I Hope Neil Young Will Remember a Southern Man Don't Need Him Around Anyhow
And Neither Does Spotify
Neil Young always sucked: "Rocking in the Free Word" is really a mindless criticism of the fact that poverty and homelessness exist in the US despite its patriotic sounding hook---as if what matters is the existence of a problem and not the relative position one has with respect to other nations and whether things are generally getting better or worse. Yes, homelessness did spike in the 80's but that is in part because much needed reform of mental hospitalization practices was undertaken (at the behest of the left) and doctors hoped newly discovered medications could reduce the need for institutionalization. It was not caused by "capitalist cruelty." We released mental patients from hospitals, gave them meds, and hoped they would rejoin society; some did and many didn't. The decision was bipartisan and was pushed by the left more than by the right; in fact, its main critics were right wingers. Don't complain about a problem you helped to create---even if your motives were noble.
By way of illustration, "thousand points of light" in the line "thousand points of light for the homeless man" is taken from George H W Bush's 1989 inauguration speech (Rocking in the Free World was written in Februrary of 1989). Yes, homelessness was and remains a problem, but nothing in the song even begins to address what caused the problem to increase—because Neil had no understanding of it and had no real point to make beyond “USA bad.”
Like "Born in the USA" Neil Young’s “Rocking in the Free World” belongs to the genre of pseudo-patriotic rock songs that have a hook that sounds pro-American accompanied by slurred lyrics that are deeply anti-American.
Here are the actual lyrics of the song. As you can see, it highlights America’s drug problem (as if communist regimes don’t have equally serious substance abuse issues).
There's colors on the street
Red, white and blue
People shufflin' their feet
People sleepin' in their shoes
But there's a warnin' 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.
Keep on rockin' in the free world,
Keep on rockin' in the free world
Keep on rockin' in the free world,
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 puts the kid away,
and she's gone to get a hit
She hates her life,
and what she's done to it
There's one more kid
that will never go to school
Never get to fall in love,
never get to be cool.
Keep on rockin' in the free world,
Keep on rockin' in the free world
Keep on rockin' in the free world,
Keep on rockin' in the free world.
We got a thousand points of light
For the homeless man
We got a kinder, gentler,
Machine gun hand
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.
Keep on rockin' in the free world,
Keep on rockin' in the free world
Keep on rockin' in the free world,
Keep on rockin' in the free world.
My guess, Neil doesn't even have the right to pull his music from Spotify, and given the choice between him and Joe Rogan, they will choose Joe Rogan. Even at the height of his fame, he would not have been as valuable to them as Rogan is.
Go to hell, old man. 90's rock was better anyway.