An Election Year Sermon From the Stones

Rolling Stone magazine reports today that Neil Young would have been perfectly fine with Donald Trump using "Rockin' In the Free World" as his official campaign song, if only Trump had been a gentleman about it.

I'd be fine with a school of great white sharks tearing me limb from limb if they'd just call first, but whatever.

I'd rather see The Rolling Stones dust off this 30-year-old sermon to serve as a sort of official Trump campaign song, sub rosa. Just start playing it live, without any pointed commentary, let the song speak for itself.

What, you didn't know those guys were preachers?

Sure, they are. They just avoid the "I'm so holy, and everyone else is so filthy" brand identity that most preachers cling to. The Stones get so far down in the muck that you can't tell if they're of it, or just in it. If you're paying attention, you know that's the case with every one of us in some measure, but I digress.

Musically, this one's far better than I remembered -- now, this is a bass line! Sadly, the lyrics cut much deeper, too. Back then, I didn't know anybody who lived this way, or didn't know that I knew them. What a life!

The Rolling Stones with "Winning Ugly".