{"id":12915,"date":"1984-02-05T11:00:00","date_gmt":"1984-02-05T19:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/estreetshuffle.com\/?p=12915"},"modified":"2026-03-14T16:05:18","modified_gmt":"2026-03-14T23:05:18","slug":"cover-me-neil-young-my-hometown","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/estreetshuffle.com\/index.php\/1984\/02\/05\/cover-me-neil-young-my-hometown\/","title":{"rendered":"Neil Young: My Hometown"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Once upon a time, there was a thing called a vinyl recording booth. Usually found at arcades or amusement parks, these machines allowed you to record your own voice (or musical instrument, if you brought one along with you) directly onto a vinyl record.<\/p>\n<p>They&#8217;re antiques today, but Jack White had one refurbished, and Neil Young took advantage of it, recording his 33rd studio album entirely within it.<\/p>\n<p>That album,\u00a0<em>A Letter Home,\u00a0<\/em>features an array of cover songs that Neil felt would take on new meaning when recorded in the low-fidelity booth. And wouldn&#8217;t you know it, he was right.<\/p>\n<p><em>A Letter Home<\/em> is a fascinating album. Each well-known vintage song sounds&#8230; well, more vintagy. Especially the album&#8217;s penultimate track, a cover of Bruce&#8217;s &#8220;My Hometown.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>See for yourself&#8211;watch the video below, as Neil records the track directly to vinyl. If not for the specific references, you&#8217;d think it was recorded in the 1930s rather than in 2014.<\/p>\n<div class=\"jetpack-video-wrapper\"><span class=\"embed-youtube\" style=\"text-align:center; display: block;\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" class=\"youtube-player\" width=\"758\" height=\"427\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/gS5SMdn3AB8?version=3&#038;rel=1&#038;showsearch=0&#038;showinfo=1&#038;iv_load_policy=1&#038;fs=1&#038;hl=en-US&#038;autohide=2&#038;wmode=transparent\" allowfullscreen=\"true\" style=\"border:0;\" sandbox=\"allow-scripts allow-same-origin allow-popups allow-presentation allow-popups-to-escape-sandbox\"><\/iframe><\/span><\/div>\n<p>Bonus: on May 13, 2014, Neil and Jack made a guest appearance on\u00a0<em>The Tonight Show<\/em>, where Neil discussed the inspiration for the album, and for &#8220;My Hometown&#8221; specifically, somehow segueing from there to Bruce and &#8220;Neil&#8217;s&#8221; cover of &#8220;Whip My Hair.&#8221;<\/p>\n<div class=\"jetpack-video-wrapper\"><span class=\"embed-youtube\" style=\"text-align:center; display: block;\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" class=\"youtube-player\" width=\"758\" height=\"427\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/5GqFk97pmSw?version=3&#038;rel=1&#038;showsearch=0&#038;showinfo=1&#038;iv_load_policy=1&#038;fs=1&#038;hl=en-US&#038;autohide=2&#038;wmode=transparent\" allowfullscreen=\"true\" style=\"border:0;\" sandbox=\"allow-scripts allow-same-origin allow-popups allow-presentation allow-popups-to-escape-sandbox\"><\/iframe><\/span><\/div>\n<p>\u00a9 September 24, 2019<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Certainly one of the most unusual Bruce covers, Neil Young&#8217;s version of &#8220;My Hometown&#8221; was recorded in a vintage Voice-o-Graph recording booth. Listen to it inside, and watch Neil and Jack White discuss the project.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":68340,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[3611,4],"tags":[805,510],"class_list":["post-12915","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-bitusa","category-cover-me","tag-my-hometown","tag-neil-young"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/estreetshuffle.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/admin-ajax-54.jpg?fit=1200%2C994&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p9w3Lk-3mj","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":3486,"url":"https:\/\/estreetshuffle.com\/index.php\/2018\/08\/29\/cover-me-linda-ronstadt-emmylou-harris-and-neil-young-across-the-border\/","url_meta":{"origin":12915,"position":0},"title":"Cover Me, Linda Ronstadt, Emmylou Harris, and Neil Young: Across the Border","author":"Ken","date":"August 29, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"Three great voices blend lovingly in this gorgeous arrangement of \"Across the Border.\"","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Cover Me&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Cover Me","link":"https:\/\/estreetshuffle.com\/index.php\/category\/cover-me\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/estreetshuffle.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/western.jpg?fit=500%2C500&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":12480,"url":"https:\/\/estreetshuffle.com\/index.php\/2019\/09\/05\/matr-bruce-springsteen-and-jimmy-fallon-whip-my-hair\/","url_meta":{"origin":12915,"position":1},"title":"MatR: Bruce Springsteen and Jimmy Fallon, Whip My Hair","author":"Ken","date":"September 5, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"Bruce and Jimmy Fallon (as Neil Young) perform the unlikeliest of covers in one of Bruce's most viral moments. Watch the performance and backstory inside.","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Cover Me&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Cover Me","link":"https:\/\/estreetshuffle.com\/index.php\/category\/cover-me\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/estreetshuffle.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/whipmyhair.jpg?fit=500%2C500&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":22144,"url":"https:\/\/estreetshuffle.com\/index.php\/1988\/08\/27\/matr-neil-young-bruce-springsteen-and-nils-lofgren-helpless\/","url_meta":{"origin":12915,"position":2},"title":"Helpless","author":"Ken","date":"August 27, 1988","format":false,"excerpt":"One time only: Bruce Springsteen, Neil Young, and Nils Lofgren perform a beautiful acoustic rendition of Neil's \"Helpless.