VIDEO: Neil Young's 'Hitchhiker' Depicts an Animated, Amphetamine-Induced American Adventure

Neil Young takes his fans for a ride across America in the animated music video for “Hitchhiker,” a single hailing from the Rock and Roll Hall of Famer’s newly released album of the same name.

Animated by Black Balloon, the video (above) offers a visual representation of the song’s lyrics, which touch upon everything from being strapped for cash to experimenting with amphetamines. After trekking across America, the song’s protagonist dabbles with California (“Where I first saw open water”) and living in the country (“Where everything was green”) before finally making his home on the road.

The song, like the entirety of Neil’s “Hitchhiker” album, was recorded in 1976 at Malibu’s Indigo Ranch Studios. While a few of the songs appeared here and there on Neil’s later albums, the collection as a whole was essentially shelved for 40 years until getting released this fall.

Neil, who memorably joined the Stern Show in 2014 for a sit down with Howard, was also a focal point of conversation during Monday’s interview with solo artist and Smashing Pumpkins frontman William Patrick Corgan.

Not only did Corgan tell Stern Show listeners about the time he shared a tepee with Neil, Marilyn Manson, and Lou Reed, but the rocker also performed a rendition of one of Neil’s most beloved hits. Listen to Corgan cover “After the Gold Rush” on the Stern Show (below).