Bernie Sanders is bringing together an eclectic (and elite) group of musicians for a benefit compilation inspired by his political campaign against corporate influence in American democracy. The forthcoming record, Take America Back: The Fight Oligarchy Album, features Neil Young, Joan Baez, Maggie Rogers, Carole King and a roster of artists spanning several generations of American music.
The 19-track collection is scheduled to arrive February 26, 2027, through SoundsGood Records. The project grew out of Sanders' Fighting Oligarchy Tour, a series of rallies organized around his criticism of concentrated wealth and the influence of billionaires and corporations over American politics.
Young's participation is not a surprise, as he continues to fight against the Trump regime very publicly, and is engaged in two lawsuits against the President's administration. The Canadian musician appears on two live recordings on the compilation. The first is "Take America Back, Pt. I (Rainbow of Colors)," while the second, "Take America Back, Pt. II (Rockin' in the Free World)," features Young alongside Baez and Rogers.
Young originally released "Rockin' in the Free World" in 1989, and the song has since become one of his most recognizable performances, frequently associated with political protest and social criticism.
The rest of the tracklist includes contributions from Carole King, Steve Earle, Hüsker Dü, Portugal. The Man, Dirty Projectors, Rufus Wainwright, Yola, Mt. Joy, Sunny War, Ratboys, Local Natives, The Menzingers, James McMurtry, Keith Secola, Particle Kid and André Cymone.
Some of the material was recorded live, while the compilation also brings together previously released, unreleased and original recordings. Maggie Rogers contributes a live version of "Different Kind of World," while other selections include Steve Earle's "City of Immigrants," Carole King's "One" and Portugal. The Man's "Let the Children."
Rogers also addressed her involvement in the project, connecting the recordings to her appearance at the tour's Los Angeles rally in April. "I've always believed in the power of music to bring people together," she said. "These recordings represent the voices of many who came together on that bright and beautiful day in April to reinforce our right to a more just and equitable future."
According to SoundsGood Records co-founder Caleb Wilson, the participating musicians have spent their careers speaking out through their work. "We purposely made this album something you hold onto, which captures the moment we find ourselves in. A record, in every sense of the word," he said.
Proceeds from the compilation will go to nonprofit organizations working to combat corruption and corporate influence in American democracy. The album will be available on CD, vinyl and digital download, but will not be released on streaming platforms.
Take America Back: The Fight Oligarchy Album arrives February 26, 2027.
Full tracklist
- "Different Kind of World" (Live) - Maggie Rogers
- "New President" - Mt. Joy
- "Revolution" - Yola
- "Divide and Conquer" (Live) - Hüsker Dü
- "Black Whole Soul" - Sunny War
- "Overlord" (Live) - Dirty Projectors
- "Sons of the Second Sons" - James McMurtry
- "You Got Land" - Keith Secola
- "Burn It Down" (Live) - Ratboys
- "Old Song" (Live) - Rufus Wainwright
- "I Wanna Believe" - The Menzingers
- "Lydon" - Local Natives
- "Dreamer" (Broken Cassette Version) - Particle Kid
- "Let the Children" - Portugal. The Man
- "City of Immigrants" - Steve Earle
- "One" - Carole King
- "Take America Back, Pt. I (Rainbow of Colors)" (Live) - Neil Young
- "Take America Back, Pt. II (Rockin' in the Free World)" (Live) - Neil Young feat. Joan Baez & Maggie Rogers
- "The Revolution Is On Yo" - André Cymone
Ken Casey stuck around after the show in San Diego, California, talking to members of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers.John Francis Peters for Rolling Stone
Some of the challenge-coin haul.
