Photo by Wes Orshoski
Over the weekend, Beck covered Neil Young’s 1972 song “Old Man” in a commercial for an upcoming NFL game between the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Kansas City Chiefs, and yesterday, to the delight of many, the song was released digitally. However, it seems that delight was not shared by Young, as he posted an image with no caption on social media from his 1988 song and video “This Note’s For You,” which addresses selling out and parodies ads that use music as a marketing tool.
The video and song combine visual jokes about ads from the era with the lyrics, “Ain’t singin’ for Pepsi, ain’t singin’ for Coke/ I don’t sing for nobody/ Makes me look like a joke,” furthering the irony that one of his most beloved songs would be used in a way to promote of the most profitable and advertised organizations in the United States.
While Beck’s acoustic cover of the song was pristine and the promo for the game was tasteful – the ad used images of Tom Brady and Patrick Mahomes in celebration and in-game, comparing the quarterbacks to one another while Beck performed in black and white – the image shared by Young is one that says a thousand words.
It’s unclear if Beck recorded the cover of his own volition or for the check, nor if Young gave his blessing to use the song, but it is notable that Young sold 50% of his publishing rights in what was presumably a multi-million dollar music rights acquisition to a company called Hipgnosis, in 2021.
See Sunday’s ad and Young’s post below.
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