The competition among the different late night shows these days is pretty stiff.
With the rise of the internet and all kinds of other digital media outlets, it can be hard to keep the whole nation’s eyes on their television sets. With that said, there are a ton of new late night hosts on all different channels, each with their own strategies to revitalize their respective franchises. For Stephen Colbert, it’s high-brow guests and intellectual discussions. For James Corden, it’s a laid-back atmosphere and lots of Carpool Karaoke.
But few people have mastered the internet as well as Jimmy Fallon.
When Jimmy Fallon took over The Tonight Show, nobody was sure how things would go.
As of now, Fallon has carved out a niche for himself as one of the friendliest men in the late night scene—along with his reputation as a solid singer and performer in his own right. When he was on Saturday Night Live, one of Fallon’s biggest talents on the show was his ability to impersonate other singers and performers.
Needless to say, he brought those abilities with him on his new show!
In one particularly hilarious bit, Fallon goes out on stage completely dressed up as Neil Young.
As the crowd cheers, Fallon starts strumming his guitar and singing the famous lyrics: “Old man, look at my life/I’m a lot like you were.” If you don’t know the song, it’s Neil Young’s smash hit “Old Man,” and the crowd cheers along when they recognize it.
Although it’s a great impersonation, Fallon doesn’t seem to be doing it for any specific comedic reason. If anything, he’s doing a genuine performance of the song in the style of Neil Young.
Although it’s pretty straightforward for the first verse, things change as he gets to the chorus.
After he makes it through it, someone else pulls up a chair next to him dressed exactly the same way.
As it turns out, it’s the real Neil Young! For the rest of the song, Fallon takes a backseat so that Neil Young can sing his own lyrics for the next verse. When the chorus comes around, the two of them sing together and the crowd goes crazy! The two perform the whole song together as faithfully as possible, with the real Neil Young blowing on the harmonica towards the very end.
When it’s all over, the crowd gives them an enormous round of applause.
Since the clip first went online, it has garnered approximately 15 million views on YouTube!
The funniest thing about these kinds of performances is that Fallon manages to get even the most reticent performers to play along with his comedy pieces.
While Neil Young is not necessarily known for his interviews and his on-camera appearances (when he’s not performing, that is), Fallon is so clearly such a huge fan that Neil Young felt safe going on the show and poking a little bit of fun at himself. If Fallon can keep bringing classic rock greats like this on his show, then we’re totally in support of it—and Fallon is no slouch as a singer and guitar player as well!
Thanks to Jimmy Fallon and Neil Young for this hilarious duet! Watch the full clip below:
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