From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

"Rockin' in the Free World"
Rockin in the Free World by Neil Young
Single by Neil Young from the album Freedom
B-side	"Rockin' in the Free World"
Released	November 14, 1989
Format	45 RPM Record
Recorded	June 14, 1989 at Jones Beach, Wantagh, NY
Genre	Rock
Length	Acoustic version: 3:38 Electric Version: 4:40
Label	Reprise
Writer	Neil Young
Producer	Neil Young Niko Bolas

"Rockin' in the Free World" is a song by Neil Young, released on his 1989 record Freedom.^[1] Two versions of the song were released, similar to the song "Hey Hey, My My (Into the Black)" of Young's Rust Never Sleeps album, one of which is performed with a predominantly acoustic arrangement, and the other with a predominantly electric arrangement.

Contents 1 Context 2 Performances 3 See also 4 Notes 5 References

According to Neil Young's biography Shakey, while on tour in the late '80s, Young and Frank "Poncho" Sampedro looked at photos in a newspaper of the Ayatollah Khomeini's body being carried to his grave.^{[citation needed]} These images showed mourners burning American flags in the street, which incited fear in Poncho. Sampedro commented, "Whatever we do, we shouldn't go near the Mideast. It's probably better we just keep on rockin' in the free world." Then Young asked if he could make a song out of it.

Released several months prior to the collapse of the Berlin Wall, because of its chorus, which just repeats the phrase "Keep on rockin' in the free world," it became a de facto anthem for the fall of the Iron Curtain.

The lyrics of the song are a criticism of the result of Reaganomics^[1] and the administration of George H. W. Bush. The line "We got a thousand points of light / For the homeless man" refers to Bush's famous use of the phrase "a thousand points of light" in a call for volunteerism. The following line "We got a kinder, gentler, machine gun hand" is a cynical take on another of his phrases: during the 1988 U.S. Presidential campaign, he called for "a kinder and gentler nation."

The song received extensive radio play again shortly after the September 11, 2001 attacks, probably owing both to its celebration of 'life in the free world' and for the lines "There's a lot of people sayin' we'd be better off dead / Don't feel like Satan, but I am to them," which was widely taken as a reference to Islamic terrorism. The use of the word "Satan", in particular, was understood to refer to Iranian use of the phrase "the Great Satan" as an epithet for the United States.

However, the song is as much about problems within the United States as it is about problems overseas. The first line of the song, "Colors on the street / red, white, and blue," while clearly intended to evoke the colors of the U.S. flag, can also refer to gang colors, or possibly homelessness in America. The second verse is a tribute to a drug-addict who abandons her newborn baby in a trash can before returning to her drugs - in varying renditions of the song, this character is referred to as either a "woman" or a "girl."

A spliced version of the song also appeared during the end credits of Michael Moore's Fahrenheit 9/11, splicing the talk of war with the phrase "That's one more kid that’ll never go to school / Never get to fall in love, never get to be cool." originally a tribute to the drug addict's abandoned child, now referencing a dead US soldier in Iraq. Then the chorus is played through the end credits as a call to action to oppose President George W. Bush and his policies.

This song is rated number 214 on the Rolling Stone magazine's "Top 500 Songs Of All Time"

• Pearl Jam regularly covers this song in concert, and along with "Yellow Ledbetter" is frequently played as the closer. The band played the song in their 1992 MTV Unplugged performance and also alongside Young at the 1993 MTV Video Music Awards. They have performed the song 205 times live as of August 5, 2007.[1]

• Queensrÿche performed the song as the closing song of their performance on MTV Unplugged.

• Maroon5 performed it at Live 8, while the Canadian performance of Live 8 in Barrie closed with a group performance of the anthem.

• The song is often performed by Bon Jovi during their concerts (opening the show usually) and is included on their live album "One Wild Night Live 1985-2001." (Record from the One Wild Night Version: 01. December 1995 in Johannesburg)

• Indigo Girls and K's Choice record a live version of the song as a B-side, as has Drivin N Cryin. (Record: 1994 in Atlanta)

• Big Country have released the song twice as a b-side; a live version on the "Beautiful People" CD-single, and a studio version backing "Alone".

• Joe Satriani, Steve Vai, and Yngwie Malmsteen recorded two live versions of this song while on the G3 '03 tour. The first can be seen in the G3 Live in Denver video/DVD, and the second is on "Rockin' in the Free World", a recording of a different concert on the tour.[2] Satriani, Vai and John Petrucci performed the song several times in Australia in late November and early December 2006.

Joe Satriani, Eric Johnson, and John Petrucci also performed the song in late October, as G3/Latin America Tour

• In November 2006, both U2 and Pearl Jam jointly performed this song under the monicker U-Jam for the Make Poverty History Concert in Melbourne Australia.

• The Leningrad Cowboys performed a version of the song on their album Global Balalaika Show.

• It was regularly covered by Lucy's Friends as an opener to their concerts.

• It is covered by Hayseed Dixie on the 2005 album A Hot Piece of Grass in bluegrass style.

• It is also covered by Polish band, Pidżama Porno on the 2004 album Bułgarskie Centrum in rock / punk rock style.

• It was also covered by Jeffrey Walker of Carcass fame, and included on his solo album Welcome to Carcass Country, which was released on 9th May 2006.

• The song is also the signature song of Boston Red Sox General Manager Theo Epstein's band Trauser and is performed by them at all performances including at the annual Hot Stove, Cool Music concerts put together by them in conjunction with ESPN Sports Analyst Peter Gammons.

• This song is performed at the end of the Air Guitar World Championships every year.

• This song was covered by The Almighty for the album Wild And Wonderful.
• This song was performed by The Green Brothers as the theme song for Lambton High School's Green Day concert in 2007.

• Neil Young songs

According to Neil Young, song was first played in concert in Spokane Washington at the Opera House. He stated this in his October 20, 2007 concert.

1. ^ ^{a b} Buckley, 1206

http://www.darkstar.nu/robin

• Buckley, Peter (2003). The Rough Guide to Rock. Rough Guides. ISBN 1843531054. 

This article does not cite any references or sources. (September 2007) Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unverifiable material may be challenged and removed.