. He can sing and talk about things that other people may not want to support.

Beginning in 2015, Young worked with Lukas Nelson and the Promise of The Real. They were his backing band for the album, “The Monsanto Years,” which had the agribusiness panicking. They conducted an intelligence operation out of a “fusion center” to figure out whether it was worth it to pursue legal action. (Nelson is the son of country music legend Willie Nelson.)

Yet, there is so much history with Crazy Horse, and guitarist Nils Lofgren returned for “Colorado.” He had not been on a Crazy Horse album since 1971. He helped create that feeling of being waist deep in the muck, which permeates “She Showed Me Love.”

Listen to “She Showed Me Love”:

Kevin Gosztola

Kevin Gosztola

Kevin Gosztola is managing editor of Shadowproof. He also produces and co-hosts the weekly podcast, "Unauthorized Disclosure."