Schwarz, Rot, Gold: Neil Youngs Texte in der Farbanalyse

Neil Young ist farbenblind. Das hat sich früher vor allem in einer oft seltsamen Bekleidungswahl dokumentiert. Seit er auf Hilfe zu­rück­greift, sind die Fehlgriffe seltener. "Da ich farbenblind bin, wähle ich meine Farben sorgfältig aus und berate mich mit Freunden, um sicherzugehen, dass ich auf dem richtigen Weg bin", erzählte Neil Young, nachdem er seinen zweiten Memoirenband "Special Deluxe" mit selbstgemalten Aquarellen illustriert hatte. Er fügte noch hinzu: "Ich sehe meine Far­ben­blindheit als eine Bereicherung an." 

Was bei Kleidung und Bildern gut funktioniert, ist bei Songtexten dagegen schwierig. Die schreibt Neil Young immer noch selbst. Umso erstaunlicher, dass es in seinen Texten von Farben nur so wimmelt. Auf 198 Fundstellen kam Rusted Moon bei einer aktuellen Textanalyse. Und sogar 13 unterschiedliche Farben und Farbtöne kommen in den Liedern vor. Überraschend viel für einen farbenblinden Musiker.

Ordnet man diese 13 Farben in Gruppen und sortiert sie nach der Anzahl der Fundstellen, ergibt sich ein interessanter Einblick in Neil Youngs Farbenwelt. Dabei verwundert natürlich wenig, dass bei einem Farbenblinden Weiß mit 34 Songs an erster Stelle steht. Weiß ist zwar keine richtige Farbe, aber der Farbton, der von Farbenblinden wohl am besten erkannt wird. Die bekannteste Textzeile dürfte die mit über das weiße Boot aus "Powderfinger" sein. Allein fünf politische Songs handeln vom Weißen Haus. Skurril sind die beiden weißen Elche aus "All Those Dreams". Auf Rang zwei folgt Gold. Keine Überraschung bei einem Musiker mit einem Herz aus genau dieser Farbe. Gleich in 30 Songs schimmert es gülden.  [Weiter: Neil Youngs Farbenlehre ...]

Farbkreise von Goethe (links), Neil Young (rechts)

Platz drei geht an Schwarz. Ebenfalls keine Farbe, aber für Farbenblinde auch gut zu unterscheiden. In insgesamt 25 Songs trifft Neil Young ins Schwarze. Dabei wird in "I Am A Child" auch die interessante Frage erörtert, welche Farbe eigentlich entsteht, wenn Schwarz verbrennt ("What is the color, when black is burned? What is the color?").

25 Songs haben einen blauen Schimmer. Auffällig oft geht es um blaue Augen junger und blau-schimmernde Haare älterer Ladys. Damit schafft es die Farbe Blau auf Platz 4. Knapp dahinter landet Grün mit 23 Songs. Eigentlich hätte man annehmen können, dass Grün bei einem bekennenden Öko-Aktivisten wie Neil Young wesentlich häufiger vorkommt.

Die in der Musik ansonsten häufig besungene Signalfarbe Rot rangiert in Neil Youngs Werk dagegen nur an sechster Stelle der Farbskala. In insgesamt 22 Songs geht es um die Farbe der Liebe. In 15 Songs wird Silber besungen - und damit nur halb so häufig wie das edlere Gold.

Danach kommt mit größerem Abstand die Farbe Braun mit sieben Fundstellen. Grau, Gelb, Purpur, Rosa und Zimt nehmen die hinteren Plätze ein. Wobei Rosa mit nur einem einzigen Song überraschend selten vertreten ist. Immerhin unternahm Neil Young mit den "Shocking Pinks" eine komplette Tournee in Rosa und spielte ein Album mit Rosa Cover ein.


