Neil Young didn’t mince words this weekend. On stage at a packed benefit concert in Los Angeles, the rock legend debuted a scathing new song—“Let’s Roll Again”—and used it to take a direct shot at Elon Musk and Tesla.
“If you’re a fascist / Get a Tesla / It’s electric / It doesn’t matter,” Young sang near the end of the track, drawing cheers from the crowd at the Greek Theatre.
The song, performed at the Light Up the Blues autism benefit, started as a call to action for American auto giants—Ford, GM, and Chrysler—to step up and take the lead in clean vehicle innovation. But it quickly turned into a clear indictment of Musk’s electric car empire and America’s failure to compete globally.
“Come on Ford / Come on GM / Come on Chrysler / Let’s roll again,” Young sang. “Build something special that people need / Build us a safe way for us to meet / Build us something that won’t kill our kids / Runs real clean.”
The lyrics appeared to reference the ongoing controversy around Tesla’s self-driving software, which has been linked to multiple crashes and federal investigations.
Then came the global reality check.
“Come on America / Let’s get in the race / Now China’s winning / They’re making clean cars,” Young continued. “Over in China / They’re way ahead / That’s hard to swallow.”
Young’s performance wasn’t just music—it was a pointed political statement. He was joined on stage by longtime collaborator Stephen Stills, with appearances by Billy Idol, Steve Stevens, Cat Power, Nathaniel Rateliff, Rufus Wainwright, and Linda Perry.
The Chrome Hearts, Young’s current band, backed him up throughout the set.
The Canadian-American artist has never shied away from politics. Just days before the concert, he was spotted at a protest in California carrying a sign reading “Hands off Canada,” apparently in response to Donald Trump’s repeated jokes about annexing Canada as the 51st state.
Young and Trump have a long history of conflict. In 2020, Young sued Trump for using his anthem “Rockin’ in the Free World” at campaign rallies. He previously called Trump “a disgrace.”
According to Young’s wife, actress Daryl Hannah, Trump even tried to block Young from becoming a U.S. citizen. “They tried every trick in the book to mess him up,” she told the BBC. “It’s ridiculous—he’d been living in America and paying taxes here since he was in his 20s.”
Earlier this month, Young also appeared at a “Fighting Oligarchy” rally alongside Bernie Sanders and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.
With “Let’s Roll Again,” Young isn’t just challenging Musk—he’s calling out America’s leadership vacuum in the global clean car race.
And he’s not whispering. He’s shouting from the stage.
Listen to Young’s son below:
