Written by: Neil Young
From the album:
Times played:
First performance:
Shows recorded:
Shows not recorded:
Electric guitar:
12 string acoustic guitar:
Notes
NK: I'm The Ocean strikes me as one of the most blatantly autobiographical songs of your career. The line "people my age don't do the things I do / They go somewhere whilst I run away with you." The "you" is your audience, the people who listen to your music... NY: (Pause) I think so. Definitely. I'm referring to the people who listen to music - they don't have to be there with me but they're still out there listening. We're together because we're both escaping through the music. It's like that line "I'm a drug that makes you dream." That's me trying to define the power of music. Neil Young Mojo/Nick Kent December 1995
Too may times in this life, we miss what is going on right in front of us......I try but sometimes i don't see. Lots of love to the searchers... Neil Young NYA Song Of The Day November 19, 2018
DM: I'm The Ocean has this rather different perspective in the lyrics. I was trying to figure ... I was saying first ... well the guy ... we're hearing this from someone beyond the grave and I decided it was someone dreaming about they're dead. NY: Well, you know, someone else tried, someone showed me a video plan that they had for this song and it had the same kind of thing you're talking about. But you know, the song doesn't mean that much - it doesn't mean that to me. Maybe it's kind of like a bunch of flashes of things going on all at the same time or something. So you get kind of the feeling that your life is flashing before you. So that makes you think you're floating up on the ceiling somewhere watching. But I think - I wasn't thinking about that. I just got caught up in this thing where everything just kept happening and all I could do was write it down. But it wasn't going backwards - it was going forwards. So, finally, I tried to not think about what I was writing as you ... I just tried to keep going and now I listen to it ... it's different every time. Neil Young Mirror Ball world premier with Dave Marsh August 1995
I'm The Ocean (version 1 of 3)
Session Date:February 7, 1995
Studio:Bad Animals, Seattle, WA
Produced by:Brendan O'Brien
Recording type:Studio
Mono/Stereo:stereo
Length:7:04
Musicians:Neil Young: vocals, electric guitar, pump organ Mike McCready: guitar Stone Gossard: guitar Jeff Ament: bass Jack Irons: drums
Available on:
Mirror Ball Neil Young Released: 1995-08-07

Track 3

I'm The Ocean (version 2 of 3)
Session Date:May 8, 1997
Studio:The Trocadero, San Francisco, California, USA
Produced by:Neil Young
Recording type:Live
Mono/Stereo:stereo
Length:
Musicians:
Available on:
1997-05-08 - The Trocadero, San Francisco, California, USA Neil Young Released: 2021-08-11

Track 2

I'm The Ocean (version 3 of 3)
Session Date:July 18, 2023
Studio:RV Inn Style Resorts Amphitheater, Ridgefield, WA
Produced by:Lou Adler and Neil Young
Recording type:Live
Mono/Stereo:stereo
Length:6:44
Musicians:Neil Young: vocal, 12 string acoustic guitar, harmonica
Available on:
Before And After Neil Young Released: 2023-12-08

Track 1

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