The band started as a bet. “My band has a show in three weeks,” Casey’s coworker told him in 1996. “I dare you to open for us.”John Francis Peters for Rolling Stone
Dropkick Murphys (from left): Casey, DaRosa, Webster, Kelly, Rheault, Brennan, and Lynch John Francis Peters for Rolling Stone
Casey is largely the voice of the band, but the other members back him up. “We’re so lucky he’s the mouthpiece,” says Brennan, left. John Francis Peters for Rolling Stone
“Only the Irish can take a song about death and destruction, famine, alcoholism, and raise a glass like it’s an anthem,” says Casey. John Francis Peters for Rolling Stone
“Anytime it feels like things are about to plateau for us, something gives us a little bump,” says guitarist Lynch. “It feels exciting. It feels dangerous. It feels like doing something.” John Francis Peters for Rolling Stone
Jay-Z performing at the Stade de France in Saint-Denis in Paris.
Jay-Z Deserves the Super Bowl Halftime Gig
Where’s the love? Jay-Z asked that question 25 years ago, in the chorus of one of many songs in his catalog that still move audiences today. If he performs “Heart of the City” as part of his Super Bowl halftime show next February, those indignant bars are sure to be a highlight: “First the Fat Boys break up, now every day I wake up, somebody got a problem with Hov…” It would be an appropriate choice, too — because then as now, any time Jay-Z notches a new achievement, people find a way to complain.
The jokes and nonsense started almost as soon as the first rumors trickled out that Jay, whose company Roc Nation has executive-produced the Super Bowl halftime show since 2019, might be choosing himself to headline next year’s show. “Jay-Z just Dick Cheney’d himself for the Super Bowl,” Puck‘s Matthew Belloni quipped on X last week, alluding to the time that the late prince of darkness, who’d been asked to run the vice-presidential search committee for George W. Bush’s 2000 campaign, put himself on the ticket. (Super hip and current reference, and not at all apples-and-oranges.) Others pointed to TMZ reports that pop stars like Harry Styles and Justin Bieber had been asked first. “How are they the frontrunners, and he end up in the front?” Cam’Ron, who’s delighted in trolling Jay for many years, wondered aloud on his podcast. “Out of all the people on the roster, they couldn’t pick nobody else?” asked Cam’Ron‘s co-host, Ma$e.
These critiques miss the point, which is that Jay-Z is one of the best choices for a high-profile gig like this. He’s a superstar with a comparable level of name recognition to any other A-lister in music. He has a deep stack of classic songs going back decades. And he’s a highly skillful live performer who knows his way around a stadium stage, as he’s spent this year reminding people on his Jay-Z 30 tour. He tore down Yankee Stadium three nights in a row this summer; just last week, he rocked SoFi Stadium, which happens to be the same place where the 2027 Super Bowl is being held. He held the crowd’s attention with ease at all of those shows, and though there were plenty of glittery guests — that’s a given at a Jay show, and it will surely be true at the Super Bowl, too — he did it mostly through the force of his own magnetic energy. Let’s state the obvious here: Jay-Z is really, really good at rapping. We’re talking about one of the slickest, sharpest talkers in the history of words, someone who made it to the top through a sustained act of myth-making, then kept going. Are we seriously asking whether he can handle a 15-minute televised performance?
And yeah, there’s a touch of self-congratulation in the way he appointed himself. So what? Praising his own gifts is arguably Jay-Z’s greatest talent of all. He made a fine art out of self-applause. He told his story again and again, retracing the steps from Marcy Projects to the corner suite, and he made us believe. It would almost be insulting to the audience if he didn’t give himself the gig at some point.
Pop culture observers in recent years surely remember the backlash to Super Bowl headliners like Kendrick Lamar and Bad Bunny — all of it at least culturally conservative, and much of it frankly just racist. The blowback to Jay’s announcement is mostly coming from other quarters, at least for now (let’s just wait to see what the right-wing swamps make of this one). But it’s disappointing in a different way. Jay-Z has spent his career expounding hip-hop as a mainstream commercial force. He’s not a businessman, he’s a business, man. But he’s also an artist. He’s made huge amounts of money, and gotten himself into the rarefied rooms where he even has the ability to give himself a gig like this, by spinning his experiences into compelling narrative art, one verse at a time. Let’s not lose sight of how impressive his life’s work really is. Jay-Z is not some random C-suite bro, and he’s definitely not Dick Cheney. He’s one of the greatest rappers of all time, by any measure. He’s earned that Super Bowl spot.