Multi-instrumentalist Nils Lofgren needs no introduction. The Rock and Roll Hall of Famer exploded into our consciousness on Neil Young’s classic After the Goldrush while still a teenager. The first musician to have a guitar solo featured on a Neil Young song other than Neil himself, Nils Lofgren has proved himself to be one of the finest ever guitarists, time and time again. Whether solo, with Crazy Horse or Grin, or as a long-time member of Bruce Springsteen’s E Street Band, Nils Lofgren has consistently demonstrated great technical gifts, complementing his accomplished songwriting and beautifully smooth, distinctive vocal. As well as Springsteen and Young, Lofgren has collaborated with a host of celebrated artists, including Ringo Starr, Lou Reed, Willie Nelson, Jerry Lee Lewis, Lou Gramm, Bob Seeger, David Crosby and Stephen Stills.
Nils Lofgren is a sensitive soul who feels deeply and is driven by a very real sense of social justice. Always open-hearted and compassionate, Nils has shared his views on politics with AUK in the past. When looking back, his words still seem frighteningly relevant today. Back in 2020, he told me, “The world needs to change first. I’m living in the possibility it can all come back if, in our little world here in America, we can get this racist dictatorship out of power and get some real adults with some expertise and compassion… There are so many solutions out there and brilliant people with great ideas. To abandon those ideas in the name of money and greed and power, whatever it costs, including becoming an endangered species as a human race, is madness. I’m heartened by all the early voting going on as voter suppression becomes like a massive game plan for one of our parties. I mean, who would have thought to keep millions of people from voting to stay in power? What an idea. What a moral treason! We’ve got to look out for each other, protecting the right to vote and have a voice.
“I hope collectively as a world we start turning it around. Imagine what the world would be if everybody was just calmly pulling for each other and doing the right thing and being kind and considerate. I want to work towards a world like that because the way we are going now is not sustainable. We have to vote people out and put people in there to help heal the planet and our environment, and our collective souls as human beings. If we only listened to our animals, they’d teach us every day about unconditional love and common sense, but we’re just not paying enough attention. So, I’m hoping there is a big turning point coming up for all of us, and we don’t have to go down this awful road too much longer.
“Now, I do believe that: I believe that we all need to work towards a collective, hopeful, compassionate goal; everything like clean air, clean water, clean soil, clean minds, clean hearts. We need to rid ourselves of the childish greed and corruption that’s destroying our environment and our collective souls. I think now everyone is waking up and realising that we’ve got to do something about it. I wrote a song for my ‘Silver Lining’ album and played it on one of Ringo’s tours called ‘Bein’ Angry’ – is a full-time job! We all get enraged, and it’s debilitating. I think everyone is ready to try to create a calmer, saner, safer, healthier planet. At the moment, it seems that the truth is optional. We’ve lost control of it now, and truth is no longer necessary, but that is destroying society. We have to change that and make the truth critical again. We all have to respond to the truth. You have to pick a side, and the side is truth, respect, dignity and humanity. That’s the side and, if you’re not on it, you’re the problem, and we’re going to try and bring you over to the light.”
A thoughtful observer of the world around us, Nils’ words were important and profound. Sadly, those wise words seem just as relevant today, six years later. The fact that the very concept of ‘truth’ is optional and has become so twisted, so disrespected, is shocking. Nils called for calm and dignity. He couldn’t have known at that point that things were only going to get worse.
Back in 2023, the opening track on the album Mountains was the energetic Ain’t the Truth Enough, a powerful song about the insurrection in the USA on 6th January 2021. With pounding drums from Ringo Starr and backing vocals from Cindy Mizelle, it was a deeply engaging reflection on uncertain times. Lofgren said, “I grew up living through the Vietnam War, the Cuban Missile Crisis, and the Kennedy and King assassinations. I thought we’d moved beyond that kind of turmoil, but more and more over the last few years, I found myself having flashbacks to the ’60s and all the uncertainty that came with it. Music has always been my sacred weapon in tough times, so when history started coming back to haunt me. I decided to reach for the guitar.”
