Editing Neil Young (section)

===Return to prominence (1989–1999)===
[[File:Neil Young 1996.jpg|thumb|upright=0.7|Young performing in 1996 in [[Turku]], Finland|left]]

Young's 1989 single "[[Rockin' in the Free World]]", which hit No.&nbsp;2 on the US mainstream-rock charts, and accompanied the album, ''[[Freedom (1989 album)|Freedom]]'', returned Young to the popular consciousness after a decade of sometimes-difficult genre experiments. The album's lyrics were often overtly political; "Rockin' in the Free World" deals with homelessness, terrorism, and environmental degradation, implicitly criticizing the government policies of President [[George H. W. Bush]].<ref>{{cite web|title=Neil Young Lyrics Analysis: Rockin' in the Free World|url=http://www.thrasherswheat.org/fot/ritfw.htm|website=Thrasherswheat.org|access-date=April 1, 2009}}</ref>

The use of heavy [[feedback]] and distortion on several ''Freedom'' tracks was reminiscent of the ''[[Rust Never Sleeps]]'' (1979) album and foreshadowed the imminent rise of grunge. The rising stars of the subgenre, including [[Nirvana (band)|Nirvana]]'s [[Kurt Cobain]] and [[Pearl Jam]]'s [[Eddie Vedder]], frequently cited Young as a major influence, contributing to his popular revival. A tribute album called ''[[The Bridge: A Tribute to Neil Young]]'' was released in 1989, featuring covers by a range of alternative and grunge acts, including [[Sonic Youth]], [[Nick Cave]], [[Soul Asylum]], [[Dinosaur Jr]], and the [[Pixies (band)|Pixies]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.amazon.com/Bridge-Tribute-Young-Various-Artists/dp/B000000HRF|title=Bridge: Tribute Neil Young|website=Amazon|access-date=July 20, 2024}}</ref>

Young's 1990 album ''[[Ragged Glory]]'', recorded with Crazy Horse in a barn on his Northern California ranch, continued this distortion-heavy aesthetic. Young toured for the album with Orange County, California country-punk band [[Social Distortion]] and Sonic Youth as support, much to the consternation of many of his old fans.<ref name="sonic">{{cite web|url=http://www.thrasherswheat.org/jammin/sonic_youth.htm|title=Sonic Youth and Neil Young|publisher=Thrasher's Wheat – A Neil Young Archives|access-date=April 1, 2009}}</ref> ''[[Weld (album)|Weld]]'', a two-disc live album documenting the tour, was released in 1991.<ref name="sonic" /> Sonic Youth's influence was evident on ''[[Arc (Neil Young & Crazy Horse album)|Arc]]'', a 35-minute collage of feedback and distortion spliced together at the suggestion of [[Thurston Moore]] and originally packaged with some versions of ''Weld''.<ref name="sonic" />

1992's ''[[Harvest Moon (album)|Harvest Moon]]'' marked an abrupt return (prompted by Young's [[hyperacusis]] in the aftermath of the ''Weld'' tour) to the country and folk-rock stylings of ''Harvest'' and reunited him with some of the musicians from that album, including the core members of the Stray Gators and singers [[Linda Ronstadt]] and [[James Taylor]]. The title track was a minor hit, and the record was well received by critics, winning the [[Juno Award for Album of the Year]] in 1994. Young also contributed to lifelong friend [[Randy Bachman]]'s nostalgic 1992 tune "Prairie Town", and garnered a 1993 [[Academy Award for Best Song|Academy Award]] nomination for his song "Philadelphia", from the soundtrack of the [[Jonathan Demme]] movie [[Philadelphia (movie)|of the same name]]. An ''[[Unplugged (Neil Young album)|MTV Unplugged]]'' performance and album emerged in 1993. Later that year, Young collaborated with [[Booker T. and the M.G.s]] for a summer tour of Europe and North America, with [[Blues Traveler]], [[Soundgarden]], and [[Pearl Jam]] also on the bill. Some European shows ended with a rendition of "Rockin' in the Free World" played with [[Pearl Jam]], foreshadowing their eventual full-scale collaboration two years later.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://sugarmtn.org/sm_show.php?show=199307110|title=1993-07-11: Finsbury Park, London, England (W/ Booker T. & The MGs)|website=Sugarmtn.org|access-date=July 20, 2024}}</ref>

[[File:Neil Young, Heart of Gold.jpg|thumb|upright=0.7|Young on stage in [[Barcelona]]]]

