Released 2015 Genre rock Writer(s) Neil Young | Recorded USA Label Reprise Records Language English language | |
"A Rock Star Bucks a Coffee Shop" is a song recorded by Neil Young and Promise of the Real. It is a protest song aimed at Starbucks and Monsanto, and comes from The Monsanto Years, a concept album criticizing Monsanto.
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About the song
The song was released as a single in May 2015, the first from the album The Monsanto Years.
The song refers to the lawsuit by Monsanto against Vermont because of the state's attempt to pass a GMO labeling law. It also mentions “the poison tide of Monsanto” and a farmer who signs a GMO deal. Young sings, "I want a cup of coffee but I don't want a GMO. I'd like to start my day off without helping Monsanto."
In a brief review of the song, Stefan Schmidt in The National Singles Round-Up said the song pulled no punches in attacking Starbucks and Monsanto. Schmidt suggested that Young hadn't lost his appetite for tackling political issues.
As of 31 May 2015, the song was Video of the week on the Food Consumer website.
Venue
Young introduced an acoustic version of the song in Maui, performing at "OUTGROW Monsanto", a festival held to protest Monsanto's business practices in Hawaii.
The song was featured in Young's July and October 2015 tours, for which Promise of the Real served as his backing band.