10 Rock Songs You Didn't Realize Were Protest Tracks

Throughout most of rock history, Neil Young has practically become the cool wild uncle of rock and roll. Since his days in Buffalo Springfield to whatever he has coming down the pipeline in the coming years, Neil doesn’t dance to anyone else’s tune but his own and is content to make whatever kind of music he wants to. Times were changing at the end of the ‘80s though, and Neil had an axe to grind on Rockin in the Free World.

Though most people like to just look at this song as an anthem about the power of rock and roll, Neil is practically seething with anger and everyone who’s willing to tear down the confines of what rock stands for. Coming not too long after the censorship campaigns of the PMRC, this song is a condemnation of every concerned parent who was convinced that rock and roll is the devil’s work, as Neil talks about how he’s been dubbed Satan and trying to forgive these people in any way he can.

Politicians can try to silence rock stars all they want, but Neil doesn’t let them off the hook either, calling out the administration for leaving average Americans out to dry, painting the picture of a kid who’ll never even get the chance to fit in with his peers because of how low on the social totem pole he is. It’s a pretty bleak outlook, but the chorus is a lot more optimistic, saying that rock will help guide you through even the darkest times. Rock can be loud, abrasive, and maybe a bit dangerous in some people’s eyes, but it might just be your only friend when things grow dire.