Photo Credit: Bill Kelly

Last night, August 21, the Democratic National Convention resumed in Chicago. During night three of the gathering, Tim Walz accepted the Democratic Vice President nomination. At the time of his Wednesday walk-off, keen listeners picked up on the politician’s choice of song, Neil Young’s “Rockin’ in the Free World.” Following the event, CNN’s Kaitlin Collins addressed the song’s usage on Twitter/ X, writing Young endorsed the campaign’s use of the political anthem.

Collins’ tweet hit on a vital piece of the song’s political trivia: Young’s rejection of Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump’s use of the track and subsequent legal action. She wrote, “Neil Young personally allowed the Harris-Walz campaign to use his song “Rockin’ in the Free World” as Walz exited tonight, a campaign official says. (Walz personally chose the song, given it’s a favorite of his.) Young previously sued the Trump campaign to stop them from using it.”

Trump integrated “Rockin’ in the Free World” into political events during his initial bid for office, including the formal announcement of his 2016 candidacy. Young refuted the use, given his political allegiance to Bernie Sanders, who inevitably co-opted the number into his rallies during the same political cycle. The Republican candidate continued incorporating Young’s songs into his rallies, including a July 3 speech at Mount Rushmore, during which “Like a Hurricane” and “Cowgirl in the Sand” were played.

 Officially, on August 4, 2020, the Canadian musician filed a lawsuit against the Trump campaign, citing copyright infringement for its use of “Rockin’ in the Free World” and “Devil’s Sidewalk” following the removal of both songs from the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers’ (ASCAP) political license. Young voluntarily dismissed the case in December of that same year.

Walz use of the song represents the latest political integration of Young’s referred call for freedom. In the video below, “Rockin’ in the Free World can be heard at 16:36.

Neil Young personally allowed the Harris-Walz campaign to use his song “Rockin’ in the Free World” as Walz exited tonight, a campaign official says. (Walz personally chose the song, given it’s a favorite of his.)
Young previously sued the Trump campaign to stop them from using…

— Kaitlan Collins (@kaitlancollins) August 22, 2024