Neil Young: “Fuck You, Donald Trump”
Neil Young, a fervent Bernie Sanders supporter, has not been fond of Donald Trump using his song “Rockin’ In The Free World” at campaign events. Last year Young asked Trump to stop using the song and issued a statement explaining his opposition to the Republican candidate. That inspired Trump to call Young a hypocrite, noting that Young had previously asked Trump to financially back his PONO digital audio service. But as of last month, it seemed Young had softened on his anti-Trump stance, telling Reuters, “I got nothing against him.”
Turns out Young believes his remarks were misconstrued. The Canadian rock legend posted a note on Facebook today claiming that Reuters took his words out of context. In the note, Young explains that politicians can obtain a license to use an artist’s song at public events without the artist’s consent — hence the comment, “I got nothing against him,” as in, Young has no legal recourse to prevent Trump from using his song. However, Young believes that when candidates play an artist’s song at campaign events, the artist’s consent is implied, and that Trump should respect Young’s request to cease and desist.
Along with the note, Young shared concert footage in which he proclaims, “Fuck you, Donald Trump.” Watch the video and read Young’s message below.
Headlines are often designed to be misleading
(except this one from me)
YOUNG CONTINUES TO DENY TRUMP PERMISSION TO USE HIS MUSIC
When I discovered that the candidate first used my song at his campaign launch , my management called his office and immediately requested he stop.
We thought he had.
But now, unfortunately, I understand he is still using it..
Though there is a considerable legal difference between obtaining music rights for commercial use and obtaining a license agreement for public venues (When licensing music for public events – artists permission is not required) I believe using an artists work for a specific politicians campaign represents “implied consent”
After we asked him to stop using my music, he began
hurling insults and then
immediately released a photo to the media (again without my permission) to further mislead the public. The picture was taken when I visited his office while conducting various meetings with potential investors for my amazing sounding music company Pono, many months prior to his decision to become a candidate.
I still support the issue focused, straight shooter Bernie Sanders, in my opinion, the best person for the job, hands down. The process is not over until its over.
I do not endorse hate, bigotry, childish name calling, the superficiality of celebrity or ignorance.
The headline created by Reuters is titillating and it is purposely misleading, it is not journalism it is tabloid reporting.
For those who only read headlines-
Don’t just listen to the chorus
listen to the verses
colors on the street
red white and blue
people shufflin’ their feet
people sleepin’ in their shoes
there’s a warning sign on the road ahead
there’s a lot of people sayin we’d be better off dead
don’t feel like satan, but i am to them
So I try to forget it any way I can,
and keep on rockin in the free world.
i see a woman in the night
with a baby in her hand
under an old street light
near a garbage can
now she put the kid away cause she’s gone to get a hit
she hates her life and what she’s done to it
that’s one more kid who’ll never go to school
never get to fall in love, never get to be cool
keep on rockin in the free world
got a thousand points of light for the homeless man
got a kinder gentler machine gun had
got department stores and toilet paper
got styrofoam garbage for the ozone layer
got a man of the people sayin’ “keep hope alive”
got fuel to burn
got roads to drive
keep on rockin’ in the free world
got a water cannon for the standing man
got misinformation from the corporation
in the endless search for a drop of oil
people’s lives get shattered while we suck it from the soil
gotta show the children
we just don’t care
so we keep on burnin’it
and put it in the air
keep on rockin’ in the free world
keep on suckin’- suckin’ from the soil
keep on rockin in the free world
Keep on killin’- killin’ for oil
keep on rockin in the free world
gotta show the children
we just don’t care – we just don’t care
keep on rockin in the free world
neil young
