"The Loner" is a song by Neil Young, his first solo single. It was released on his solo debut album in November 1968, and then an edited version as his debut solo single three months later on Reprise Records. It missed the BillboardHot 100 chart completely, but over time has become a staple of his performance repertoire. Both it and "Sugar Mountain", its B-side recorded live at the Canterbury House in Ann Arbor, Michigan, were released on album together for his 1977 compilation, Decade.
History
"The Loner" was written while Buffalo Springfield was in its last throes. The widely held assumption that the song was written about Stephen Stills can perhaps not be disproved, but it is perhaps more likely that the song is autobiographical in nature, especially since Young was, of all Springfield members, the most bothered by playing as a member of a band. Recorded with former Springfield member Jim Messina and George Grantham , it is the first Young track produced by David Briggs, with whom Young would collaborate until Briggs's death. Strings were arranged byDavid Blumberg, whom Young met through Briggs. Young's guitar is in Double drop D tuning; "psycho guitar noises" were made, according to Briggs, by putting the guitar through a Leslie speaker. The lyrics are characterized by dread and disorientation, coming from an "immobile protagonist" who "witnesses extraordinary visual displays". Praise came quickly, for instance in the album review in Rolling Stone: "'The Loner' is a contemporary lament that features a nice blending of Neil's guitar with strings in non-obtrusive fashion, allowing Young's balanced ice-pick vocal to chip effectively at the listener." Allmusic critic Matthew Greenwald stated that "lyrically, it's one of Young's finest autobiographical songs, a virtual self-portrait. The song is still played live, as is one other song from Neil Young, "The Old Laughing Lady". Stephen Stills has played the song live with and without Young. The song was featured on the soundtrack of the movie The Strawberry Statement and is included on the movie soundtrack album.
Notable covers
"The Loner" has been covered by the following artists:
