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In the early '70s, Neil Young suffered a back injury which made it very painful to perform while standing up, and greatly affected his ability to play electric guitar. Luckily, it was relatively painless for him to sit and play his acoustic guitar, so he wasn't sidelined completely.
In fact, it made him rethink the way he was writing songs, and in essence helped him compose a number of softer, acoustic pieces for his 1972 album, “Harvest,” one of which—with help from Linda Ronstadt and James Taylor singing backup--became a “Great Song of the '70s!”
When “Harvest” went to #1 on the Album Charts in the US and Canada, the single ,“Heart of Gold,” did the same on the Top 40. It was also a Top 10 hit in 6 other countries.
Trivia: In addition to acoustic guitar, Neil also played harmonica on the track.”
Billboard Magazine ranks “Heart of Gold” at #303 on their list of the Top 500 Songs of All Time, and it's been covered by the likes of Johnny Cash, Willie Nelson and Tori Amos. James Taylor also recorded a solo version.
There was one person, however, who DIDN'T like the song: Bob Dylan. Why? Because he thought it sounded like a song HE should written and recorded. (Sort of a backhanded compliment!)
“Heart of Gold:” a “Great Song of 1972” (Regardless of Bob Dylan).
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