"Got A Man of The People Says Keep Hope Alive": Neil Young’s "Rockin' In The Free World"

Neil Young
Allan Waters Humanitarian Award - 2011

The controversy over Donald Trump's unauthorized use of Neil Young's song "Rockin in the Free World" for his U.S. presidential candidate announcement continues to overshadow the candidate's campaign.

The song's selection as campaign theme music raises very serious concerns about the candidate's judgement and wisdom, as well as, his staff's who appear to be either totally inept or merely sycophantically obeying orders from "The Donald" in fear of being a victim of Trump's anger and "Your Fired!" mentality.

As we have extensively chronicled in the past here on TW over the years (and again earlier this week), not since Bruce Springsteen's "Born in the USA" has a song been so misunderstood and misappropriated.

So here's yet another insightful analysis of Neil Young's song "Rockin in the Free World" from Donald Trump and Neil Young: what that song communicates | The Conversation by Liam Viney:

Behind that, however, is another story – one more powerful than is commonly acknowledged, and certainly more beautiful.

The irony of a self-declared economic and social conservative using an economically and socially progressive protest song to announce a presidential campaign is obvious. Even the most cursory examination of the song’s lyrics and music video (below) reveal themes of homelessness, drug addiction, anti-consumerist sentiment, and an ironic reference to former US president George H. Bush’s campaign pledge to create a compassionate citizenry.

Clearly, on many levels this was a poor match for the speech Trump was about to give, with its themes of revivifying US military and economic power on a global scale. What is less clear is why Trump or his campaign team opted for this particular song in spite of the obvious.

To be sure, a superficial hearing of the song might discount the lyrics of the verses, and focus on the ostensibly triumphalist chorus (“keep on rockin’ in the free world”).

And while this particular song has already been somewhat misappropriated through its association with the fall of Communism, the question still remains: why use this particular song, if it is so clearly at odds with the candidate’s general political concerns?

Obliviousness to the song’s text and themes is one possibility, and I will leave it to others to ponder the implications and conclusions that might be drawn about the kinds of people who run for office in the modern era.

Another possibility is that on a more fundamental level, the song communicates in ways that transcend the protest message, making it a worthwhile choice for Trump’s purposes despite the lyrics. And that’s where the power of music becomes apparent.
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Some basic musical knowledge is important. Being able to articulate how music works can enhance our ability to understand its effect on us, and in this case, how it is being used to manipulate us.

In an ideal world, everyone would know two related terms from music theory: major and minor.

Much of music can be talked about without technical terms (pitch and rhythm are as good as universally understood, and can be discussed using words like higher, lower, faster, slower), but the concepts of major and minor harmonic “colours” are not common knowledge.

To express a crude oppositional binary, major key music sounds bright, open and happy to many people, and minor key music sounds darker, more inward or sad to many people.

Of course this dichotomy expands into a complexity of psychological shadings only limited by the full range of human emotions and thoughts – and perhaps not even then. But for the purposes of looking at this song, minor as emotionally negative and major as positive are useful ideas to start with.

At first glance, the musical contribution to the psychology of the song is very clear. The socially dark issues of the verses are accompanied by a repeated pattern that emphasises mostly “dark” E minor chords, low in the electric guitar.

Let’s look at the following, from the song:

I see a woman in the night
With a baby in her hand
Under an old street light
Near a garbage can
Now she puts the kid away, and she’s gone to get a hit

The gravity of the issues, the despair of the homeless mother’s situation here, followed by the cynical takes on culture and politics in subsequent verses, all find a corollary in the psychologically angst-ridden harmonic and rhythmic grittiness.

But if one takes out the lyrics to the verses, music’s essential intangibility allows different psychological readings. Those same gritty chords, and defiant - almost angry - harmonies, could also suggest a kind of implacable strength, and Trump certainly tried to convey strength in the face of adversity and challenge in his speech.

A perfect fit! It’s this slippery and elusive semantic quality to music that makes it so powerful, as it can be used for multiple purposes and to generate a variety of emotional responses.

The very fact that Trump was able to create an impression of resolve and strength through this music, despite the meaning of the song lyrics, says something about the power of music. Is it the music accompanying the lyrics? Or do the lyrics accompany the music in this context?

