| "The Old Laughing Lady" | |
|---|---|
| Song byNeil Young | |
| from the albumNeil Young | |
| Released | November 12, 1968 (1968-11-12) |
| Recorded | October 17, 1968 |
| Studio | Sunwest Recording Studio, Los Angeles |
| Genre | Folk rock |
| Length | 5:58 |
| Label | Reprise |
| Songwriter | Neil Young |
| Producers |
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"The Old Laughing Lady" is a song written byNeil Young that was first released on his 1968 debut solo albumNeil Young.
The old laughing lady is death
Allmusic critic Matthew Greenwald describes "The Old Laughing Lady" as a "striking mood piece."[1] He describes the music as being "built on some simple, downcast chord changes, in a modalD guitar tuning," which he says gives the song depth and grandeur.[1] Music criticJohnny Rogan describes the song's use ofstring instruments and a "ghostly girl chorus" as giving it an "eerie effect."[2]
Young biographer Jimmy McDonough remarks on the song's "sweet, sadcountermelodies passing from strings toFrench horn with beautiful restraint."[3] According to music critic Nigel Williamson, the production byJack Nitzsche helps give the song a sense of mystery.[4] The song contains four verses but norefrain.[5] The changes in mood and tone over the course of the song are reminiscent of Young's earlier song "Broken Arrow" that he wrote and performed as a member ofBuffalo Springfield.[6]
Rolling Stone Magazine critic Gary Von Tersch considers "The Old Laughing Lady" to be the more effective of the two, because he considers it to be "tighter, more mature and [have] more of the quiet explosion to it that Young obviously intends.[6]
The themes of "The Old Laughing Lady" include love, death, alcoholism and alienation.[1][7] The old laughing lady of the title can be ametaphor for either death or alcohol.[2][4][8] The song describes how the old laughing lady affects the lives of those she interacts with.[5]
"The Old Laughing Lady" was written earlier than most of the songs onNeil Young. According to Young, he wrote it one day on a napkin while drinking coffee in a coffee shop without knowing what prompted it.[3][8] A version was recorded byBuffalo Springfield for their 1968 albumLast Time Around in January 1968.[1][4]
An even earlier version was tried out during the sessions for Buffalo Springfield's earlier albumBuffalo Springfield Again.[4] In the version onNeil Young, Nitzsche used a vocal muting technique that makes Young sound "a million miles away, but right there."[3]
Neil Young FAQ author Glen Boyd described "The Old Laughing Lady" as having "stood the test of time" sinceNeil Young was released.[9]Pitchfork contributor Mark Richardson describes the song as having "echoes of the great music to come" from Young's later career.[10] In 2014 the editors ofRolling Stone Magazine ranked it as Young's 63rd all time greatest song, describing it as "California psychedelia with the sun sucked out."[8]
Young included "The Old Laughing Lady" on his 1977compilation albumDecade.[2][11] A live version was released on Young's 1993 albumUnplugged, although Rogan felt that version lacked the mystery and sadness of the original.[2][5][12]
