on Young's compilation Lucky Thirteen. Young explained the inspiration for the album in 1995, saying that "there was very little depth to the material obviously. They were all 'surface' songs. But see, there was a time when music was like that, when all pop stars were like that. And it was good music, really good music. Plus it was a way of further destroying what I'd already set up. Without doing that, I wouldn't be able to do what I'm doing now. If I build something up, I have to systematically tear it right down before people decide, 'Oh that's how we can define him." He also said of his rockabilly persona, "I was that guy for a year and a half, almost like being in a movie." Reception At the time of its release, Everybody's Rockin''' received among the worst critical reviews of Young's career. Robert Christgau of the Village Voice wrote that "The covers are redundant or worse, as are all but two of the originals....I hope Neil realizes that for all the horrible truth of 'Payola Blues,' nobody's three thou's gonna get this on top forty." New Musical Express added: "At least Neil Young has yet resisted rejoining Crosby, Stills and Nash, although this foray into rockabilly pastiche is hardly much less regressive than that." Young himself expressed fondness for the album, comparing it favorably to his acclaimed 1975 album Tonight's the Night, yet also acknowledging the truth of some of its harsher criticisms: "What am I? Stupid? Did people really think I put that out thinking it was the greatest fuckin' thing I'd ever recorded? Obviously I'm aware it's not."Everybody's Rockin was included in Q magazine's 2006 list of the 50 worst albums ever made. Lawsuit In November 1983, following the commercial failure of Everybody's Rockin'', Geffen sued Young for $3.3 million, on the grounds that this record and its predecessor were "not commercial", and "musically uncharacteristic of [his] previous recordings." Young filed a $21 million countersuit, alleging breach of contract since Young had been promised no creative interference from the label. The suit backfired against Geffen, with label owner David Geffen personally apologizing to Young for the suit and for interference with his work. The year before the lawsuit, just after Young had signed to Geffen, his longtime manager Elliot Roberts was asked why Young had changed labels, and said, "I did have a much