Midnight Shine adds Cree verse to spice up an oldie

The indigenous rockers of Midnight Shine have added fresh glitter to Neil Young’s “Heart of Gold” with a new version that features a verse in Mushkegowuk Cree.

The Attawapiskat band released a music video for their cover that is filmed entirely in their northern Ontario community and features lead singer Adrian Sutherland playing guitar and harmonica in a boat filled with his family and friends.

Their rendition of “Heart of Gold” introduces new elements to one of Young’s most beloved songs, including a heavy drum beat, slide guitar, pow wow singing and the translated Cree verse.

Sutherland performs the Indigenous chant and the vocals, while the Trews’ Chris Gormley appears as a guest drummer. The singer said in a press release that it proved difficult to directly translate the English into Cree words because gold is described as “money rock.”

He said that wouldn’t do justice to Young’s meaning, so instead of “heart of gold” he opted for it to say, “good hearted.”

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