If anything, our world has only become stranger and more divided since then. In the context of President Trump’s second term of office, Lofgren has once again reached for his guitar and used music as a ‘sacred weapon’ to support those wronged by ICE agents and the Federal Government. From the start of his first administration, Nils and his wife, Amy, have taken a strong pro-humanity, anti-Trump stance, using social media platforms to oppose authoritarianism and call out abuses of power. Together, they have written this new protest song – No Kings, No Hate, No Fear – for protesters to sing and march along to at the next No Kings rally on 28th March 2026.
Nils says of the purpose behind the song: “Along with the rest of the country and my fierce, freedom-fighter wife Amy, I’ve been watching this treasonous regime running our troubled, beautiful country and its democracy into the ground, on purpose and with evil intent. I challenged myself to write a song that did justice to the strength of our feelings. I knew it needed to be simple, primitive and visceral. Over a couple of days, while walking our two dogs, Rose and Earl, around the yard, I kept experimenting with phrases I could chant that described the angst and trauma of the current moment. Once I started chanting No Kings, No Hate, No Fear, it held the emotion needed for me. I tried to top it and couldn’t. I felt now I had the seed of the song. I played it for Amy, who liked it and helped me improve the lyrics. As I worked on the right melody and chords, I felt emotional and excited about its potential. Watching the magnificent people of Minneapolis, Minnesota, stand up day after day in the brutal cold with such fierce courage and intent, honoring what freedom in our country was meant to be, was a daily inspiration for writing this song.
“I have always believed that music is our planet’s Sacred Weapon. Every day, billions of people turn to music for healing, uniting, inspiration and hope. All art at its best serves this purpose, for all people. Using gifts we didn’t ask for, people create art that magically calls us all to a higher place of understanding, compassion, inspiration and community. Of course, the song I wrote, hopefully, will touch and inspire listeners. It is a street anthem for freedom’s gladiators. I’d love to see groups of patriots resisting this destruction of democracy, singing it loud and clear in streets and towns all over America, in overwhelming numbers!”
Beginning with booming drums, like a thumping heart, this street anthem feels like a song to chant along to, a motivating force that will unite a collective: “Oh, the truth must be enough…Shout it loud and clear // Our freedom beating here // No kings, no hate, no fear // Our freedom beating here.” It’s a strident message of resilience and hope, and unambiguous in its lyrical intent. Towards the end of the accompanying video, which was created by Dennis Mora and premiered on Mary Trump Media, we see a slogan on a cardboard sign left on the floor: NO FEAR LOVE WINS. And that, people, is what we have to hope for.
I spoke to Nils again, and we reflected on our previous conversations. He said: “It’s funny how topical all that stuff still is – it’s good to bring it up in the current climate. It is the age-old, universal idea that humanity doesn’t learn from its history, and we’re not. So, here we are in this dilemma. Billionaires are infected by the disease of ‘more’ and have lost their humanity; they can’t self-correct. They think they need more trillions of dollars and more power, not realising that they are literally just destroying the Earth itself, destroying our habitat – the only place we have to live. The whole concept of being successful – wouldn’t you want a beautiful Earth to live on? We have to focus on our humanity, kindness and consciousness as a race of people. I’m glad you brought up those previous conversations because there’s a lot that applies to this new song. If people use it on the next march, that’s what I wrote it for. Of course, there are people in every country, doing great things with nothing, for example, building schools, but none of those wonderful people are in charge. There are far more kind, considerate, beautiful, compassionate people than those addicted to ‘more’. But those are the ones who gravitate to power.”
From 31st March, Nils will be joining Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band on the “Land of Hope and Dreams” American Tour, focusing on “Rock ‘n’ Rebellion.” There will be twenty shows, during which Springsteen will add his voice, loudly and proudly, to the discontented masses protesting against Trump’s reign. Given recent events, it is hugely symbolic that the tour will start in Minneapolis and conclude in the seat of power: Washington, D.C.
In dark and uncertain times, we need to hold onto our principles of respect and dignity and value truth, celebrating the strength in our collective humanity. Artists like Nils Lofgren help us do so through their music, their ‘sacred weapon.’
