Spotify Should Listen to Neil Young, Not Joe Rogan
The streaming platform’s choice could come back to haunt it
Donald Trump’s rise to power has cast Neil Young in an unusual light. The Canadian-born folk singer is known for his soft, gentle tones and soothing lyrics. A true icon of the 1960s and ‘70s, Young wasn’t afraid to get political in his music, though he stuck to his classic mellow sound when he did. Even the lyrics of the political anthem that led to him suing Trump stressed the importance of peace and music over unrest and rebellion. As he put it,
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
Young valued peace so much that he responded to the Capitol Hill insurrection of January 6th by calling for empathy. “We are not enemies. We must find a way home,” he pleaded.
Lately, Young has been back in the news for reasons that have the political crowd up in arms. This time is different, though. He’s chosen to take a stand against popular music and podcast platform Spotify, and his fight is vaccine disinformation. This time, though, Young isn’t advocating for an empathetic approach. Far from it.
