Nowadays Clancy Can't Even Sing

Buffalo Springfield

About Nowadays Clancy Can't Even Sing

"Nowadays Clancy Can't Even Sing" is a song by the American folk rock band Buffalo Springfield, released as the group's debut single in 1966. Neil Young wrote the song in Yorkville in 1965 shortly after returning from a series of performances in Toronto, during a period when his bid at a solo career had been met with little positive response. The lyrics reflect metaphorically on Young's frustration toward his stalled career in music, and was inspired by Ross "Clancy" Smith, an aberrant classmate who incited awe in his school. Commentators recognize "Nowadays Clancy Can't Even Sing" as one of Buffalo Springfield's signature songs, as well as a milestone in Young's progression as a songwriter. The song was the lead single to Buffalo Springfield's self-titled debut album, bubbling under the Billboard Hot 100 at 110. Buffalo Springfield played "Nowadays Clancy Can't Even Sing" at many concerts during their stay in Los Angeles where it found regional success. Young's original demo recording for Elektra Records was included on the compilation album The Archives Vol. 1 1963–1972 (2009), and a live version, from his 1968 solo tour, appears on Sugar Mountain – Live at Canterbury House 1968 (2008). The band's rendition appears on Retrospective: The Best of Buffalo Springfield (1969) and Buffalo Springfield (1973). In 1968, Fever Tree arguably was the earliest artist to cover a Young song with their orchestrated pop interpretation of "Nowadays Clancy Can't Even Sing"; another version was recorded by the Carpenters. 


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Hey who's that stomping all over my face?
Where's that silhouette I'm trying to trace?
Who's putting sponge in the bells I once rung?
And taking my gypsy before she's begun?
To singing the meaning of what's in my mind
Before I can take home what's rightfully mine
Joinin' and listenin' and talkin' in rhymes
Stoppin' the feeling to wait for the times
Who's saying baby that don't mean a thing
'Cause nowadays Clancy can't even sing

And who's all hung-up on that happiness thing?
Who's trying to tune all the bells that he rings?
And who's in the corner and down on the floor?
With pencil and paper just counting the score?
And who's trying to act like he just in between?
The night isn't black, it can only be screened
Don't bother looking you're too blind to see
Who's coming on like he wanted to be
Who's saying baby, that don't mean a thing
'Cause nowadays Clancy can't even sing

And who's coming home on the old ninety five?
Who's got the feeling to keep him alive
Though havin' it, sharin' it ain't quite the same
It ain't no gold nugget you can't lay a claim
Who's seeing eyes through the crack in the floor
There it is baby don't you worry no more
Who should be sleepin' but is writing this song
Wishin' and a-hopin' he weren't so damned wrong
Who's saying baby, that don't mean a thing
'Cause nowadays Clancy can't even sing
Who's saying baby that don't mean a thing
'Cause nowadays Clancy can't even sing

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Buffalo Springfield

Buffalo Springfield is a North American folk rock band renowned both for its music and as a springboard for the careers of Neil Young, Stephen Stills, Richie Furay and Jim Messina. Among the first wave of North American bands to become popular in the wake of the British invasion, the group combined rock, folk, and country music into a sound all its own. Its million-selling song "For What It's Worth" became a political anthem for the turbulent late 1960s. more »

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Written by: Neil Young

Lyrics © Broken Arrow Music

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind


3 facts about this song

Buffalo Springfield Facts
1. "Nowadays Clancy Can't Even Sing" is a song released by Buffalo Springfield in 1966, initially gaining modest commercial success. 2. The song was released as the band's debut single but failed to chart nationally, though it did well in Los Angeles and San Francisco. 3. Buffalo Springfield consisted of several members who would later gain individual fame, including Stephen Stills, Neil Young, and Richie Furay. 4. Neil Young, a member of the band, was the lead guitarist and also sang background vocals for "Nowadays Clancy Can't Even Sing." 5. The song was included in the band's debut eponymous album "Buffalo Springfield," which is considered one of the most influential albums in the genre of folk rock.
Carpenters Facts
6. The Carpenters, a popular American pop duo, covered "Nowadays Clancy Can't Even Sing" on their debut studio album "Offering" released in 1969. 7. Their version of the song, straying from Buffalo Springfield’s folk-rock roots, incorporated elements of the Carpenters' distinctive pop sound. 8. It was one of a few songs that Karen Carpenter, the lead vocalist of the group, did not have solo lead on. Richard Carpenter, her brother and the other half of the duo, also sang lead vocals.
Neil Young Facts
9. Although Neil Young was part of Buffalo Springfield when "Nowadays Clancy Can't Even Sing" was recorded, he did not write this particular song. It was written by Richie Furay. 10. Neil Young performed live solo versions of this song several times during his career. 11. Although not a commercial hit at the time, "Nowadays Clancy Can't Even Sing" is a widely revered song among Neil Young fans and is widely hailed as a standout track from Buffalo Springfield's oeuvre.

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