"The Needle and the Damage Done" is a song by Neil Young

Neil Young

Neil Percival Young, OC, OM is a Canadian singer-songwriter who is widely regarded as one of the most influential musicians of his generation...

 that describes the descent into heroin addiction of musicians he knew. It was written about the heroin use of his Crazy Horse

Crazy Horse (band)

Crazy Horse is an American rock band best known for its association with Neil Young. It has been co-credited on a number of albums throughout Young's career and has released five albums of its own.-Early years:...

 guitarist Danny Whitten

Danny Whitten

Daniel Ray Whitten was an American musician and songwriter best known for his work with Neil Young and Crazy Horse, and for the song "I Don't Want To Talk About It", a hit for Rita Coolidge, Rod Stewart and Everything but the Girl.- Biography :Whitten was born on May 8, 1943, in Columbus, Georgia....

, and previews the theme of "Tonight's the Night", a song that addresses the heroin overdose and death of Bruce Berry

Bruce Berry

Bruce Berry was a professional roadie for the members of Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, both as a group and individually. He got his start by working at his brother Ken's store SIR which brought him steady gigs. His happy, charismatic personality endeared him to the group and he was always on the...

, a roadie for Young and his band Crazy Horse.

"The Needle and the Damage Done" first appeared on the Harvest album in 1972. The song was recorded live rather than in the studio. It appears on the compilation albums Decade

Decade (Neil Young album)

Decade is a triple album compilation by Neil Young, released in 1977, now available on two compact discs. It contains 35 of Young's songs recorded between 1966 and 1976, among them five tracks that had been unreleased up to that point...

and Greatest Hits

Greatest Hits (Neil Young album)

Greatest Hits is Neil Young's third compilation album after Decade and Lucky Thirteen. Eleven of the first twelve tracks appear on Decade, and the disc spans his solo career from 1969 through 1992...

. On the handwritten liner notes

Liner notes

Liner notes are the writings found in booklets which come inserted into the compact disc jewel case or the equivalent packaging for vinyl records and cassettes.-Origin:...

 included in Decade, Young had this to say about the song: "I am not a preacher, but drugs killed a lot of great men."

A recording of the song from 1971 was part of the 2007 album Live at Massey Hall 1971

Live at Massey Hall 1971

Live At Massey Hall 1971 is a live album by Neil Young. Released in 2007, the album features a solo, acoustic performance from Massey Hall in Toronto, Canada on 19 January 1971 during the Journey Through the Past Solo Tour. It is the second release in Young's Archives Performance Series.. It...

. The album captured Young's introduction of his song thus:

Ever since I left Canada, about five years ago or so... and moved down south... found out a lot of things that I didn't know when I left. Some of 'em are good, and some of 'em are bad. Got to see a lot of great musicians before they happened... before they became famous... y'know, when they were just gigging. Five and six sets a night... things like that. And I got to see a lot of, um, great musicians who nobody ever got to see. For one reason or another. But... strangely enough, the real good ones... that you never got to see was... 'cause of, ahhm, heroin. An' that started happening over an' over. Then it happened to someone that everyone knew about. So I just wrote a little song.

Cover versions

Bands that covered this song on studio albums include Our Lady Peace

Our Lady Peace

Our Lady Peace is a Canadian alternative rock band that formed in Toronto, Ontario in 1992. Headed by lead vocalist Raine Maida since its formation, the band additionally consists of Jeremy Taggart on percussion, Duncan Coutts on bass, and Steve Mazur as lead guitarist...

, Green River

Green River (band)

Green River was an American rock band from Seattle, Washington that was active from 1984 to 1988. Although the band had little commercial impact outside of its native Seattle, Green River proved to have significant influence on the genre later known as grunge, both with its own music and with the...

, Duran Duran

Duran Duran

Duran Duran are an English band, formed in Birmingham in 1978. They were one of the most successful bands of the 1980s and a leading band in the MTV-driven "Second British Invasion" of the United States...

, Lior

Lior

Lior is a male, independent Australian singer-songwriter based in Melbourne.-Career:In early 2005, Lior independently self-released his debut album Autumn Flow, certified gold by ARIA...

, Simple Minds

Simple Minds

Simple Minds are a Scottish rock band who achieved worldwide popularity from the mid-1980s to the early 1990s. The band produced a handful of critically acclaimed albums in the early 1980s and best known for their #1 US, Canada and Netherlands hit single "Don't You ", from the soundtrack of the...

, and The Pretenders

The Pretenders

The Pretenders are an English rock band formed in Hereford, England in March 1978. The original band consisted of initiator and main songwriter Chrissie Hynde , James Honeyman-Scott , Pete Farndon , and Martin Chambers...

; Punk rock band The Bronx

The Bronx (band)

The Bronx is an American hardcore punk band from Los Angeles formed in 2002. The band's current lineup consists of vocalist Matt Caughthran, guitarists Joby J. Ford and Ken Horne, bass guitarist Brad Magers, and drummer Jorma Vik...

 recorded a cover which can be found as a b-side on the "False Alarm" single.

