Neil Young is back in the studio writing songs about "the worst president in the history of our country," returning to his protest-rock roots at 80 years old. The legendary singer-songwriter has never been shy about political commentary, and apparently age hasn't mellowed him one bit.
Young has been here before. He wrote "Ohio" about the Kent State shootings in 1970. He released "Let's Impeach the President" targeting George W. Bush in 2006. He's spent his entire career using music as political commentary, with varying degrees of subtlety (mostly none).
There's something both reassuring and depressing about an 80-year-old rock legend still needing to write protest songs. Reassuring because it means Young hasn't lost his fire, hasn't become one of those artists who gets comfortable and complacent in their legacy. Depressing because, well, we apparently still need protest songs.
The question is whether anyone outside the already-converted will listen. Young's fanbase skews older and likely shares his political views. His protest music has always preached to the choir—powerful, cathartic, but not exactly changing minds. That's not a criticism, necessarily. Sometimes art is about expressing righteous anger, not persuading opponents.
Musically, Young remains one of the most consistently interesting artists of his generation. While many of his peers have settled into comfortable nostalgia tours, he's continued experimenting—sometimes brilliantly, sometimes disastrously, but always with conviction. An 80-year-old man making angry political rock could be embarrassing. With Young, it'll probably be electrifying.
What I find most compelling is that Young clearly feels a responsibility to speak out. He's wealthy, he's legendary, he could spend his twilight years collecting accolades and cashing checks. Instead, he's in the studio, angry about the state of the country, channeling that anger into art. That's what artists are supposed to do.
Will this album change anything? Probably not. Will it make Young's fans feel less alone in their frustration? Absolutely. Will it be good? Based on his recent output, it'll be better than it has any right to be.
