Neil Young: Heart of Gold via YouTube [above]
[purchase mp3 at Amazon]
I held back until the last minute before our new theme comes online because I thought for sure some other SMM poster would surely hit on this: it has the weekly theme in the title and it is a classic.
Heart of Gold is the only one of Neil Young's many songs to reach the #1 spot on the US charts. First released on his 1972 "Harvest" album, he generally plays it on an acoustic guitar with harmonica accompaniment in addition to his vocals (as in the recording here.)
The late 60s and early 70s were Young's most productive years: member of Buffalo Springfield, solo work, and member of CSN&Y. Albums from this era include the eponymous "Neil Young" (1968), Everybody Knows This is Nowhere (1969), After the Gold Rush (1970) and Harvest (1972). The previous list does not reference his "side career" with CSN&Y during the same time frame.
This particular video starts off kind of rambling, but in the process, provides a certain insight into the man's personality, and so, while there are other more direct renditions of the song at YouTube, I chose this for the depth of character it imparts.