My My, Hey Hey (Out of the Blue) (promo, DJ Label copy only)

Hey Hey, My My (Into the Black) is the searing electric counterpart to My My, Hey Hey (Out of the Blue) on Neil Young’s 1979 album Rust Never Sleeps. Written during a period of renewed creative urgency, it channels the influence of punk rock into Young’s trademark guitar squall, pairing distorted, almost proto-grunge riffs with stark lyrics about artistic mortality—“It’s better to burn out than to fade away.” With Crazy Horse driving the relentless, pounding rhythm, the song became an anthem of defiance and reinvention, cementing its place as one of Young’s most iconic works.

This rare test pressing captures the track at its most raw and unfiltered, with a heavier, more abrasive guitar tone that heightens its urgency. Stripped of some of the polish of the final LP mix, it feels closer to a live performance—thick fuzz, jagged edges, and the sense that the song might fly off the rails at any moment. It’s a bracing document of Young’s late-’70s creative fire, and a glimpse at the sound that would help inspire the grunge movement a decade later.

Produced at Gold Star for internal review ahead of Rust Never Sleeps’ 1979 release, this test pressing was made strictly for radio and label personnel. Its “Label Copy Only” designation, absence of an etched matrix, and accompanying call sheets suggest it was part of a very small batch pressed for evaluation and select promotional use. Surviving copies with original documentation and period sleeve are exceptionally scarce.
-Robert Williston

Gold Star Test Pressing – DJ Promotion, Not for Sale – Label Copy Only
Date: July 6, 1979

Format: 10" single-sided test pressing
Label: AME / Gold Star (label copy only)
Catalog Number: RPS 49031
Master Number: WXX 0843 S
Publishing: Silver Fiddle
Label Details: “DJ PROMOTION – NOT FOR SALE – LABEL COPY ONLY” with “Mono” box typed with an “X”
Matrix: None (blank)
Pressing Date: July 6, 1979
Sleeve: Original plain orange 10" sleeve with no markings
Paperwork: Original stapled and folded 8.5" × 11" call sheet — two identical sheets
Speed: 45 RPM