Neil Young & Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young

Helpless

"Helpless" is a song written by Canadian singer-songwriter Neil Young, recorded by Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young (CSNY) on their 1970 album Déjà Vu. Young played the song with The Band in the group's final concert with its original lineup, The Last Waltz, on American Thanksgiving Day 1976 at San Francisco's Winterland Ballroom, with Joni Mitchell providing backing vocals offstage.

Composition and lyrics

In 1951, there was a polio epidemic in Canada and Neil Young contracted polio at the age of five. The left side of his body was permanently damaged, leaving him with a slight limp to this day. He later processed his memories of this time in the song Helpless.

Ohio

"Ohio" is a song written by Neil Young in reaction to the Kent State shootings of May 4, 1970, and performed by Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young. It was released as a single, backed with Stephen Stills's "Find the Cost of Freedom", peaking at number 14 on the US Billboard Hot 100 and number 16 in Canada.

Recording

Young wrote the lyrics to "Ohio" after seeing the photos of the incident in Life Magazine. The quartet rehearsed the song with their new rhythm section of Calvin Samuels and Johnny Barbata.

Lyrics and reception

"Tin soldiers and Nixon coming" refers to the May 4, 1970 Kent State shootings, where Ohio National Guard officers shot and killed four students during a protest against the Vietnam War. The shootings happened following several days of protests and clashes, including the arson of a building on campus. Crosby once stated that Young keeping Nixon's name in the lyrics was "the bravest thing I ever heard." The American counterculture of the 1960s responded positively to the song and saw the musicians as spokespersons for their ideas. The lyrics help evoke a mood of horror, outrage, and shock in the wake of the shootings, especially the line "four dead in Ohio", repeated throughout the song.