"The Needle and the Damage Done" | |
---|---|
Song by Neil Young | |
from the album Harvest | |
Released | February 1, 1972 |
Recorded | Royce Hall, UCLA, 30 January 1971 |
Genre | Folk |
Length | 2:03 |
Label | Reprise |
Songwriter(s) | Neil Young |
Producer(s) | Neil Young Henry Lewy[1] |
"The Needle and the Damage Done" is a song by Neil Young that describes the destruction caused by the heroin addiction of musicians he knew. Though not specifically about him, the song was inspired by the heroin addiction of his friend and Crazy Horse bandmate Danny Whitten. It previews the theme of the Tonight's the Night album that reflects Young's grief over the heroin overdose and death of both Whitten and Bruce Berry, a roadie for Young and Crazy Horse.
"The Needle and the Damage Done" first appeared on the Harvest album in 1972. Rather than rerecording it, he selected a live version from January 1971 that had him singing and playing acoustic guitar. It appeared on the compilation albums Decade and Greatest Hits. On the handwritten liner notes included in Decade, Young had this to say about the song: "I am not a preacher, but drugs killed a lot of great men."
1572