Red Hot Chili Peppers

Red Hot Chili Peppers

Red Hot Chili Peppers is an American rock band, formed in Los Angeles in 1983. The group's musical style primarily consists of rock with an emphasis on funk, as well as elements from other genres such as punk, hip hop and psychedelic rock...

 bassist Flea

Flea

Flea is the common name for insects of the order Siphonaptera which are wingless insects with mouthparts adapted for piercing skin and sucking blood...

 has covered it while on tour in 1993 for the temporary departure of John Frusciante from their band. Cross Canadian Ragweed

Cross Canadian Ragweed

Cross Canadian Ragweed was an American Red Dirt/Texas Country/Country rock band. The name of the band came from the combination of three band members' names, Grady Cross , Cody Canada , and Randy Ragsdale . Jeremy Plato's name was not involved in the band naming...

's Cody Canada performed the song acoustically on their 2006 release Back to Tulsa - Live and Loud at Cain's Ballroom

Back to Tulsa - Live and Loud at Cain's Ballroom

Back to Tulsa - Live and Loud at Cain's Ballroom is a live CD/DVD combo, released on October 31, 2006, by Cross Canadian Ragweed. The CD and DVD were recorded July 14 and 15, 2006, at the historic Cain's Ballroom and Dancehall in Tulsa, Oklahoma, in front of sold-out crowds. Produced by Rob Dennis...

. Alternative metal band Seether

Seether

Seether is a post-grunge/alternative metal band from Pretoria, South Africa, formed in 1999. The band is currently signed to Wind-up Records...

 covered it during a performance on Last Call with Carson Daly

Last Call with Carson Daly

Last Call with Carson Daly is an American late night talk show that is broadcast on NBC. The show is hosted by Carson Daly, the half-hour show featuring celebrity interviews, documentary-style coverage of a topic, and musical performances. Last Call airs weeknights at 1:35 a.m. Eastern / 12:35 a.m....

.

Cross Canadian Ragweed recorded a live cover on their 2006 album "Back To Tulsa: Live And Loud At Cain's Ballroom".

Irish singer Andrea Corr

Andrea Corr

Andrea Jane Corr is an Irish musician, songwriter and actress. Corr debuted in 1990 as the lead singer of the Celtic folk rock and pop rock group The Corrs along with her three elder siblings Caroline, Sharon, and Jim...

 covered it during her AOL Sessions on July 19, 2007 in support of her solo album Ten Feet High

Ten Feet High

-Release history:* Japan: 21 June 2007* Ireland: 22 June 2007* UK/Europe: 25 June 2007* Canada: 26 June 2007* Finland: 27 June 2007* Germany: 29 June 2007* Australia 23 July 2007* New Zealand 7 August 2007* Spain: 21 August 2007* Portugal: 27 August 2007...

.

English folk singer Laura Marling

Laura Marling

Laura Beatrice Marling is an English folk musician from Eversley, Hampshire.Initially prominent within the London folk scene, she has also toured with a number of well-known indie artists in the UK. Her debut album Alas, I Cannot Swim and her second album I Speak Because I Can were nominated for...

 covered it twice on her August 2008 tour of Australia, and on several dates during her 2010 tour of England, Marling has since recorded the cover on a limited edition 7", produced by Jack White

Jack White (musician)

Jack White , often credited as Jack White III, is an American musician, songwriter, record producer and occasional actor...

.

English singer Pete Doherty

Pete Doherty

Peter Doherty is an English musician, writer, actor, poet and artist. He is best known musically for being co-frontman of The Libertines, which he reformed with Carl Barât in 2010. His other musical project is indie band Babyshambles...

 covered it during a gig at the French festival Eurockeennes de Belfort in 2009 and at the Roskilde Festival in Denmark in July 2009 as well as at the Belgian festival Lokerse Feesten in August 2009.

Pearl Jam

Pearl Jam

Pearl Jam is an American rock band that formed in Seattle, Washington, in 1990. Since its inception, the band's line-up has included Eddie Vedder , Jeff Ament , Stone Gossard , and Mike McCready...

's lead singer Eddie Vedder

Eddie Vedder

Eddie Vedder is an American musician and singer-songwriter who is best known for being the lead singer and one of three guitarists of the alternative rock band Pearl Jam. He is widely considered a cultural icon of alternative rock.He is also involved in soundtrack work and contributes to albums...

 covered the song at a Pearl Jam show on August 23, 2009, at the United Center in Chicago, Illinois. He dedicated it to Michael Jackson

Michael Jackson

Michael Joseph Jackson was an American recording artist, entertainer, and businessman. Referred to as the King of Pop, or by his initials MJ, Jackson is recognized as the most successful entertainer of all time by Guinness World Records...

, to whom he grew up listening. Pearl Jam also covered the song during their Backspacer tour.

Dave Matthews

Dave Matthews

David John "Dave" Matthews is a South African–born American musician and occasional actor, best known as the lead vocalist, songwriter, and guitarist for the Dave Matthews Band...

 covered the song frequently in his live performances during 2010.

Jewel

Jewel (singer)

Jewel Kilcher , professionally known as Jewel, is an American singer-songwriter, guitarist, producer, actress and poet...

 covered the song on Howard Stern's radio show on May 24, 2010.
Seether covered the song on May 18th, 2011 at their exclusive show in New York on the Holding on to Strings Better Left to Fray promo tour.