Hier die Gesamtliste mit allen Fundstellen und nach Farben geordnet:

 Weiß

 01. Alabama: "See the old folks tied in white ropes"
 02. Boxcar: "I'm like a black man, I'm like a white man"
 03. Bringin' Down Dinner: "the old white car edged down the road"
 04. Broken Arrow: "The Queen wore the white gloves, the county of song"
 05. Don't Be Denied: "I wore white bucks on my feet"
 06. Double E: "Dusty white Eldorado"
 07. Everybody's Rockin': "They're rockin' in the white House all night long"
 08. For The Turnstiles: "Under white sheets for the great unveiling"
 09. Goodbye Dick: "But I saw you walk across the white House lawn"
 10. He Was The King: "Pushing a plough in a black and white movie"
 11. Leave The Driving: "like a black and white super 8"
 12. Let's Impeach The President: "The white House shadows who hide behind closed doors"
 13. Lookin' For A Leader: "Re-unite the red white and blue"
 14. Mideast Vacation: "I'd be black and white for life"
 15. Motor City: "The white walls are missing too"
 16. Pocahontas: "From the white man to the fields of green"
 17. Powderfinger: "Look out, Mama, there's a white boat comin' up the river"
 18. Rockin' In The Free World: "Red, white and blue"
 19. Sedan Delivery: "The old man is dressed in white clothes"
 20. Sixty To Zero: "And the white man has plans"
 21. Southern Man: "Tall white mansions and little shacks"
 22. Sun Green: "the white house always blames the governor"
 23. White Line: "That old white line is friend of mine"
 24. Last Of A Dying Breed: "Tractors were burning on the white House lawn"
 25. Jesus' Chariot: "She'll be drivin' six white horses when she comes"
 26. Walk Like A Giant: "And the white got stained"
 27. All Those Dreams: "Two white elks grazing on the green"
 28. My Pledge: "Dressed in white like a nightingale"
 29. Wrecking Ball: "Wear something pretty and white"
 30. Ordinary People: "One wore black and one wore white"
 31. American Dreams: "your face is white"
 32. Horseshoe Man: "don't know if you're black and white"
 33. Dreamin' Man: "You dressed in Black and white"
 34. Don't Let It Bring You Down: "White cane lying in a gutter in the lane"

 Gold

 01. Bad News Comes To Town: "When he smiles under golden lights and lamps"
 02. Big Time: "Til I hit the golden gate"
 03. California Sunset: "The golden state"
 04. Don't Be Denied: "When I learned the golden rule"
 05. Eldorado: "gold Hotel", "The golden sun", Dressed in gold lame"
 06. Everybody's Rockin': "The golden Gate to the Bronx and Queens"
 07. Get Back To The Country: "Struck gold in Hollywood"
 08. Heart Of Gold: "I've been a miner for a heart of gold"
 09. Inca Queen: "golden idols to her smile"
 10. Lady Wingshot: "When you see the golden trigger"
 11. Leave The Driving: "and turned it into gold"
 12. Nowadays Clancy Can't Even Sing: "It ain't no gold nugget, you can't lay a claim"
 13. Road Of Plenty: "gold Hotel", "The golden sun", "Dressed in gold lame"
 14. Shock And Awe: "The sun was setting on a golden photo op"
 15. Silver & Gold: "It's better than silver and gold"
 16. Southern Man: "Lily Belle, your hair is golden brown"
 17. Stayin' Power: "gold and diamonds say you're mine"
 18. Sun Green: "It was a golden moment"
 19. This Old Guitar: "But it never searched for gold"
 20. Throw Your Hatred Down: "Dressed in gold lame"
 21. Too Lonely: "She's got a gold ring"
 22. Two Old Friends: "Preacher went up to the golden Gate"
 23. A Dream That Can Last: "the streets are paved with gold"
 24. Trans Am: "The golden gate was open wide"
 25. Will To Love: "With the golden lights and liquid rage"
 26. The Rent Is Always Due: "With gold-plated straw"
 27. I'll Love You Forever: "On the golden sand"
 28. Peaceful Valley Boulevard: "At first they came for gold and then for oil"
 29. That Never Works: "I saw the singer with the gold cap tooth"
 30. Singer Without A Song: "Driftin' on her melody of gold"

