The Neil Young song that attacks Starbucks
Neil Young has consistently voiced his concerns throughout his career. While his constant desire to stand up for what’s right has earned him several enemies over the years, nobody can question Young’s authenticity, and his unwillingness to stay quiet deserves to be respected. It’s a character trait that continues to follow him today, with businesses from Spotify to Starbucks among those in the firing line.
Notably, Young outlaid his hatred of the commercialisation of the music industry, which he parodied in the video for ‘This Note’s For You’. In the song and clip, the Canadian singer-songwriter ridiculed his fellow artists for aligning themselves with controversial brands, including Coca-Cola, Pepsi, and Budweiser. He also fired shots at Eric Clapton for helping Michelob sell their beer.
However, MTV initially decided to ban the video, which angered Young before they decided to overturn their stance. It later won the ‘Video Of The Year’ award at the 1989 MTV Awards, beating Michael Jackson, who is parodied on the track.
Another commercial entity that upset Young was Spotify due to questionable content regarding vaccine information during The Joe Rogan Experience. Young demanded that the streaming giant remove his back catalogue from the platform and put principles ahead of potentially exposing his music to the millions of users who use the streaming giant.
In 2014, Young turned his attention to coffee house chain Starbucks. Initially, the feud began with an angry letter on the singer-songwriter’s website. His ire related to genetically modified food labelling as they were one of the companies linked to the Grocery Manufacturers Association (GMA). They attempted to sue the state of Vermont for forcing them to put labelling on genetically modified produce.
Young, who played a crucial role in forming Farm Aid, has been a prominent supporter of local farmers. Therefore, his anger at Starbucks over this issue was little surprise. On his website, Young wrote: “I used to line up and get my latte everyday, but yesterday was my last one. Starbucks has teamed up with Monsanto to sue Vermont, and stop accurate food labeling. Tell Starbucks to withdraw support for the lawsuit — we have a right to know what we put in our mouths.”
He continued: “Starbucks doesn’t think you have the right to know what’s in your coffee. So it’s teamed up with Monsanto to sue the small U.S. state of Vermont to stop you from finding out. Hiding behind the shadowy ‘Grocery Manufacturers Association,’ Starbucks is supporting a lawsuit that’s aiming to block a landmark law that requires genetically-modified ingredients be labeled. Amazingly, it claims that the law is an assault on corporations’ right to free speech.”
Although Starbucks always denied any involvement with the court case, stating, “Starbucks is not aligned with [GMO maker] Monsanto to stop food labelling or block Vermont state law.”
Despite Starbucks’ comments, Young wrote about his boycott of the chain on the 2015 track ‘A Rock Star Bucks A Coffee Shop’. On the track, he re-affirmed his problems. He sang: “From the fields of Nebraska, to the banks of the Ohio, Farmers won’t be free to grow what they wanna grow, If corporate control takes over the American farm, With fascist politicians and chemical giants walking arm in arm.”
Young was eventually the victor as the GMA were unsuccessful in their attempt to overturn Vermont’s decision to enforce labelling on genetically modified produce. However, it’s improbable he’s returned to Starbucks to get his daily coffee fix.
