Bad Fog of Loneliness
| "Bad Fog of Loneliness" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Song by Neil Young from the album Live at Massey Hall 1971 | ||||
| Released | March 13, 2007 | |||
| Recorded | January 19, 1971 | |||
| Genre | Folk rock | |||
| Length | 3:27 | |||
| Label | Reprise | |||
| Writer | Neil Young | |||
| Composer | Neil Young | |||
| Producer | David Briggs, Neil Young | |||
| Live at Massey Hall 1971 track listing | ||||
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"Bad Fog of Loneliness" is a song written by Canadian singer-songwriter Neil Young, recorded in 1971, but not released until 2007 on the album Live at Massey Hall 1971 and in 2009 on The Archives Vol. 1 1963-1972. It also appeared on Young's live "Red Rocks" DVD released in the year 2000.
According to Young's introduction to the song on Live at Massey Hall, he intended to perform it on the Johnny Cash Show but his appearance has been canceled. By the time he was re-scheduled to appear in February, 1971, he decided that the song was "too old" and would do something else instead (as it turns out he did two other brand new songs, "The Needle and the Damage Done" and "Journey Through the Past").
The song also appears on The Archives Vol. 1. This studio version features Ben Keith on pedal steel guitar, Tim Drummond on bass guitar, Kenny Buttrey on drums, and Linda Ronstadt and James Taylor on background vocals. As this is the same lineup that recorded "Heart of Gold" and "Old Man", it strongly suggests that this song was recorded as part of the Harvest sessions on February 6-7, 1971.
The song has much in common with much of what Young was writing at the time. The riff in the introduction is reminiscent of that of "The Needle and the Damage Done". The change from 4/4 to 3/4 time in the bridge is similar to what he does in "Words (Between the Lines of Age)."
