| "Heart of Gold" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 Side A of the Greek single | ||||
| Single byNeil Young | ||||
| from the albumHarvest | ||||
| B-side | "Sugar Mountain" | |||
| Released | January 1972 (U.S.) | |||
| Recorded | February 6–7, 1971 | |||
| Studio | Quadrafonic Sound, Nashville, Tennessee | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 3:07 | |||
| Label | Reprise | |||
| Songwriter | Neil Young | |||
| Producers |
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| Neil Young singles chronology | ||||
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| Audio | ||||
| "Heart of Gold" by Neil Young onYouTube | ||||
| Live video | ||||
| "Heart of Gold" (live) by Neil Young onYouTube | ||||
"Heart of Gold" is a song by Canadian singer-songwriterNeil Young. From his fourth albumHarvest, it is Young's only U.S. No. 1 single. In Canada, it reached No. 1 on theRPM 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 theirlist of the 500 greatest songs of all time,[7] No. 303 in an updated 2010 list,[8] and No. 259 in 2021.[9]
The song, which features backup vocals byJames Taylor andLinda Ronstadt, is one of a series of soft acoustic pieces which were written partly as a result of a back injury. Unable to stand for long periods of time, Young could not play his electric guitar and so returned to his acoustic guitar, which he could play sitting down. He also played his harmonica during the three instrumental portions, including the introduction to the song.[10][11]
"Heart of Gold" was recorded during the initial sessions forHarvest on February 6–8, 1971, atQuadrafonic Sound Studios inNashville, Tennessee.[12] Ronstadt (who herself would later cover Young's song "Love Is a Rose") and Taylor were in Nashville at the time for an appearance onJohnny Cash's television program, and the album's producerElliot Mazer arranged for them to sing backup for Young in the studio.[13][14]
Young played this song in 1971 solo shows before recording it. At a January 19 concert (preserved onLive at Massey Hall 1971, released in 2007) he played it on piano, starting with "A Man Needs a Maid" and thensegueing into this song. By the time ofHarvest, he had separated the two songs and played "Heart of Gold" on guitar and harmonica.
Young wrote in theliner notes of his 1977 compilation albumDecade: "This song put me in the middle of the road. Traveling there soon became a bore so I headed for theditch. A rougher ride but I saw more interesting people there." This statement was in response to the mainstream popularity that he gained as a result of the number-one status of "Heart of Gold".
Young has stated that this song, as well as "Harvest" and "Out on the Weekend" from the same album, were inspired by his then blossoming love for actressCarrie Snodgress.[15]
In 1985,Bob Dylan said he disliked hearing the song, despite always liking Young:[16]
The only time it bothered me that someone sounded like me was when I was living in Phoenix, Arizona, in about '72 and the big song at the time was "Heart of Gold". I used to hate it when it came on the radio. I always liked Neil Young, but it bothered me every time I listened to "Heart of Gold." I think it was up at number one for a long time, and I'd say, "Shit, that's me. If it sounds like me, it should as well be me."
Upon the single release,Record World said that "Dylanesque harmonica and lyric content give this one more of a folk feel than [Young's] most recent work."[17]
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In 2005, "Heart of Gold" was named the third greatest Canadian song of all time on theCBC Radio One series50 Tracks: The Canadian Version.[22]
| Chart (1972) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australia (Kent Music Report)[23] | 14 |
| Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders)[24] | 30 |
| Belgium (Ultratop 50 Wallonia)[25] | 17 |
| Canada Top Singles (RPM)[26] | 1 |
| France (IFOP)[27] | 31 |
| Ireland (IRMA)[28] | 12 |
| Japan (Oricon)[29] | 28 |
| Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)[30] | 9 |
| Netherlands (Single Top 100)[31] | 8 |
| New Zealand (Listener)[32] | 10 |
| Norway (VG-lista)[33] | 4 |
| South Africa (Springbok Radio)[34] | 8 |
| UK Singles (OCC)[35] | 10 |
| USBillboard Hot 100 | 1 |
| USBillboardEasy Listening[36] | 8 |
| USCashbox Top 100 Singles[37] | 1 |
| USRecord World Top 100 Singles[38] | 1 |
| West Germany (GfK)[39] | 6 |
| Chart (2025) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Sweden Heatseeker (Sverigetopplistan)[40] | 14 |
| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| Denmark (IFPI Danmark)[41] | Gold | 45,000‡ |
| Italy (FIMI)[42] | Gold | 50,000‡ |
| New Zealand (RMNZ)[43] | 3× Platinum | 90,000‡ |
| Spain (PROMUSICAE)[44] | Gold | 30,000‡ |
| United Kingdom (BPI)[45] | Gold | 400,000‡ |
| United States (RIAA)[46] | Gold | 1,000,000^ |
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. | ||
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.
with a few older 'country-rock' throw-ins like 'Heart of Gold.'
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