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Old Music Tuesday: Neil Young's 'Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere'

I haven't kept an official ticker, but if government agents kicked in my door and forced me to pick the one album I've listened to more than any other, I'd have to say Neil Young's Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere. It came out 43 years ago this week.

I'm assuming people still bond and develop lifelong friendships over a shared love for a given album, but Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere is also the last record I can recall playing such a vital role for me. I'd only just met the person who introduced me to it years ago and we went on to become close friends, in no small part by spending hours and hours playing extended versions of "Down By The River" on our acoustic guitars. Even now, months can go by without seeing each other, but when we get together, we can pull out the guitars and play seemingly endless versions of the song, much to our wives' glee!

So happy birthday, Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere! Thanks for the memories, and massive thanks to the dear friend who first gave it to me.

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Robin Hilton is a producer and co-host of the popular NPR Music show All Songs Considered.