The, erm, trump card, however, is the chorus, which bursts free of negativity by reversing the harmonic polarity and emphasising a closely related major key, belting out the words “keep on rockin’ in the free world”.

The darkness of minor followed by the release into major, with reference to rock and the free world, is a kind of musical sugar rush that Trump instinctively knew would stimulate endorphins in listeners, connecting him to positive emotional responses in a fascinating neural process.

Of course the real meaning of the chorus, with its repetition of “keep on rockin' in the free world”, is far more poignant.

Some may hear a cynical exhortation to Americans to bury their heads in the sand and keep on rockin’ in the (so-called) free world: misappropriation identified, end of story.

And that’s where much commentary might end, which is unfortunate, because there’s more.

There are clues that the song is underpinned by a sense of beauty and a desire for the problematic issues to be reconciled within a political context that Young genuinely believes in, even if it might be broken.

I hear a chorus that isn’t cynical, that wants to believe in rockin’ in the free world, but that needs things to be better first.

The tiniest details in music often create the largest emotional response, and for me there are two details in the chorus that are crucial.

Close listening reveals a subtle but meaningful connection between specific words and specific sounds. The first is rockin’, or even more accurately, the syllable “rock”. The word itself evokes the hard-edged raw power of the entire rock’n’roll genre – electric guitars, tough-guy bands and a defiant attitude.

But here the word falls on a pitch that doesn’t belong to the harmony below it; after a series of repeated Gs, in a bar of G major, “rock” falls on an F sharp, anticipating the harmony of the next bar (D).

It’s the momentary dissonance, (lasting only a split second), that changes everything. To me it’s a sweet dissonance, full of yearning, and I find it meaningful that it is combined with the work “rockin’”, the supposed musical antithesis of vulnerability.

The other important moment is “free world”. If the song were truly triumphalist then these words would sound and feel celebratory.

But if you listen closely you might again hear a kind of dissonance. Not a harsh one, a poignant one.

Now that harmony has changed to D, the melody reverts to the pitch G for “free” and descends to E for “world”. Both pitches are dissonant to the harmony of D, but not brutally so. The G is a very common type of suspension that often resolves a certain way (back to the F sharp), but here it doesn’t, it falls further, down an E.

Both notes could be “resolved” within the harmony, but aren’t. This subtly draws attention to the words “free world”, and creates a sense of slight unease around them. The musical effect is that of sad beauty (to my ear at least, and it’s only one’s own ears one can ever base a judgement on), and a sense of unresolved yearning.

I think everyone who hears this song is probably aware of these musical elements on some level, and everyone responds to them differently, sometimes radically so. By articulating my thoughts, I’m doing nothing more important than presenting my response to the music.

The particularities of my response are not as important as the fact that I have a response, that we all probably do, and that it’s worth reflecting on what that response is and what it means to us.

My aim then is to observe how central music is to this whole controversy, and to say that it matters. The centrality of music here speaks to the power politicians ascribe to it (without acknowledging so publicly of course, that might have funding and education implications), and it speaks to the profound and primal power it has over all of us.

Rather than seeing music as secondary to text, as secondary to legal issues, as background entertainment, as a political tool, it becomes clear that music here is something else, something intangible but enormously important.

It’s music that Trump was using to create the impression of power and strength, and the fact that it’s so effective is why Neil Young is so upset – he would have preferred his creativity be used to support a different candidate, if at all.

One last musical comment to conclude: it’s very hard to hear much in the way of strongly characterised major sonorities in this song. The occasional C major chords seem secondary and weaker next to the closely-related but somehow more “politically realistic” (in this context) E minor chords. Also, the G major chorus tends back toward E minor at the end of each phrase.

Overall, the supposedly happy major colours are always ambiguous, tainted. In some ways the musical irony is as powerful as the textual irony: for a song that is supposed to celebrate the announcement of a presidential contender, it is surprisingly tinged by melancholy.

And that melancholy puts the whole event this week into a different, slightly sadder frame. The power of music is there, but as is too often the case, it’s being ignored by a noisy political discourse.

It’s a good reminder to step back and listen, and reflect on how interesting it is that there is something beautiful at the centre of this familiar and unfortunate political story.

