'Like a Hurricane' vs. 'I'm the Ocean' - (which is the best Neil Young water metaphor song that is around 7 or 8 minutes long?)

Message Bookmarked
Bookmark Removed

'I am just a dreamer, but you are just a dream' (lazy hippie lyric)
vs.
'I'm not present - I'm a drug that makes you dream' (awesome lyric)

Poll Results

OptionVotes
Like a Hurricane 13
I'm the Ocean 6


iatee, Sunday, 26 July 2009 03:26 (sixteen years ago)

down by the river is literal & not metaphor?

ian, Sunday, 26 July 2009 03:52 (sixteen years ago)

that can be part of the next poll, neil young water songs that aren't metaphors and are 9 minutes long

iatee, Sunday, 26 July 2009 03:58 (sixteen years ago)

cortez the killer came dancing across the water, man, with his galleons and guns. what a killer

kamerad, Sunday, 26 July 2009 04:03 (sixteen years ago)

Look out mama there's a white boat comin' up the river

Lostandfound, Sunday, 26 July 2009 04:54 (sixteen years ago)

I will respect the poll as it's put and besides it's not "Cortez Was the Water" like some "Smokey Is the Bandit" thing, or "Powderfinger (Dissolved in Water)" or something. And I'll vote for "I'm the Ocean" because it's awesome while "Like A Hurricane" is my cue to hit the bathroom at a Neil concert. The latter is more like a tropical depression that stalls over the Bahamas. Plus it sounds like he says, there's come in your eye, which, while consistent with getting blown away, doesn't seem to have much to do with hurricanes. Plus, "you could have been anyone to me": then why sing about him/her? I'm cool with long languid solos; right now I'm listening to the Weld "Cortez" and boy it takes its time. But "Like a Hurricane" swirls around and around, "oh boy great another solo", but there's little progression toward any payoff. The payoff in "I'm the Ocean" is just the lyric that states the title of the song (see, I don't look for much), but it delivers the point of the chug.

la saucisse est une femme? (Euler), Sunday, 26 July 2009 06:01 (sixteen years ago)

"I'm The Ocean" is MASSIVE. No hesitation about my vote.

Heric E. (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Sunday, 26 July 2009 06:15 (sixteen years ago)

there's come in your eye?

kamerad, Sunday, 26 July 2009 06:22 (sixteen years ago)

nah, I showered.

(but seriously, it's the "there's calm in your eyes" part, but I dislike this song enough to willfully mishear it.)

la saucisse est une femme? (Euler), Sunday, 26 July 2009 06:26 (sixteen years ago)

I'm The Ocean

kornrulez6969, Sunday, 26 July 2009 14:41 (sixteen years ago)

Another vote for 'i'm the ocean'. 'Like a hurricane' is just rubbish I say.

Ismael Klata, Sunday, 26 July 2009 16:24 (sixteen years ago)

'like a hurricane' is good but 'i'm the ocean' is pretty epic, though it probably didn't need the gurgling underwater vox at the end.

omar little, Sunday, 26 July 2009 16:25 (sixteen years ago)

For the record, "Like a Hurricane" is technically a simile, not a metaphor.

So, yeah... "I'm the Ocean."

Stephen Deusner, Sunday, 26 July 2009 19:48 (sixteen years ago)

the "like a hurricane" hate on ILM is unacceptable.

tylerw, Sunday, 26 July 2009 19:56 (sixteen years ago)

maybe you would be better suited to a college dorm type atmosphere.

ian, Sunday, 26 July 2009 19:58 (sixteen years ago)

played to death almost as much as fuckin "wish you were here"

ian, Sunday, 26 July 2009 19:59 (sixteen years ago)

really? man, people were not playing "like a hurricane" when I went to college. or "wish you were here" for that matter. is this a state school thing?

tylerw, Sunday, 26 July 2009 20:02 (sixteen years ago)

"Like a Hurricane", a song so...ok...that Adam Sandler can "rock" it

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0MgpT22xYPU

la saucisse est une femme? (Euler), Sunday, 26 July 2009 20:59 (sixteen years ago)

but once Adam Sandler played "I'm the Ocean" and it was waaaay radder.

la saucisse est une femme? (Euler), Sunday, 26 July 2009 21:00 (sixteen years ago)

"a song so...ok" has basically always been my take on Like a Hurricane.

whereas I'm the Ocean is RAWK. guitar noise that starts off the song = so, so great. the lyrics are sorta this crazy romp through allllll of neil's favorite subjects - aging, indians, cars, technology. there are a dozen classic lines in the song and the whole thing has a lot of weight to it.

vs. LaH - one of those songs where the lyrics get kinda embarrassing if you actually sit down and read em. a pretty melody and all, but the song just dragssss. this is what I imagine NY sounds like to people who don't like NY.

