Cowgirl In The Sand

Written by Neil Young in 1969 for his second solo album, Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere (the first album with his backup band Crazy Horse). He wrote Cowgirl, Cinnamon Girl, and Down By The River in a single day while he was sick with a 103 degree fever. Everyone thinks they know what the song is actually about, but can't actually agree on the meaning of the lyrics.

It's hard to imagine any covers of this song rivaling Young's exquisitely chaotic guitar in the long intro, or his pained voice as he addresses his cowgirl. But these are all pretty good versions. The recent release by Marissa Nadler (hipster alert!) is sung beautifully. The version by The Byrds has an arrangement that makes it feel less like a cover and more like a different song.

There's also an excellent Cowgirl in this show Live from Fillmore East (1970)

PLAY: Neil Young - Cowgirl In The Sand |buy album|
PLAY: Marissa Nadler - Cowgirl In The Sand
PLAY: The Byrds - Cowgirl In The Sand |buy album|