Watch Neil Young Cover Willie Nelson’s ‘Crazy’ on ‘The Tonight Show’
Neil Young and Jack White stopped by 'The Tonight Show' on May 12 to discuss Young's new album, 'A Letter Home,' with host Jimmy Fallon, but they didn't stop there -- the notoriously prolific Young cut another record right there in front of the studio audience.
As we previously reported, the new recording was captured using the same Voice-o-Graph technology that Young relied on for 'A Letter Home.' During the duo's interview segment, White explained that the whole thing came together thanks to a prudently timed visit Young made to White's Third Man studio.
"I spent a year and a half restoring that record booth," White said of the vintage 1947 equipment. "I looked for 10 years for one and finally found it. Last year for Record Store Day we debuted it, and Neil happened to be in town with his electric car -- we both own electric cars, too, so we were getting together to talk about that -- and when he was there, everyone was using the booth for the first time." While he and Young were sitting and talking, White recalled, "A kid comes in and covers one of Neil's songs in the booth."
"Everybody got in and they'd do their thing and they'd have the record," Young added. "I said, 'Jack, I wanna try that.' I went in there and did it and said, 'Jack, I could do an album in there.'" The result, he said, is a collection of "songs by great songwriters that influenced me when I was growing up" -- classics from performers who could "play instruments, sing by themselves, and just deliver a song...If people can do things by themselves and carry the song, that's what it's about."
Underscoring his point, Young proceeded to enter the booth and cut a cover of the Willie Nelson-penned Patsy Cline classic 'Crazy,' which you can watch above; he also added a performance of Ivory Joe Hunter's 'Since I Met You Baby,' embedded below. 'A Letter Home' arrives in stores on May 27.
Watch Neil Young Perform 'Since I Met You Baby'