\"","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Cover Me&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Cover Me","link":"https:\/\/estreetshuffle.com\/index.php\/category\/cover-me\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/estreetshuffle.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/helpless.jpg?fit=1200%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/estreetshuffle.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/helpless.jpg?fit=1200%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/estreetshuffle.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/helpless.jpg?fit=1200%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/estreetshuffle.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/helpless.jpg?fit=1200%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/estreetshuffle.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/helpless.jpg?fit=1200%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":1227,"url":"https:\/\/estreetshuffle.com\/index.php\/2018\/03\/24\/matr-bruce-springsteen-and-jimmy-fallon-sexy-and-i-know-it\/","url_meta":{"origin":12915,"position":3},"title":"MatR: Bruce Springsteen and Jimmy Fallon, &#8220;Sexy and I Know It&#8221;","author":"Ken","date":"March 24, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"A self-spoofing Bruce joins Jimmy Fallon-as-Neil Young for a hilarious take on LMFAO's \"Sexy and I Know It.\"","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Meeting Across the River&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Meeting Across the River","link":"https:\/\/estreetshuffle.com\/index.php\/category\/meeting-across-the-river\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/estreetshuffle.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/03\/Jimmy-fallon-bruce-sexy-and-know-it.jpeg?fit=500%2C500&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":61048,"url":"https:\/\/estreetshuffle.com\/index.php\/2025\/10\/05\/kingdom-of-days-october-5-2\/","url_meta":{"origin":12915,"position":4},"title":"Kingdom of Days: October 5","author":"Ken","date":"October 5, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"On this date: Bruce releases Tunnel of Love, his eighth studio album. Plus: Bruce performs on SNL (and winds up in the doghouse during rehearsals), an epic Neil Young guest appearance, and much more.","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Kingdom of Days&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Kingdom of Days","link":"https:\/\/estreetshuffle.com\/index.php\/category\/kingdom-of-days\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/estreetshuffle.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/tunnel-of-love.jpg?fit=1200%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/estreetshuffle.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/tunnel-of-love.jpg?fit=1200%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/estreetshuffle.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/tunnel-of-love.jpg?fit=1200%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/estreetshuffle.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/tunnel-of-love.jpg?fit=1200%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/estreetshuffle.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/tunnel-of-love.jpg?fit=1200%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":61182,"url":"https:\/\/estreetshuffle.com\/index.php\/2025\/10\/20\/kingdom-of-days-october-20-2\/","url_meta":{"origin":12915,"position":5},"title":"Kingdom of Days: October 20","author":"Ken","date":"October 20, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"Bruce's final show at the Spectrum, a guest appearance with Neil Young and Bob Dylan, a hometown Houserockers show, those famous Time and Newsweek covers, and more--all from this date.","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Kingdom of Days&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Kingdom of Days","link":"https:\/\/estreetshuffle.com\/index.php\/category\/kingdom-of-days\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/estreetshuffle.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/philly09.jpg?fit=1200%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/estreetshuffle.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/philly09.jpg?fit=1200%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/estreetshuffle.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/philly09.jpg?fit=1200%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/estreetshuffle.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/philly09.jpg?fit=1200%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/estreetshuffle.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/philly09.jpg?fit=1200%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/estreetshuffle.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12915","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/estreetshuffle.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/estreetshuffle.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/estreetshuffle.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/estreetshuffle.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=12915"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"https:\/\/estreetshuffle.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12915\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":68342,"href":"https:\/\/estreetshuffle.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12915\/revisions\/68342"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/estreetshuffle.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/68340"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/estreetshuffle.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=12915"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/estreetshuffle.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=12915"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/estreetshuffle.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=12915"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}