There's A World

Album: Harvest (1972)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • Young felt this song was "overblown." Most critics and fans agree. Rolling Stone put the song on its Terrible Songs by Great Artists list, saying, "For some reason, Young though that the London Symphony Orchestra would mesh with his songs. The result was like a chocolate-covered cheeseburger. This is the one everyone skips when they play Harvest, even if they don't all admit it."
  • The song is frequently compared with "A Man Needs A Maid," which is similarly layered-on rather heavily but which somehow manages to work where "There's a World" does not. Young himself made this comparison in Shakey, but he didn't seem to understand either why one works and the other doesn't.
  • The song's lyrics are written as a personal statement to "you" - perhaps meaning all listeners, some specific person, or Young himself. Whoever it is, the song's about having a deeper, unique purpose in the world.

    Thematically, it's a nice respite from Young's normally melancholy and often fatalistic songs. In this sense, the "overblown" nature of the symphony is kind of interesting, because it leads one to wonder if such hopeful sentiments actually do feel volcanic in Young's artistic psyche. This is of course all conjecture, though, and it's unlikely the song's ever going to spark up serious debate. Most everyone, including Young prefer to pretend it doesn't exist.

Comments: 2

  • Wwbuilder from MnA very atypical Neil Young song- especially with the emotionally charged "A Man Needs a Maid", "Alabama", and "The Needle and the Damage Done" on the same album. Nonetheless, it is a song about seeing the beauty in the world- both around us and within us- and as such I do not think the instrumentation is overblown at all.
  • Todd J Kreitzinger from Acworth GaI find this song very pleasing to the ear. It also captures the depth of his song writing.
see more comments

Editor's Picks

Roger McGuinn of The Byrds

Roger McGuinn of The ByrdsSongwriter Interviews

Roger reveals the songwriting formula Clive Davis told him, and if "Eight Miles High" is really about drugs.

Kip Winger

Kip WingerSongwriter Interviews

The Winger frontman reveals the Led Zeppelin song he cribbed for "Seventeen," and explains how his passion for orchestra music informs his songwriting.

Maria Muldaur

Maria MuldaurSongwriter Interviews

The "Midnight At The Oasis" singer is an Old Time gal. She talks about her jug band beginnings and shares a Dylan story.

90s Music Quiz 1

90s Music Quiz 1Music Quiz

First question: Michael Jordan and Magic Johnson appeared in videos for what artist?

Carol Kaye

Carol KayeSongwriter Interviews

A top session musician, Carol played on hundreds of hits by The Beach Boys, The Monkees, Frank Sinatra and many others.

Weezer

WeezerFact or Fiction

Did Rivers Cuomo grow up on a commune? Why did they name their albums after colors? See how well you know your Weezer in this Fact or Fiction.