 Schwarz

 01. Big Time: "Gettin' in an old black car"
 02. Boxcar: "I'm like a black man, I'm like a white man"
 03. Broken Arrow: "The agents had paid for the black limousine"
 04. Dreamin' Man: "You dressed in black and white, you lost in the mall"
 05. Get Gone: "With a long black hoad and four big wheels."
 06. Harvest: "And was some black face in a lonely place"
 07. He Was The King: "Pushing a plough in a black and white movie"
 08. Horseshoe Man: "Love don't know if you're black or white"
 09. I Am A Child: "What is the color, when black is burned?"
 10. Leave The Driving: "like a black and white super 8"
 11. Let's Impeach The President: "And still leaving black people neglected"
 12. Lookin' For A Leader: "Or a black man after all"
 13. Mideast Vacation: "I'd be black and white for life"
 14. Ordinary People: "One wore black and one wore white, but of fear there wasn't a trace"
 15. Southern Man: "I've seen your black man comin' round", "I saw black"
 16. Two Old Friends: "In my heart, in my heart, in my old black heart"
 17. Vampire Blues: "I'm a black bat, babe, bangin' on your window pane"
 18. War Of Man: "The black falcon or the little sparrow"
 19. The Old Homestead: "You dress in black but you talk like a Fed"
 20. Born In Ontario: "Where the black fly bites and the green grass grows"
 21. John Oaks: "Shot a black man right where he fell"
 22. Horseshoe Man: "don't know if you're black and white"
 23. The Painter: "black to black"
 24. Bite The Bullet: "her hair is midnight black"
 25. Nowadays Clancy Can't Even Sing: "The line isn't black"

BLAU

 01. Beautiful Bluebird: "I've never seen that blue before"
 02. Helpless: "Blue, blue windows behind the stars"
 03. Hey Hey, My My (Into The Black): "Out of the blue and into the black"
 04. Hillbilly Band: "That froze me in my blue jeans"
 05. I Am A Child: "The sky is blue and so is the sea"
 06. It's A Dream: "An aeroplane leaves a trail in an empty blue sky"
 07. My My, Hey Hey (Out Of The Blue): "Out of the blue and into the black"
 08. Standing In The Light Of Love: "Swimming in the deep blue sea"
 09. Sunny Inside: "Long blonde hair, blue blue eyes"
 10. Touch The Night: "Image in blue dissolve into the empty night"
 11. The Rent Is Always Due: "Just put your blue jeans on"
 12. Daughters: "Far from the sparkling blue waters"
 13. Walk Like A Giant: "Seeing your blue eyes shining"
 14. People Want To Hear About Love: "the beautiful fish in the deep blue sea, dyin'"
 15. Fontainebleau: "all the blue-haired ladies"
 16. Lookin' For A Leader: "Re-unite the red white and blue"
 17. He Was The King: "a blue-haired lady screamed"
 18. Road Of Plenty: "His eyes are screamin' blue"
 19. She's A Healer: "My blue-eyed woman is a mystery"
 20. Out Of Control: "a sky of fire and hell of blue"
 21. The Painter: "blue to blue
 22. Leaving The Top-40 Behind: "her sky-blue eyes"
 23. Sample And Hold: "Eyes: Blue"
 24. Don't Let It Bring You Down: "Blue moon sinking"

 GRÜN

 01. Be The Rain: "the green army rose"
 02. Big Green Country: "Over the hill in the big green country"
 03. Bringin' Down Dinner: "Sun green came out and met Grandma then"
 04. Buffalo Springfield Again: "Looking out on a big green lawn"
 05. Devil's Sidewalk: "where you wear the green sleeve"
 06. Don't Spook The Horse: "riding in the tall green grass", "a field of green"
 07. No Wonder: "The green kept rolling on"
 08. Prime Of Life: "Upon the green the first leaf falls"
 09. Stringman: "With memories of green kissed by the sun"
 10. Sun Green: "Sun green started makin' waves"
 11. The Painter: "green to green"
 12. Fuel Line: "They like to advertise how clean and green they are"
 13. Johnny Magic: "Now she goes long range on domestic green fuel"
 14. Born In Ontario: "Where the black fly bites and the green grass grows"
 15. My Pledge: "decks awash with running green and foam"
 16. Pocahontas: "fields of green"
 17. Nowadays Clancy Can't Even Sing: "The line isn't black, if you know that it's green"
 18. Mother Earth: "With your fields of green"
 19. No Wonder: "This pasture is green"
 20. Hitchhiker: "Where everything was green"
 21. Fontainebleau: "they painted it green"
 22. The Last Trip To Tulsa: "And the gasoline was green"
 23. Over And Over: "Upon the fields of green"

