Cinnamon Girl
From The Art and Popular Culture Encyclopedia
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"Cinnamon Girl" is a song by Neil Young. It debuted on the 1969 album Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere, which was also Neil's first album with backing band Crazy Horse. It is well known for its opening distorted-guitar riff, which continues through the song. The single reached #55 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 in 1970.
Performance notes
This song, more than any other, displays the very prominent role played by Danny Whitten in the sound of Neil Young's early recordings. It is Crazy Horse's rhythm guitarist who sings the high harmony part, while Neil Young takes care of the low harmony part.
Neil performed the song on his then recently acquired Les Paul, Old Black. This guitar would be used by Neil on his more hard rock material.
The song is written in Double Drop D Tuning (DADGBD), also known by Neil as D Modal Tuning. This tuning is used in several of his most famous songs. ("Cortez the Killer", "Fuckin' Up", "The Loner", "Ohio", "Inca Queen", "The Old Laughing Lady", "Ride My Llama", "When You Dance I Can Really Love")
Notable covers
"Cinnamon Girl" has been covered by several artists, including:
- Killdozer on their album Snake Boy
- The Gentrys on their self-titled album for Sun Records in 1970
- Type O Negative, on their album October Rust
- John Entwistle, featured as a bonus track on his solo debut, Smash Your Head Against the Wall
- The Sisters Euclid, on the Neil Young tribute Run Neil Run
- Boyd Tinsley, on True Reflections
- Matthew Sweet, on his 2006 album of covers with Susanna Hoffs, Under the Covers, Vol. 1
- The Smashing Pumpkins played the song at live shows sporadically during the 1990s
- Los Lobos has also played the song at concerts
- Bernard Fowler covers this song on his album Friends With Privileges
- The Violet Burning, on their demo You Wouldn't Understand Anyways
- Its main riff is used on Hole's song/noise suite "Starbelly", featured on the 1991 album Pretty on the Inside
- Hawksley Workman on the DVD Live in Lille
- Radiohead during the 2001 Amnesiac tour
- Dream Syndicate
- Replicants on their self-titled album released in 1996
- The IOIO on their self-titled album released in 1998
- Bob Mould during the 1989 Workbook tour
- Motörhead released a cover of this song on their relatively unknown compilation All The Aces
- Platinum Head covers this song.
- Euro Trash Girl on the 2008 Cinnamon Girl double-CD covers of Neil Young's songs, a benefit album for the breast cancer support group Casting for Recovery.
The Prince song "Cinnamon Girl," from his album Musicology, is not a cover but an original song unrelated to Neil Young's.
