Broken Arrow

Neil Young wrote this after breaking up with the group because of what he called "An identity crisis." He quickly returned to the band and recorded this song. In a Rolling Stone interview about what broke up Buffalo Springfield; Young said, "I was going crazy, you know, joining and quitting and joining again. I began to feel like I didn't have to answer or obey anyone. I needed more space." Meanwhile, his Buffalo Springfield bandmate Stephen Stills concurs, saying in part: "We were of the age where you can very easily get the diva syndrome before you've sold any records or anything and all that stuff, and there was a little of that. And it was so laden with talent, this bunch, that we just hit the track going too fast that we went into the wall with no skid marks. It was just... we spun out. But we spun out because we didn't realize how hot the car was."

This track took over 100 hours to record, which was an eternity by 1967 standards. "Broken Arrow" sometimes draws raised eyebrows for being so oddly arranged - rather like the Beatles' psychedelic period such as "Revolution 9." Perhaps it is this song which longtime Young collaborator David Briggs had in mind when he said, "When you make rock and roll, the more you think, the more you stink."

Dewey Martin, who was Buffalo Springfield's drummer, sang the first verse of Mr. Soul in this tune. The track was produced by Jack Nitzsche, and the jazzy piano solo at the end is by Don Randi.