RockLists.com
Cover of After the Gold Rush by Neil Young
Cover: After the Gold Rush

Song · Neil Young

“Southern Man” by Neil Young

From the album After the Gold Rush (1970)

“Southern Man” by Neil Young appears on 48 radio countdowns from 19 stations between 1982 and 2026. It was first released in 1970 on the album After the Gold Rush. Its best result is #56 on the 100.7 WZLX 1K Countdown (2014). In the combined RockLists rankings it is #839 indie & aaa song of all time.

48countdowns
19stations
#56best position
0#1 finishes
0top 10 finishes
1982–2026years charted

Watch

Southern Man

Video from YouTube (Neil Young - Topic). Pressing play loads YouTube's player. Watch on YouTube

Neil Young didn't whisper anything on "Southern Man", the fiercest cut on his 1970 album After the Gold Rush. It's a furious folk-rock indictment of racism in the American South, told through a white man and the people he held as slaves, with Young demanding to know when the region will settle up for the fortunes it built on slavery, and calling out the burning crosses of the Ku Klux Klan.

The band plays it like a street fight: Young's electric guitar snarls and stabs, Nils Lofgren hammers the piano, Greg Reeves and Ralph Molina drive it hard, and Molina and Danny Whitten back Young's voice. David Briggs produced with Young. He meant every word, too; on his 1973 tour he called off an Oakland show after a guard beat a fan and dragged him from the stage during the song. Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young's 4 Way Street carries a longer live take.

Written with AI assistance from RockLists chart data, MusicBrainz and Wikipedia.

RockLists rankings

Indie & Adult Alternative

Classic Rock

Hard Rock & Metal

All Rock Formats

All-time and decade countdowns

Year#StationCountdownof
1982 65 95.5 KLOS KLOS Memorial Day 500 (1982) 499
1991 119 WNEW-FM WNEW Firecracker 500 (1991) 500
1994 381 KISW KISW Top 1000 of All Time (1994) 1000
1997 91 100.7 WZLX WZLX Memorial 500 (1997) 499
1997 343 102.3 WBAB WBAB Top 1,023 Rock and Roll Songs of All Time (1997) 1023
1997 493 104.5 KZEP KZEP Memorial Weekend Top 500 (1997) 500
2001 95 WFPK WFPK 2001 Greatest Songs of All Time 2000
2002 200 92.3 KGON KGON Top 923 Classic Rock Songs of All Time (2002) 923
2002 341 100.7 WZLX WZLX Memorial 500 (2002) 500
2004 199 92.3 KGON KGON Top 923 Classic Rock Songs of All Time (2004) 923
2004 395 WXPN WXPN 885 All-Time Greatest Songs (2004) 885
2010 724 WXPN WXPN 885 Ultimate Road Trip Songs (2010) 885
2011 97 100.7 WZLX 100.7 WZLX Top 1100 Countdown (2011) 1100
2012 98 100.7 WZLX 100.7 WZLX Top 1200 Countdown (2012) 1200
2013 73 100.7 WZLX 100.7 WZLX Firecracker 500 (2013) 500
2013 167 100.7 WZLX 100.7 WZLX Grand Jam 1000 (2013) 1000
2014 547 WXPN WXPN 885 All-Time Greatest Songs (2014) 885
2014 484 Big 100 BIG 1000 New Year's Countdown (2014) 1000
2014 56 100.7 WZLX 100.7 WZLX 1K Countdown (2014) 1000
2014 187 100.7 WZLX 100.7 WZLX Firecracker 400 (2014) 400
2015 78 100.7 WZLX 100.7 WZLX Firecracker 500 (2015) 499
2015 138 102.9 The Whale 102.9 The Whale Hartford 500 (2015) 500
2015 166 100.7 WZLX 100.7 WZLX Top 1007 Classic Rock Countdown (2015) 1007
2016 273 Qfm96 Qfm96 Memorial Day 500 (2016) 500
2016 376 100.7 WZLX 100.7 WZLX Top 1007 Countdown for 2016 1007
2019 253 102.5 KZOK KZOK Top 1025 of 2019 1025
2019 562 WYEP WYEP Big Spring Countdown 2019 1017
2019 287 102.5 WDVE DVE Memorial Day 500 (2019) 500
2019 562 WYEP WYEP Labor Day Weekend Countdown 2019 1099
2020 540 102.5 KZOK KZOK Classic Rock Top 1025 (2020) 1025
2020 296 102.5 WDVE DVE Memorial Day 500 (2020) 500
2021 141 102.5 WDVE DVE Memorial Day 500 (2021) 500
2022 277 102.5 WDVE DVE Memorial Day 500 (2022) 500
2022 642 Q104.3 Q104.3 Top 1,043 Classic Rock Songs of All Time (2022) 1043
2022 547 102.5 KZOK KZOK Classic Rock Top 1025 (2022) 1025
2022 1400 WYEP WYEP Countdown to Fall 2022 603
2023 281 102.5 WDVE DVE Memorial Day 500 (2023) 500
2023 795 101.5 WPDH WPDH Top 1015 (2023) 1015
2023 210 Q104.3 Q104.3 Top 1,043 Classic Rock Songs of All Time (2023) 1043
2023 219 Qfm96 Qfm96 Memorial Day 500 (2023) 500
2024 227 Qfm96 Qfm96 Memorial Day 500 (2024) 498
2024 290 102.5 WDVE DVE Memorial Day 500 (2024) 500
2024 586 Q104.3 Q104.3 Top 1,043 Classic Rock Songs of All Time (2024) 1043
2024 138 WMGK WMGK Philly 500 (2024) 500
2025 114 Qfm96 Qfm96 Memorial Day 500 (2025) 498
2025 763 Q104.3 Q104.3 Top 1,043 Classic Rock Songs of All Time (2025) 1043
2026 606 WYEP WYEP Greatest Songs of All Time 1180
2026 110 KSHE 95 KSHE 95 U-Man 500 (2026) 499

Comments

Log in or create a free account to join the conversation about "Southern Man" by Neil Young.

Be kind and stay on topic. Guidelines

No comments yet. Be the first to share your thoughts.