Neil Young gives Tim Walz permission for his song – after he sued Trump for using it

Legendary rocker Neil Young gave Democratic vice presidential candidate Tim Walz permission to use his song «Rockin' in the Free World» as an entrance theme at the Democratic National Convention.

Walz reportedly specifically sought permission from Young to use the song, CNN reports.

It's not the first time the song has been used by a political candidate; back in 2015 Donald Trump also used the song, but famously not with Young's permission to do so.

Young not only did not give his permission, but he actively tried to force Trump to stop using the song. He sent the campaign several cease-and-desist threats, but Trump ignored the artist's wishes for years.

The rocker eventually filed a copyright infringement lawsuit against Trump in 2020.

Unlike with Trump, Young reportedly had no issued with Walz using the song.

“Rockin' in the Free World” — like Bruce Springsteen's “Born in the USA” — is often assumed to be patriotic, when in fact both are protest songs, lobbing critiques of society. Young's song highlights a lack of empathy for the poor and references pollution, war, and drug abuse in the US.

The song's gripes with the US were what raised eyebrows when US Secretary of State Antony Blinken played the song at a bar in Kyiv in May.

He played «Rockin' in the Free World» alongside Ukrainian band 19.99 during a visit to address the nation's ongoing war with Russia.

«The United States is with you, so much of the world is with you. And they’re fighting, not just for Ukraine but for the free world – and the free world is with you too,» Blinken said during his performance.

At the same time, Blinken was facing criticism for the US's stance on Israel's violence in Gaza, and his on-stage appearance didn't earn him any