The greatest song written by Neil young in tribute to Kurt Cobain

‘Sleeps With Angels’ – Neil Young about Kurt Cobain

Unlike many entries on this list, Neil Young and Kurt Cobain weren’t exactly close friends. Young had gained a reputation as the ‘Godfather of Grunge’ but had otherwise remained isolated in his own music before he learned of the death of Cobain. The Nirvana singer took his own life in 1994 and referred to a Young song in his suicide note, “It’s better to burn out than fade away”.

It was enough to prompt Young to pen a track for the fallen icon and take his own inspiration from Nirvana’s sound to produce ‘Sleeps With Angels’. To make matters worse, Young had been attempting to contact Cobain in the weeks leading up to his suicide.

Though reluctant to talk about their connection, Young opened up about the singer during an interview with The Guardian in 2002. “I like to think that I possibly could have done something. I was just trying to reach him. Trying to connect up with him. It’s just too bad I didn’t get a shot. I had an impulse to connect,” reflected the singer. “Only when he used my song in that suicide note was the connection made. Then, I felt it was really unfortunate that I didn’t get through to him. I might’ve been able to make things a little lighter for him, that’s all. Just lighten it up a little bit.”