Broken Arrow (song)
Encyclopedia
"Broken Arrow" is a song written by Canadian
singer-songwriter Neil Young
and recorded by Buffalo Springfield
on their 1967
album Buffalo Springfield Again
. It was recorded in August and September 1967 at Columbia Recording Studios and Sunset Sound Recorders
. It incorporates musical ideas from "Down Down Down," a demo Young recorded with Buffalo Springfield (and now available on the box set
).
"Broken Arrow" was confessional folk rock
. It consists of three verses interspersed with snippets of sounds, featuring organ
, a jazz combo with piano, bass, drums, and a clarinet. The song begins with audience applause (taken not from a Buffalo Springfield show, as some expect, but rather from a concert by the Beatles) and the opening of "Mr. Soul
" (which opens the album) recorded live in the studio. The second verse begins with the sound of an audience booing, while the Calliope plays a strange version of the song "Take Me Out To The Ballgame", before some weird sound effects bring on the verse. There is also the sound of a military snare drum, that plays drum rolls, first quietly, and getting louder and louder, until the fifth time, an unusual sound effect brings the song to the third verse. The Jazz combo plays an improvisation, first taken up by the clarinet, and followed by the piano, until it fades out, whereas, we only hear the beating of a heart, until that fades out, too.
Each of the three verses uses surreal imagery to deal with emotions (emptiness of fame, teenage angst
, hopelessness), and contains self-references to Buffalo Springfield and Young. They all end with the same lines:
An acoustic solo version of the song appears on the Neil Young live album Sugar Mountain: Live at Canterbury House 1968 which was released on Reprise Records in 2008.
Of the members of the band, only Young was present at the recording. Background vocals from Richie Furay were added on later.
Indians would use a broken arrow to signal that they would cease fighting.
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
singer-songwriter Neil Young
Neil Young
Neil Percival Young, OC, OM is a Canadian singer-songwriter who is widely regarded as one of the most influential musicians of his generation...
and recorded by Buffalo Springfield
Buffalo Springfield
Buffalo Springfield is a North American folk rock band renown both for its music and as a springboard for the careers of Neil Young, Stephen Stills, Richie Furay and Jim Messina. Among the first wave of North American bands to become popular in the wake of the British invasion, the group combined...
on their 1967
1967 in music
The summer of 1967 is "The Summer of Love" in San Francisco. It also became an important year for psychedelic rock, with releases from The Beatles The summer of 1967 is "The Summer of Love" in San Francisco. It also became an important year for psychedelic rock, with releases from The Beatles The...
album Buffalo Springfield Again
Buffalo Springfield Again
Buffalo Springfield Again is the second 1967 folk rock album by Buffalo Springfield.-Production:The recording has been stated by some as tense and protracted, because Young was often absent and the band was unable to keep a permanent bass player...
. It was recorded in August and September 1967 at Columbia Recording Studios and Sunset Sound Recorders
Sunset Sound Recorders
Sunset Sound Recorders is a recording studio in Hollywood, California, located at 6650 Sunset Boulevard.The Sunset Sound Recorders complex was converted in 1962 by Walt Disney's Director of Recording, Tutti Camarata, from a collection of old commercial and residential buildings - some built more...
. It incorporates musical ideas from "Down Down Down," a demo Young recorded with Buffalo Springfield (and now available on the box set
Buffalo Springfield (box set)
Buffalo Springfield is a career retrospective of the late 60s folk rock band of the same name, released in 2001. Band member Neil Young assembled the tracks in chronological order to show how the band evolved and disintegrated in the span of two years. Of the four CDs, the first three represent...
).
"Broken Arrow" was confessional folk rock
Folk rock
Folk rock is a musical genre combining elements of folk music and rock music. In its earliest and narrowest sense, the term referred to a genre that arose in the United States and the UK around the mid-1960s...
. It consists of three verses interspersed with snippets of sounds, featuring organ
Organ (music)
The organ , is a keyboard instrument of one or more divisions, each played with its own keyboard operated either with the hands or with the feet. The organ is a relatively old musical instrument in the Western musical tradition, dating from the time of Ctesibius of Alexandria who is credited with...
, a jazz combo with piano, bass, drums, and a clarinet. The song begins with audience applause (taken not from a Buffalo Springfield show, as some expect, but rather from a concert by the Beatles) and the opening of "Mr. Soul
Mr. Soul
"Mr. Soul" is a song written by Canadian rock musician Neil Young, and first recorded by folk rock band Buffalo Springfield and released on their second album, Buffalo Springfield Again...
" (which opens the album) recorded live in the studio. The second verse begins with the sound of an audience booing, while the Calliope plays a strange version of the song "Take Me Out To The Ballgame", before some weird sound effects bring on the verse. There is also the sound of a military snare drum, that plays drum rolls, first quietly, and getting louder and louder, until the fifth time, an unusual sound effect brings the song to the third verse. The Jazz combo plays an improvisation, first taken up by the clarinet, and followed by the piano, until it fades out, whereas, we only hear the beating of a heart, until that fades out, too.
Each of the three verses uses surreal imagery to deal with emotions (emptiness of fame, teenage angst
Angst
Angst is an English, German, Danish, Norwegian and Dutch word for fear or anxiety . It is used in English to describe an intense feeling of apprehension, anxiety or inner turmoil...
, hopelessness), and contains self-references to Buffalo Springfield and Young. They all end with the same lines:
- Did you see them, did you see them?
- Did you see them in the river?
- They were there to wave to you.
- Could you tell that the empty quivered,
- Brown skinned Indian on the banks
- That were crowded and narrow,
- Held a broken arrow?
An acoustic solo version of the song appears on the Neil Young live album Sugar Mountain: Live at Canterbury House 1968 which was released on Reprise Records in 2008.
Of the members of the band, only Young was present at the recording. Background vocals from Richie Furay were added on later.
Historical references
The BlackfootBlackfoot
The Blackfoot Confederacy or Niitsítapi is the collective name of three First Nations in Alberta and one Native American tribe in Montana....
Indians would use a broken arrow to signal that they would cease fighting.
External links
- lyrics
- [ Allmusic Review]