Pearl Jam with Neil Young - Rockin in the free world, Toronto 2011

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More coverage, discussion and analysis tonight on Thrasher's Wheat Radio on Wbkm Dot Org, at 9:00PM ET.

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peace & love. stay calm. no fear. use discernment. recognize the illusion. be the wheat. prepare for the big shift and keep on rockin' in the free world.

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"The Monsanto Years" Corporate Targets Begin To Respond to Neil Young's Criticism

The corporate attack PR machine is beginning to ramp up in defense as the release of Neil Young and Promise of the Real's new album "The Monsanto Years" release approaches on June 29, 2015.

As expected, Monsanto appears to be the most nervous. News reports indicate that Monsanto is actually considering a corporate name change and leaving its U.S. headquarters to reincorporate in Europe.

Billboard sent the album's lyrics to Monsanto, Starbucks, Chevron and Walmart for a response.

“Monsanto Years”

“When you shop for your daily bread and walk the aisles of Safeway
Find a package to catch your eye that makes you smile at Safeway
Choose a picture of an old red barn on a field of green
With the farmer and his wife and children, to complete the scene at Safeway
The family seeds they used to save were gifts from God not Monsanto
Their own child grows ill near the poisoned crop
While they work on, they can’t find an easy way to stop Monsanto …
Give us this day our daily bread, and let us not go with Monsanto”

Monsanto: "Many of us at Monsanto have been and are fans of Neil Young. Unfortunately, for some of us, his current album may fail to reflect our strong beliefs in what we do every day to help make agriculture more sustainable. We recognize there is a lot of misinformation about who we are and what we do – and unfortunately several of those myths seem to be captured in these lyrics."

“Big Box”

“People workin’ part time at Walmart never get the benefits for sure
Might not make it to full-time at Walmart”

Walmart: "As you might have seen recently, Walmart raised its lowest starting wage to $9 an hour. We’re proud of the opportunity we provide people to build a career and have a chance at a better life."

"A Rock Star Bucks a Coffee Shop"

“A rock star bucks a coffee shop
Yeah, I want a cup of coffee
But I don’t want a GMO
I’d like to start my day off
Without helpin’ Monsanto
Ask Starbucks if coffee has GMO…
Monsanto let our farmers grow what they want to grow
When the people of Vermont voted to label food with GMOs
So they would know what was in what the farmer grows
Monsanto and Starbucks through the grocery manufacturers alliance
Sued the state of Vermont to overturn the people’s will
Monsanto and Starbucks, mothers want to know what they feed their children”

Starbucks: "Starbucks has not taken a position on the issue of GMO [genetically modified organism] labeling. As a company with stores and a product presence in every state, we prefer a national solution."

“People Want to Hear Songs About Love”

“Don’t talk about the Chevron millions
Going to the pipeline politicians”

Chevron: "I received your media inquiry, however we are not going to participate in the interview."

More on Neil Young's preemptive communications strategy here and here.

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Full Statement by Neil Young on Donald Trump's Use of Song "Rockin in the Free World"

Neil Young
Farm Aid 2013 Press Conference

Neil Young has issued a statement on Donald Trump's use of the song "Rockin in the Free World" during his U.S. presidential candidate announcement. From Neil Young | Facebook:

Yesterday my song "Rockin in the Free World" was used in a announcement for a U.S. presidential candidate without my permission.

A picture of me with this candidate was also circulated in conjunction with this announcement but It was a photograph taken during a meeting when I was trying to raise funds for Pono, my online high resolution music service.

Music is a universal language. so I am glad that so many people with varying beliefs get enjoyment from my music, even if they don't share my beliefs.

But had I been asked to allow my music to be used for a candidate - I would have said no.

I am Canadian and I don't vote in the United States, but more importantly I don't like the current political system in the USA and some other countries. Increasingly Democracy has been hijacked by corporate interests. The money needed to run for office, the money spent on lobbying by special interests, the ever increasing economic disparity and the well funded legislative decisions all favor corporate interests over the people's.

The Citizens United Supreme Court ruling is proof of this corruption as well as are the proposed trade deals which would further compromise our rights.

