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A Rock Star Bucks a Coffee Shop

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"A Rock Star Bucks a Coffee Shop"
Single by Neil Young & Promise of the Real
from the album The Monsanto Years
ReleasedJune 29, 2015
RecordedFebruary 11, 2015
StudioTeatro, Oxnard
GenreRock
Length5:00
LabelReprise Records
SongwriterNeil Young
Producers
  • Neil Young
  • John Hanlon
Neil Young & Promise of the Real singles chronology
"Who's Gonna Stand Up?"
(2014) 		"A Rock Star Bucks a Coffee Shop"
(2015) 		"Wolf Moon"
(2015)

"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 the companies Starbucks and Monsanto. The piece comes from the concept album The Monsanto Years, which primarily criticizes Monsanto.

Background and lyrics

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The song was released as a single in May 2015 and is the first song on the album The Monsanto Years.[1][2]

It refers to the lawsuit by Monsanto against Vermont due to the state's attempt at passing a GMO labeling law.[3] The song also references "the poison tide of Monsanto" and a farmer who signs a GMO deal when 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."[4][5]

In a brief review of the song, Stefan Schmidt in The National Singles Round-Up also remarked that song did not hold back against critiquing Starbucks and Monsanto and suggested that Young had not lost his appetite for tackling political issues.[6]

Venue

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Young also introduced an acoustic version of the song in Maui while performing at "OUTGROW Monsanto", a festival held to protest Monsanto's business practices in Hawaii.[7]

Moreover, the song was also featured in Young's July and October 2015 tours, for which Promise of the Real served as his backing band.[8]

Personnel

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  • Neil Young – guitar, whistling, vocals
  • Lukas Nelson – guitar, whistling, vocals
  • Micah Nelson – guitar, whistling, vocals
  • Anthony LoGerfo – drums
  • Corey McCormick – bass, whistling, vocals
  • Tato Melgar – percussion[9]

References

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  1. ^ Albany Times Union People in the news: Young says Trump can't use his song By Soraya Nadia McDonald, The Washington Post Thursday, June 18, 2015
  2. ^ The Australian Arts, Reviews: Neil Young, Lau, The Milk Carton Kids, Major Lazer, Mike Nock and Roger Manins The Australian June 27, 2014 Mahir Ali
  3. ^ Rolling Stone Neil Young Unveils Starbucks-Mocking Music Video, Rocker takes aim at GMO giant, defends Vermont in first single off 'The Monsanto Years' BY DANIEL KREPS May 31, 2015
  4. ^ WTTV TV Neil Young's new album blasts Walmart, Monsanto and more JUNE 20, 2015, By CNN Wire
  5. ^ The Huffington Post Neil Young Releases Anti-Starbucks, Anti-GMO Anthem 'A Rock Star Bucks A Coffee Shop', The Huffington Post | By Ed Mazza 06/01/2015
  6. ^ The National Singles Round-Up May 30th, 2015 - Stefan Schmidt
  7. ^ Eco Watch Neil Young Blasts Starbucks for Supporting Monsanto and GMOs in Rock Anthem Cole Mellino | June 1, 2015
  8. ^ Food Consumer Video Of The Week, A Rock Star Bucks A Coffee Shop Archived 2015-06-30 at the Wayback Machine
  9. ^ "A Rock Star Bucks a Coffee Shop". Retrieved July 5, 2025.
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