Neil Young is once again taking legal action regarding the use of Rockin’ in the Free World at political rallies held by U.S. President Donald Trump, six years after their last legal dispute.
The rock legend’s legal team submitted a copyright infringement lawsuit on Monday against the Trump 47 Committee, Inc., in the Eastern District of Virginia.
The lawsuit claims that Young’s 1989 song was played without permission during a Trump rally on October 12 in Youngstown, Ohio, “and at other events aimed at mobilizing voters for the upcoming mid-term elections.”
According to the complaint, the powerful track serves as “a fierce anthem that highlights the disparity between the empty promises of American political discourse and the stark realities experienced by the impoverished, homeless, and neglected. The lyrics offer striking portrayals from the street perspective … while the repeated chorus delivers a biting irony, celebrating a freedom that is evidently not enjoyed by all. In essence, the song contradicts everything that Donald J. Trump represents.”
U.S. President Donald Trump takes the stage at a campaign rally in Youngstown, Ohio, on Oct. 12. (Kent Nishimura/AFP/Getty Images)
Despite the controversy, Rockin’ in the Free World has become a favorite for Trump, whose team has consistently played the track at his events over the years.
In 2015, he used the song to kick off his first campaign for the Republican presidential nomination, prompting immediate backlash from Young, who is a well-known critic and activist.
At that time, Trump’s team claimed they had obtained permission from the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP) for the song’s use, but the organization’s guidelines indicate that even with a license, artists can still pursue legal action if they object to being associated with a specific campaign. Besides obtaining a license, ASCAP advises campaigns to seek approval from the artist and/or songwriters.
Although the Trump team removed the song from their playlist in 2015, they added it back along with another song, Devil’s Sidewalk, in 2020, which led Young to file a lawsuit against Donald J. Trump for President, Inc., for using his music without consent.
ABBA has joined a growing list of artists demanding that the Trump campaign stop using their music. Although Trump asserts he has a license to play their songs, some legal experts say artists have the right to challenge this use.
He withdrew the lawsuit after the Trump team quickly moved to settle and promised “that it would never again use Rockin’ in the Free World without a license and permission from Young,” as stated in the filing on Monday.
However, the Trump committee “has willfully continued” to play the song recently, despite being aware that they lacked a license, the complaint alleges.
Young is seeking $10 million in damages, attorney’s fees, and an injunction preventing the defendant from playing Rockin’ in the Free World — as well as any other music from the dual Canadian-American rocker’s catalog — at their events.
Throughout the years, numerous recording artists — from Céline Dion to Aerosmith, ABBA to the estate of Leonard Cohen — have expressed their discontent regarding the use of their music to energize crowds at Trump rallies. High-profile performers, including the Rolling Stones, Queen, Pharrell Williams, John Fogerty, and Tom Petty are among those who have voiced their objections (some multiple times) through cease-and-desist letters and potential lawsuits.
Recently, Trump staff have also utilized newer tracks for rallies and social media content, facing backlash and/or takedown requests from artists such as Sabrina Carpenter, Katy Perry, Taylor Swift, Bad Bunny, and Ariana Grande, some of whom have faced trolling in online posts from the Trump team.