 ROT

 01. Boxcar: "Maybe a red man, I don't know."

 02. Devil's Sidewalk: "When the red light shines", "Where the big red furnace"

 03. Don't Let It Bring You Down: "red lights flashing through the window in the rain"

 04. Don't Spook The Horse: "There's a field of green and an old red barn"

 05. Eldorado: "His hair is red as blood"

 06. It's A Dream: "The red River stills flows through my home town"

 07. Living With War: "The rocket's red glare"

 08. Lookin' For A Leader: "Re-unite the red white and blue"

 09. Misfits: "There's a lone red rider"

 10. Powderfinger: "With a big red beacon","He told me, red means run, son"

 11. Red Sun: "When the red sun sets"

 12. Road Of Plenty: "His eyes are screamin' blue, his hair is red as blood"

 13. Roll Another Number: "But before too long I might see those flashing red lights"

 14. The Believer: "Whether it's red or blue"

 15. The Painter: "red to red"

 16. Western Hero: "And in the distance, the rocket's red glare"

 17. You Never Call: "The red Wings are coming to town"

 18. Jesus' Chariot: "We will kill the old red rooster when she comes"

 19. Monsanto Years: "Choose a picture of an old red barn"

 20. I Ain't Got The Blues: "With an eye-full of red"

 21. Doghouse: "I had a big tall red"

 22. High Heels: "saw a pretty woman all dressed in red"

 Silber

 01. After The Gold Rush: "Well, I dreamed I saw the silver"
 02. Cinnamon Girl: "Ten silver saxes, a bass with a bow"
 03. He Was The King: "He was up on the silver screen"
 04. Inca Queen: "She spoke of silver from the sky"
 05. Look Out For My Love: "silver wings of mornin'"
 06. Over And Over: "We danced beneath silver rain"
 07. Sea Of Madness: "silver rain"
 08. See The Sky About To Rain: "I was down in Dixie Land, played a silver fiddle"
 09. Silver & Gold: "It's better than silver and gold"
 10. Southern Pacific: "On your silver rails"
 11. Train Of Love: "Sail along, sail along silver moon"
 12. War Of Man: "silver mane flyin' in the wind"
 13. Sign Of Love: "When we both have silver hair"
 14. Billy Pennyworth: "Ring the silver bells"
 15. Texas Rangers: "Texas Rangers in pickups, painted silver, with bulldogs on the hood"

 Grau

 01. Are There Any More Real Cowboys? "Where the cattle graze and an old grey barn still stands"
 02. Big Green Country: "Across the plain flew the lone grey rider"
 03. Cowgirl In The Sand: "Purple words on a grey background"
 04. Look Out For My Love: "Shinin' in the gray day"
 05. Two Old Friends: "Sky had turned a lotta shades of grey as they walked on"
 06. My New Robot: "mark visitors in grey"
 07. Grey Riders: "Grey Riders flew across my lawn"
 08. You And Me: "Touch of grey"

 Braun

 01. Broken Arrow: "brown skinned Indian on the banks"
 02. Daddy Went Walkin': "brown leather boots and an old straw hat"
 03. I'm The Ocean: "On a field that's turning brown"
 04. Like A Hurricane: "I saw your brown eyes turning once to fire"
 05. No Wonder: "It's turning brown"
 06. Southern Man: "Lily Belle, your hair is golden brown"
 07. Sun Green: "he said, I'm Earth... Earth brown"

 Gelb

 01. After The Gold Rush: "In the yellow haze of the sun"
 02. Helpless: "yellow moon on the rise"
 03. The Last Trip To Tulsa: "The servicemen were yellow"
 04. The Painter: "yellow to yellow"

 Purpur

 01. After The Garden: "Won't need no purple haze"
 02. Cowgirl In The Sand: "purple words on a grey background"
 03. My Pledge: "purple Haze sounding like TV"
 04. America The Beautiful: "For purple mountain majesties"

 Rosa

 01. He Was The King: "in the pink motel", "pink Cadillac"

 Zimt

 01. Cinnamon Girl: "I wanna live with a cinnamon girl"

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