‘If you're a fascist, get a Tesla': Neil Young targets Elon Musk in new song
Neil Young debuted a politically charged new song at a benefit concert in Los Angeles over the weekend to deliver pointed criticism of President Donald Trump, Elon Musk and his electric vehicle company Tesla.
The track, believed by fans to be titled ' Let's Roll Again,' opens with a rallying cry to American automakers: 'Come on Ford, come on GM/ Come on Chrysler, let's roll again.'
Young goes on to champion a return to responsible manufacturing while acknowledging China's lead in clean vehicle production.
'China's way ahead, they're making clean cars,' he sang during the performance for Autism Speaks' Light Up the Blues concert at the Greek Theatre on Saturday, April 26.
Following a harmonica break, Young delivered his most biting lyric: 'If you're a fascist, get a Tesla/ It's electric, it doesn't matter.'
The song ends with a final jab: 'If you're a democrat, taste your freedom/ Get whatever you want, taste your freedom.'
Young, who for years lived on a ranch in Woodside (San Mateo County), has long been an advocate for sustainable automotive technology.
In 2008, he launched Linc Volt Technology to promote retrofitting gas-powered vehicles with clean energy alternatives. That same year, he unveiled a 1959 Lincoln Continental converted to run on electric batteries and a biodiesel generator at San Francisco's Dreamforce conference.
The musician later adapted a Mercedes-Benz and a Hummer to run on used vegetable oil.
Young's five-song set also featured a rare performance of the 18-minute B-side 'Ordinary People,' not played live since 1989, and concluded with 'Rockin' in the Free World ' alongside longtime collaborator Stephen Stills.
The performance comes ahead of a busy summer for Young, who is set to headline the Glastonbury Festival and launch a European and North American tour.
The 'Harvest Moon' singer, who currently holds dual Canadian-American citizenship and previously described Trump as 'a disgrace to my country,' has voiced concerns about returning to the U.S. in the current political climate.
'When I go to play music in Europe, if I talk about Donald J. Trump, I may be one of those returning to America who is barred or put in jail to sleep on a cement floor with an aluminium blanket,' he wrote on his website last month. 'That's right folks, if you say anything bad about Trump or his administration, you may be barred from re-entering USA.'
After his international tour, Young is scheduled to bring his 'Love Earth' tour to Mountain View's Shoreline Amphitheatre on Sept. 12.
In the meantime, he and his wife, actress Darryl Hannah, are promoting 'Coastal,' a new black-and-white concert film documenting Young's solo performances in Southern California.
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