Recorded live on the road in Chicago, 1974. Thanks to Crosby & Nash's help on the overdubbed chorus, I was able to complete the work. I wrote it for Patty Hearst and her countless brothers and sisters. Also, I wrote it for myself and the increasing distance between me and you. Neil Young Withdrawn Decade liner notes 1976

"The original "Pushed It Over The End" was recorded by Elliot Mazer and there are several versions of the original unedited live versions with live harmonies," Joel Bernstein told us. "Then Crosby, Stills and Nash went to the studio and they put new background vocals because the originals were too out of tune. They put them on the original multitracks, so, the first version is the original live, unedited version. Then there was a version of the same thing with new back-ground vocals in full-length version. Then Elliot Mazer did an edited version with the studio-backup vocals, which for many years was what existed." Young did however regret that "Pushed It Over The End" was not released and made attempts to rectify this situation. "Neil wanted to put the Elliot Mazer version of "Pushed It Over The End" on "Decade" but Graham wouldn't let him," Bernstein explained to us a couple of years ago. "He once told me he was very sorry that he wouldn't let him put it out. At the time, they were very angry at Neil. The released version of "Pushed It Over The End" is a remix done by David Briggs and Tim Mulligan, who were asked by Italian WEA to put out a special box. When Neil authorized the use of "Pushed It Over The End" for the Italian box-set, David Briggs and Tim Mulligan went in the studio and did their own remix, a fully different remix, a very good one, but different from the Mazer mix. They sent the master to Italy, which is something they never do. But they wanted it to be great and very good sounding, but the press-ing was terrible and of very inferior quality. Since they sent the master, there is no copy of that version in Neil's archive. I think they made a safety-copy and they should have sent this copy and kept the master." Joel Bernstein Crosby Stills Nash and sometimes Young by Verbeke, Lucarelli, Frollano, van Diggelen September 2002