The recently reunited Neil Young and Crazy Horse have released a new video for song Clementine, taken from their new album of classic American folk songs named Americana. The clip cuts together old footage of rural America, which fits in with the theme of the album. The song Clementine was thought to be have originated from an 1863 song titled Down by the River Liv’d a Maiden by H.S. Thompson, though on the album’s liner notes you’ll find the song credited to Percy Montrose or Barker Bradford from about 1884.
Speaking to Spinner, Young talks about the meaning of the lyrics: “The song tells the story of either a bereaved lover recalling his lost sweetheart, or a father missing his lost daughter. In both cases the daughter has drowned in an accident. The verse about Clementine’s sister has been omitted from most children’s versions. This verse has different meanings depending on whether the point of view of the singer is taken as the lover or the father.”
Americana will be available in Australia from the 1st of June. It was produced by Young and John Hanlon at Audio Casa Blanca with Mark Humphreys. This is Young’s first album together with Crazy Horse since 2003′s Greendale, and first with the full Crazy Horse line-up since Broken Arrow in 1996.