In 1994, Young again collaborated with Crazy Horse on ''[[Sleeps with Angels]]'', a record whose dark, somber mood was influenced by [[Kurt Cobain]]'s death earlier that year: the title track in particular dealt with Cobain's life and death without mentioning him by name. Cobain had quoted Young's lyric "It's better to burn out than fade away" (a line from "[[My My, Hey Hey (Out of the Blue)|My My, Hey Hey]]") in [[Death of Kurt Cobain#Suicide note|his suicide note]]. Young had reportedly made repeated attempts to contact Cobain before his death.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.smh.com.au/articles/2002/05/10/1021002387905.html|title=Neil Young: The Quiet Achiever|newspaper=The Sydney Morning Herald|access-date=January 26, 2010|date=May 11, 2002}}</ref> Young and Pearl Jam performed "Act of Love" at an abortion rights benefit along with Crazy Horse, and were present at a Rock and Roll Hall of Fame dinner, sparking interest in a collaboration between the two.<ref>{{cite news|last=Strauss|first=Neil|date=July 2, 1995 |title=The Predictably Unpredictable Neil Young|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1995/07/02/arts/the-predictably-unpredictable-neil-young.html|newspaper=The New York Times|access-date=October 2, 2014}}</ref> Still enamored with the grunge scene, Young reconnected with Pearl Jam in 1995 for the live-in-the-studio album ''[[Mirror Ball (Neil Young album)|Mirror Ball]]'' and a tour of Europe with the band and producer [[Brendan O'Brien (music producer)|Brendan O'Brien]] backing Young. 1995 also marked Young's induction into the [[Rock and Roll Hall of Fame]], where he was inducted by Eddie Vedder.<ref name="rockhall.com" />

{{blockquote|Young has consistently demonstrated the unbridled passion of an artist who understands that self-renewal is the only way to avoid burning out. For this reason, he has remained one of the most significant artists of the rock and roll era.|[[Rock and Roll Hall of Fame]] website.<ref name="rockhall.com">{{cite web|url=http://www.rockhall.com/inductees/neil-young|title=Neil Young: Inducted in 1995|publisher=The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum|access-date=June 30, 2010}}</ref><ref name="R&R Hall of Fame1">{{cite web|url=http://www.rockhall.com/inductees/neil-young/bio/|title=Neil Young Biography|year=2013|work=Neil Young biography at the Rock and roll Hall of Fame|publisher=The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum, Inc.|access-date=August 12, 2013}}</ref>}}

In 1995, Young and his manager [[Elliot Roberts]] founded a record label, Vapor Records.<ref name="canadianmusichalloffame">{{cite web|url=http://canadianmusichalloffame.ca/this-week-in-music-history-july-15-to-21/|title=This Week in Music History: July 15 to 21|work=[[Canadian Music Hall of Fame]]|first=David|last=Ball|date=July 16, 2013|access-date=February 17, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170218063755/http://canadianmusichalloffame.ca/this-week-in-music-history-july-15-to-21/|archive-date=February 18, 2017|url-status=dead}}</ref> It has released recordings by [[Tegan and Sara]], [[Spoon (band)|Spoon]], [[Jonathan Richman]], [[Vic Chesnutt]], [[Everest (band)|Everest]], [[Pegi Young]], [[Jets Overhead]], and Young himself, among others.<ref name="canadianmusichalloffame" />

Young's next collaborative partner was filmmaker [[Jim Jarmusch]], who asked Young to compose [[Dead Man (soundtrack)|a soundtrack]] to his 1995 black-and-white western film ''[[Dead Man]]''. Young's instrumental soundtrack was improvised while he watched the film alone in a studio. The death of longtime mentor, friend, and producer [[David Briggs (producer)|David Briggs]] in late 1995 prompted Young to reconnect with Crazy Horse the next year for the album and tour ''[[Broken Arrow (album)|Broken Arrow]]''. A Jarmusch-directed concert film and live album of the tour, ''[[Year of the Horse]]'', emerged in 1997. From 1996 to 1997, Young and Crazy Horse toured extensively throughout Europe and North America, including a stint as part of the [[H.O.R.D.E.]] Festival's sixth annual tour.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://sugarmtn.org/sm_getshows.php?tour_key=153|title=Neil Young Set Lists: 1997 HORDE Tour with Crazy Horse|website=Sugarmtn.org|access-date=July 20, 2024}}</ref>

In 1998, Young renewed his collaboration with the rock band [[Phish]], sharing the stage at the annual [[Farm Aid]] concert and then at Young's Bridge School Benefit, where he joined headliners Phish for renditions of "[[Helpless (Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young song)|Helpless]]" and "[[I Shall Be Released]]".<ref>{{cite web|url=http://hyperrust.org/Bridge/Bridge12.html|title=Bridge Benefit XII|publisher=Hyperrust|access-date=November 29, 2010}}</ref> Phish declined Young's later invitation to be his backing band on his 1999 North American tour.<ref>{{Cite magazine|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/neil-young-phish-down-by-the-river-1006145/|title=Flashback: Neil Young and Phish Play an Epic, Weed-Fueled "Down by the River"|magazine=Rolling Stone|access-date=July 20, 2024}}</ref>

The decade ended with the release in late 1999 of ''[[Looking Forward]]'', another reunion with Crosby, Stills, and Nash. The subsequent tour of the United States and Canada with the reformed quartet earned $42.1&nbsp;million, making it the eighth largest grossing tour of 2000.<ref>{{cite magazine |last= Waddell|first= Ray|date=December 28, 2002|title=Billboard: THE INTERNATIONAL NEWSWEEKLY OF MUSIC, VIDEO, AND HOME ENTERTAINMENT|magazine= Billboard |url=https://www.worldradiohistory.com/Archive-All-Music/Billboard/00s/2002/BB-2002-12-28.pdf|access-date=July 20, 2024}}</ref>