These Corporations were originally created to serve us but if we don't appropriately prioritize they will destroy us. Corporations don't have children. They don't have feelings or soul. They don't depend on uncontaminated water, clean air or healthy food to survive. They are beholden to one thing - the bottom line.

I choose to speak Truth to this Economic Power. When I speak out on corporations hurting the common man or the environment or other species, I expect a well financed disinformation campaign to be aimed my way.

Such is the case with the reaction to my new album The Monsanto Years, which covers many of these issues. I support those bringing these issues to light and those who fight for their rights like Freedom of Choice.

But Freedom of Choice is meaningless without knowledge.

Thats why its crucial we all get engaged and get informed.

That's why GMO labeling matters. Mothers need to know what they are feeding their children. They need freedom to make educated choices at the market. When the people have voted for labeling, as they have in Vermont, they need our support when they are fighting these corporate interests trying to reverse the laws they have voted for and passed in the democratic process.

I do not trust self serving misinformation coming from corporations and their media trolls. I do not trust politicians who are taking millions from those corporations either. I trust people. So I make my music for people not for candidates.

Keep on Rockin in the Free World.
Neil Young

Sponsored by Nobody
"This Note's For You" Music Video

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Neil Young to Donald Trump: This Note is NOT for You!

"This Note is NOT for You!"
Donald Trump & Neil Young

From Mother Jones by David Corn:

When Donald Trump strode on to the stage at Trump Tower on Tuesday to announce that he would enter the Republican race for president, a rock and roll anthem blared: Neil Young’s "Rockin’ in the Free World." It was an odd choice, given that the 1989 song seemed to slam a Republican administration for not giving a damn about the poor. And Young has taken exception to Trump's appropriation of his tune. A statement issued to Mother Jones for Young by his longtime manager Elliot Roberts suggests Young was not pleased by Trump's use of the song:

"Donald Trump was not authorized to use "Rockin' In The Free World" in his presidential candidacy announcement. Neil Young, a Canadian citizen, is a supporter of Bernie Sanders for President of the United States of America."

Not since Bruce Springsteen's "Born in the USA" has a song been so misunderstood and misappropriated. Not that Neil wouldn't appreciate the irony.

Neil Young (as a homeless person)
frame from "Rockin' In The Free World" music video

From Neil Young Lyrics Analysis | "Rockin' In The Free World":

The newspaper USA Today has called the song:

"a savage attack on the policies of Ronald Reagan and the first President Bush ... (and) anything but a celebration of democracy."

On the contrary, a strong case can be made that the song is NOT "anything but a celebration of democracy." In fact, an argument can be made that the song is very pro-democracy and is a protest song that has advanced the argument about inequities in society. The song is clearly the work of someone who could be called a courageous patriot.

The song's lyrics contain the lines:

We got a thousand points of light For the homeless man We got a kinder, gentler, Machine gun hand

The lyrics are a direct reference to President George Bush's (#41) campaign pledge to create a compassionate citizenry volunteering to help cope with society's ills. The "thousand points of light" symbolize the American citizen's spirit and a shining example of giving selflessly to care for one another's neighbor and brother. Along with "a kinder, gentler hand", Bush believed that each American could contribute to helping make the United States -- and the world -- a better place to live and work.

The song is strongly democratic and with pro-American ideals in that it is a condemnation of the supply-side/trickle down politics of President Ronald Reagan. "Reaganomics" involved massive tax cuts in the wealthiest brackets which supporters claimed would trickle down to lower brackets. In fact, the policies led to huge federal deficits and exploding unemployment and social decay, particularly in large urban American cities.

The economic realities of the 1980's with increasing social problems -- such as homelessness and drug abuse -- made Young mock the campaign promises of President Bush as hollow rhetoric. The drug problems ("she's gonna take a hit") refer to the crack epidemic which swept large American cities during the 1980's.

The lyrics of "Rockin' In The Free World" also refer to the rampant consumerism of American culture and the rise of the disposable society based on waste and pollution.

We got department stores and toilet paper Got styrofoam boxes for the ozone layer Got a man of the people, says keep hope alive Got fuel to burn, got roads to drive.

