The Neil Young Video that Was Banned for Criticizing Corporate America

Singer/songwriter Neil Young has certainly never backed down from a debate or fight, and he has been outspoken on any number of topics, including the poor state of music streaming quality. Back in 1988, he released the video for “This Note’s for You,” the title track to his 16th album. The song satirized how big money had been infecting rock ‘n’ roll during the decade of decadence. As an artist who came of age in the ’60s, his slant made complete sense, and the video would become prophetic.

Unfortunately for Young, the suits at MTV became nervous because they worried that his representations of Michael Jackson and Bud Light canine spokes-pet Spuds McKenzie might inspire copyright infringement lawsuits. Jackson’s lawyers allegedly made legal threats. Let’s face it—the Gloved One drew in legions of viewers to the network and had more clout.

Another possible reason for the ban was the network did not allow for hawking products through music videos. It explains why you occasionally see blurred out signs or t-shirts in older videos. However, Young was blatantly mocking those who did that through their lyrics without showing the actual products on screen.

Ain’t singin’ for Pepsi
Ain’t singin’ for Coke
I don’t sing for nobody
Makes me look like a joke
This note’s for you

In a 1988 interview with BAM Magazine, Young said of himself and his band at the time, “I’m just talkin’ about how I feel and how The Bluenotes are. And that is, we’re playing for the people. We’re not playing for corporate sponsorship. If we have a huge hit, the next time you see us we’re not going to be selling beer, you know? We’re just playing for the people that want to listen to us, singing about things that are real to us, not for products.”

Let’s flash back to the clip. In his 2002 book Shakey: Neil Young’s Biography, author Jimmy McDonough wrote:

“Corporate sponsorship had become rampant in rock and roll. The Rolling Stones were sponsored by Jovan perfume, Eric Clapton and Steve Winwood were selling beer, Michael Jackson had been bought by Pepsi for $15 million. And Young, to the dismay of MTV and some of his peers, decided to poke fun at it.

“The video was directed by Julien Temple, who would create Young’s slickest videos in the years to come. Temple matched the tone of the lyric perfectly. The spot opens with Young somberly walking the streets, mimicking Clapton’s beer commercial. As Young croons about having ‘the real thing,’ ghoulish celebrity look-alikes prance about, with Whitney Houston using a brew” – (actually, what looks like a can of Pepsi) – “to put out a fire on Michael Jackson’s head. Then comes a devastating parody of Calvin Klein’s obtuse perfume ads: ‘Neil Young’s Concession for men.’ Finally a sardonic Young peers into the camera, exhibiting a beer can labeled SPONSORED BY NOBODY.”

A parody of Spud McKenzie appears throughout the clip as well. In real life, the seemingly male dog was portrayed by a female bull terrier clad in Hawaiian shirts and surrounded by bikini-clad babes. The Spuds ad campaign in the late ’80s was criticized by some for attempting to appeal to kids. The national drinking age had been raised to 21 in July 1984, so Spuds was a perfect target in Young’s song and video.

Getting back to the banned clip, director Temple joked that screwing with MTV’s wallet was worse than portraying sex and violence. “This Note’s for You” got extensive video play in Canada and became a Top 20 mainstream rock radio track in the States.

In his rebuttal of the MTV ban, Young penned this short but terse letter dated July 6, 1988 to the network’s executives:

“MTV, you spineless twerps. You refuse to play “This Note’s for You” because you’re afraid to offend your sponsors. What does the “M” in MTV stand for: music or money? Long live rock and roll. Neil Young” 

Although the rocker allegedly offered to reshoot the video, MTV still had issues with his lyrics. Nevertheless, the network overturned the ban after Young came on MTV to hash things out with VJ Kurt Loder during a 20-minute special on August 21, 1988. Young would not back down, and the controversy looked bad for the network.

Ironically enough, “This Note’s for You” won the Video of the Year Award that September at the MTV Music Video Awards. Persistence paid off.

When one looks at the music landscape today, corporate sponsorship and control dominates everything from streaming to live music. Oftentimes artists get noticed when their song is licensed to a commercial or video game. And one cannot help but notice the prevailing corporate sponsorship of major festivals and tours. Young likely saw this corporatization coming down the pike. You can’t say he didn’t warn us.

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