Neil Young appears to have reacted to Beck’s cover of his 1972 song “Old Man” in a commercial for the NFL.
An Instagram post on the Neil Young Archives account shows an image from the video for Young’s 1988 song “This Note’s For You” in which the Canadian singer is holding a bottle with a label that reads: “Sponsored By Nobody.”
The lyrics of “This Note’s For You” include: “Ain’t singin’ for Pepsi / Ain’t singin’ for Coke / I don’t sing for nobody / Makes me look like a joke.”
It comes just days after NBC Sports debuted Beck’s version of “Old Man” as a promo for its Sunday Night Football. The cover was then released on streaming services.
Beck responded Tuesday to Young's apparent shade in an Instagram Story in which he shared a throwback photo of himself standing with Young. He tagged Young's account and added a heart.
Young, who has never licensed his music for commercials, last year sold a 50 percent stake in his catalogue to UK-based Hipgnosis Songs Fund, which is run by fellow Canadian Merck Mercuriadis.
When the deal was announced, Mercuriadis said, in a statement: “We have a common integrity, ethos and passion born out of a belief in music and these important songs. There will never be a ‘Burger Of Gold’ but we will work together to make sure everyone gets to hear them on Neil’s terms.”