The lyrics "Got a man of the people, says keep hope alive" refer to the Reverend Jesse Jackson's signature phrase to "Keep hope alive." Young contrasts President Bush's rhetoric and Rev. Jackson's religion as solutions to society's ills, when in actuality, they are nothing more than "feel good" slogans with little results to show.

More at Neil Young Lyrics Analysis | "Rockin' In The Free World".

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Comment of the Moment: 'Wolf Moon" - Neil Young and Promise of the REAL + PODCAST: Thrasher's Wheat Radio - 6/13/15

Neil Young
via VIDEO - Interview + Rehearsal: Neil Young and Promise of the REAL

The Comment of the Moment is from the posting on NEW VIDEO: 'Wolf Moon" - Neil Young and Promise of the REAL.

In reply to TopangaDaze who said...

I think the commenters here who seem to like the song more than others aren't differentiating the song from Neil's overall political and ecological stances. They hear what they want to hear, and I too have been guilty of that at times when it comes to Neil. I know what he's trying to convey, but the song and "performance" never gets started.

Followed by (D.) Ian Kertis who said:

Topanga--

I don't particularly care whether anyone likes the song.

However, what I have to object to is the implication that if I like the song, it must be because I'm allowing my judgment to be clouded or impaired in some way. I've come across this attitude before elsewhere and have never agreed with it. We have different brains and different ears, so there's really no wonder if we don't hear this song the same, even have wildly differing responses. You seem to be assuming that all of those who like the song think in the exact same way, and I find that to be highly unlikely.

Why can't it just be a simple difference of opinion or taste? Why this thinking that there's necessarily something"wrong" (so to speak) with anyone who disagrees with us? I ask this knowing that I've been guilty of this thought pattern in the past. I would just like to think that we could be open to the possibility of differing judgment that isn't necessarily flawed judgment. If we want to have truly open dialogue here, I don't think that the way to go is sweeping declarations about what "those who like the song" *must* think; it's just painting in overly broad strokes and, in my opinion, doesn't particularly encourage one to come forward with an alternative view.

For the record, I said on the original video thread that the song didn't blow me away. But I really like some things in it. In my opinion, it has some good lyrics and some unusual instrumentation. Yes, I appreciate the ecological sentiments, but there are also other things. And if Neil's voice sounds fragile and a bit strained, I'd argue that it's not the first time. I've never listened to Neil Young for great vocals (although he does sing with passion). Go right back to "all in a dream" in After the Goldrush. I love that song, but if that isn't a strained vocal, I don't what is. Even during live performances in the '70s, he didn't sing it that high, as the Live Rust version will attest.

Mind you, the vocal on the studio version adds layers of pathos and striking uniqueness, but the point is that it's compellingly imperfect. And it's this lack of technical refinement which is part of what I'll coin the Neil Appeal. His unique approach to the guitar is a prominent example: I wouldn't call him a technical virtuoso. I've heard his solos referred to as barbaric. Yet they are often inspired and compelling in their passion and pure ethereal, almost transcendent expressiveness. You only have to watch any film of him hunched over Old Black to know that he's entering another world.

Now just recently I heard some classic Queen recordings and the clean, shining quality of Brian May's (excellent) guitar work sounded foreign, dare I say, almost sterile, to my ears. It was then that I realized how used to the growling, snarling, rumbling, fuzzy Neil guitar sound I have grown, and how unusual that sound. What Brian May does can sound great, but there are lots of rock guitarists out there who can deliver a certain kind of fireworks.

What Neil does is powerful in a unique way. I've never heard another guitarist play exactly like him and I don't know if anyone would be capable; he's had decades to hone his method, and a lot of it seems to come from expressive impulse rather than skill. I won't begin trying to describe it any detail here, but what Neil does with the guitar, and with many other aspects of his art, can behave as an art form in itself. It constitutes a potent and uniquely compelling--and often beautiful--creative expression.

And that, for me, is the Neil Appeal.

Thanks (D.) Ian! Well played Queen angle. (golf clap) enjoy!

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Podcast from last night on Thrasher's Wheat Radio on Wbkm Dot Org, with Neil Young coverage, discussion and analysis is now ready for download here.

Don't be denied!

Tune in details and podcast info @ Thrashers Wheat Radio Hour.


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Tune in on WBKM.org, Saturdays @ 9P EST

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