Neil Young’s “Separate Ways,” Revisited
MJ Lenderman's cover of Neil Young's "Separate Ways" reveals how Young's influence and Harry Crews' Southern Gothic writing shape his own songs like "Wristwatch."
Tracklist
- Separate Ways — Neil Young
- Separate Ways — MJ Lenderman
- Wristwatch — MJ Lenderman
Transcript
Separate Ways — Neil Young
MJ Lenderman has called Neil Young his “number one” influence. Now he’s covered Young’s “Separate Ways” for a tribute collection. Young’s recording is from his album Homegrown. The day Lenderman’s cover came out, his foreword to a new edition of Harry Crews’ novel Body appeared online, too. That pairing opens another path through Lenderman’s work. For now, hear Young’s song before Lenderman takes his turn with it. Hear Separate Ways by Neil Young.
Separate Ways — MJ Lenderman
This isn’t MJ Lenderman’s first turn with Neil Young’s “Separate Ways.” Stereogum says he’d played it live before his cover appeared on the third Heart of Gold tribute volume. He’d performed other Young songs live too, including “Lotta Love” and “Powderfinger.” You’ve heard Young’s recording; what does Lenderman make of the same song? Hear Separate Ways by MJ Lenderman.
Wristwatch — MJ Lenderman
MJ Lenderman covered Neil Young’s “Separate Ways.” “Wristwatch,” from Lenderman’s Manning Fireworks, brings us to his own writing. Pollstar says Lenderman acknowledges novelist Harry Crews among the Southern Gothic writers who influenced him. It quotes a line from “Wristwatch” as an example of Lenderman’s language: “So you say I got a funny face / It makes me money.” The two versions of “Separate Ways” gave you a direct comparison. Now listen to Lenderman’s words with his interest in Crews in mind. Hear Wristwatch by MJ Lenderman.