Rockin’ Thursday LXX

Tomorrow we celebrate Independence Day in the U.S., and even though we’re struggling a bit, we must continue to protect our freedoms by getting educated on important issues, assessing what politicians have to offer, and voting accordingly. That is our duty, and we cannot delegate this important task. Staying uninformed, not voting, or voting without fully understanding what politicians are up to is exactly what has gotten us into the mess we’re in now. We need to expect the highest standards from our politicians and refuse to settle for mediocrity.

We definitely need to keep Rockin’ in the Free World, and that’s the title of today’s song. “Rockin’ in the Free World” is a song by Canadian-American singer-songwriter Neil Young, released in 1989. It reached number two on the U.S. Billboard charts. The song criticizes the U.S. government of that era, as well as regimes in the Middle East.1

Here is part of the lyrics:

"I see a woman in the night
With a baby in her hand
There's an old street light
Near a garbage can
Now she put the kid away and she’s gone to get a hit
She hates her life and what she’s done to it
There’s one more kid that’ll never go to school
Never get to fall in love, never get to be cool"

You can access the rest of the lyrics here.

I hope you enjoy the video, and have a wonderful, Rockin’ 4th of July with your families and loves ones.

PEARL JAM and NEIL YOUNG “Rockin’ In The Free World” live at MTV 1993
  1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rockin%27_in_the_Free_World ↩︎

54 thoughts on “Rockin’ Thursday LXX”

  1. We really do need to stay informed and hold our leaders to a higher standard.

    Not many people like Neil, and I’ve heard he really isn’t a good person, but I don’t like him for who he is, just as a songwriter and singer. He definitely goes down as a historic music icon. This song is one of those memorable hits that never grows old.

    God Bless this fallen world.

    Hope you had a great 4th of July…. 🇺🇸

    Sorry for the late reply…

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  2. Too bad Neil Young isn’t the nice guy he pretends to be. From what I understand, he fathered a disabled child with actress Carrie Snodgrass and refused to support him financially. I love his earlier music, but I don’t take him seriously as an activist. His history of heroin addiction and abandoning his son turns me off.

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    1. I read about that, and it’s sad. I think the court forced him to pay some support, but he wasn’t involved at all, which speaks poorly of his character. I always take the activism of most famous people with a grain of salt. In most cases, there’s always a hidden agenda. Thank you, Dawn.

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  6. “Staying uninformed, not voting, or voting without fully understanding what politicians are up to is exactly what has gotten us into the mess we’re in now. We need to expect the highest standards from our politicians and refuse to settle for mediocrity.” Yes, yes, yes! Great song pick, Edward. Happy Fourth to you and your family! ❤

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  7. Great song, Edward! Today doesn’t feel like a celebratory 4th of July because of the current politics. However, like you said, we have freedoms that many don’t. So, we have to “keep rockin’ in the free world.” Happy 4th! 🎆

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  9. Love that song! I agree that apathy is largely responsible for the situation the world is in. Here in Ontario, our provincial premier is passing questionable legislation under the guise of his “strong mandate” from the Ontario people in our recent election. Yet, voter turnout was an all-time low, and only 20% of eligible voters voted for him. It is so frustrating.

    Happy 4th of July Edward. Here’s to better times ahead.

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  13. Of course, Neil Young is one of my fave artists. I especially loved his music when he played with Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young. Unfortunately, in 2014, he made some derogatory and extremely inaccurate comments about Canada’s oil sands. He lost a lot of favour in his homeland over that.

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      1. We’ve visited the oil sands, and were amazed at the excellent job that was done in reclamation of the land. The reclaimed areas are green and lush with beautiful lakes. The government of Alberta requires that 100% of the land used in the oil sands be reclaimed, so uninformed and obvious media-grabbing comments by people such as Jane Fonda and Neil Young were definitely not appreciated by Canadians. One needs only to drive through the LA smog to make a comparison. Oops, I guess I’m getting on my soapbox.

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      1. Does the majority in Congress understand that by operating out of fear, they have essentially handed over the country to a fascist dictator? That’s what their actions are telling the American people.

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    1. Great point, and I think you’re right, especially after the passing of the “One Big Beautiful Bill.” I still can’t believe they named it that. 🤦🏻‍♂️

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  20. Often I feel that the individual candidates ~ even the issues as stated (there’s no “housing crisis” in a nation with 1.8 million empty homes) are irrelevant to ~ and distractions from ~ the real evolutionary changes which we must now make as a species. But I feel that I vote indeed, for things I do not see on the ballot, every time I pick up my device to write.

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