For a musician like Neil Young, inspiration doesn’t come from just one source. An artist so deeply in tune with his craft can find the spark to write a song from almost anything—whether it’s the way he felt getting out of bed in the morning or a fleeting thought about breakfast. While Young has reached a point in his career where he could make dusting his house sound poetic, the inspiration behind Like a Hurricane came from a much more powerful force: the spell of a woman.
Love songs have always had a prominent place in popular music. The Beatles, for example, built an empire out of romantic tunes, and even The Rolling Stones, with their harder edge, have tracks like Wild Horses that resonate deeply with fans’ emotions. However, Neil Young’s approach to songwriting has always been a bit different. Balancing between his folk roots and rock influences, Young’s music often springs from emotions of anger, confusion, or yearning. Sugar Mountain, for instance, reflects the complexities of growing up, and even his most famous track, Heart of Gold, is more about searching for love than receiving it.
When it came to Like a Hurricane, however, the inspiration was more direct and overwhelming. Young was struck by an intense infatuation during a night out with his band members. After locking eyes with a woman at a bar, Young was so captivated that he immediately returned home to start crafting what would become one of his most memorable songs.
His bandmates had witnessed him woodshedding songs countless times before, but something about this experience was different. His neighbor, Taylor Phelps, recalled the moment vividly: “Neil had this amazing, intense attraction to a woman named Gail. It didn’t go anywhere—he didn’t even go home with her. But when we got back to the ranch, Neil was completely possessed. He started pacing around the room, hunched over a Stringman keyboard, pounding out the song.”
The lyrics of Like a Hurricane represent some of the purest poetry Young had written up to that point. While he had penned intense tracks on albums like After the Gold Rush, this song captures the exact moment of infatuation that consumed him that night. In the lyrics, Gail is depicted as if she’s floating through the bar, hitting Young with the force of a hurricane whenever she speaks.
Despite his distinctive Dylanesque vocal style, there is no trace of sarcasm or irony in this performance. Instead, it’s a sincere declaration of love, reminiscent of the heartfelt expressions found in classic Motown songs. While Young’s musical style differs greatly from those Motown legends, the raw emotion he conveys is just as powerful.
Neil Young is known for his authenticity, and Like a Hurricane is no exception. Whether he’s expressing his desire to change the world or recounting the experience of meeting a woman who left him breathless, Young’s music is always a reflection of his true feelings. In Like a Hurricane, listeners get a glimpse of the vulnerability and passion that have made Neil Young one of the most enduring and respected artists in rock history.