I just looked it up and I'm the Ocean apparently hasn't been played live since 1997. how does NY not realize that this is up there with anything he's ever done? would things possibly be different if the song had been released in the 70s instead of the 90s?

iatee, Sunday, 26 July 2009 21:27 (sixteen years ago)

"this is what I imagine NY sounds like to people who don't like NY."

yes! That's an excellent way of putting it.

la saucisse est une femme? (Euler), Sunday, 26 July 2009 21:40 (sixteen years ago)

"Like a Hurricane" was my first exposure to NY, so it's a sentimental thing having originally bought it as a single even, and though I like "I'm the Ocean" a lot, it still loses something with its grunge associations. But I probably don't really think that, even: they're both great songs and I can't even pretend to be objective. So "LaH" FTW. Even.

Lostandfound, Sunday, 26 July 2009 23:32 (sixteen years ago)

"Like a Hurricane" is amazing. The album it was taken from may not be all that impressive, but that song is easily in his all time top 10 songs.

Geir Hongro, Sunday, 26 July 2009 23:53 (sixteen years ago)

case closed

iatee, Sunday, 26 July 2009 23:53 (sixteen years ago)

lol

Lostandfound, Monday, 27 July 2009 04:48 (sixteen years ago)

I vote Danger Bird (6:54)

WARS OF ARMAGEDDON (Karaoke Version) (Sparkle Motion), Monday, 27 July 2009 05:41 (sixteen years ago)

oops water metaphor, whatever, still wins

WARS OF ARMAGEDDON (Karaoke Version) (Sparkle Motion), Monday, 27 July 2009 05:42 (sixteen years ago)

birds are probably like 90% made of water anyway

iatee, Monday, 27 July 2009 05:47 (sixteen years ago)

I just looked it up and I'm the Ocean apparently hasn't been played live since 1997. how does NY not realize that this is up there with anything he's ever done?

Apparently they did the track but honestly I can't imagine Crazy Horse getting through this all the way at the pace Pearl Jam played it.

da croupier, Monday, 27 July 2009 15:47 (sixteen years ago)

Both great, but the solo on "Hurricane" was a holy shit moment in my life so sentimental choice.

da croupier, Monday, 27 July 2009 15:49 (sixteen years ago)

^^^This

Lostandfound, Monday, 27 July 2009 21:33 (sixteen years ago)

would be interesting to see how "I'm The Ocean" held up in a solo pipe organ arrangement. might be pretty sweet actually.

tylerw, Monday, 27 July 2009 21:35 (sixteen years ago)

Automatic thread bump. This poll is closing tomorrow.

System, Thursday, 30 July 2009 23:01 (sixteen years ago)

Automatic thread bump. This poll's results are now in.

System, Friday, 31 July 2009 23:01 (sixteen years ago)

pfffffft.

like a hurricane apologists didn't even have the balls to speak up.

iatee, Saturday, 1 August 2009 02:06 (sixteen years ago)

would be interesting to see how "I'm The Ocean" held up in a solo pipe organ arrangement

It sounds great...Fallen Angel, last song on Mirror Ball

kornrulez6969, Saturday, 1 August 2009 02:10 (sixteen years ago)

no kidding. but anyways, these two song aren't in the same league. "i'm the ocean" isn't bad or anything, but come on

kamerad, Saturday, 1 August 2009 02:45 (sixteen years ago)

'but come on' = also the basis of my argument

iatee, Saturday, 1 August 2009 02:55 (sixteen years ago)

would be interesting to see how "I'm The Ocean" held up in a solo pipe organ arrangement

It sounds great...Fallen Angel, last song on Mirror Ball

ha, you're right - totally forgot that. annnnyway, i approve these results.

tylerw, Saturday, 1 August 2009 04:34 (sixteen years ago)

Yeah, fair enough... (from someone with the balls to speak up.)

Lostandfound, Saturday, 1 August 2009 05:25 (sixteen years ago)

So what's next, "Cowgirl in the Sand" vs. "Change Your Mind"?

tylerw, Saturday, 1 August 2009 17:39 (sixteen years ago)


You must be logged in to post. Please either login here, or if you are not registered, you may register here.