Rock and roll legend Eric Clapton has joined renowned singer and songwriter Van Morrison for a new song which is against government-imposed coronavirus lockdowns in the U.K.
“Stand and Deliver,” set to be released on December 4, follows in the footsteps of three other recent singles recorded by Morrison: “Born to Be Free,” “As I Walked Out,” and “No More Lockdown.”
“Born to Be Free,” a soulful, Motown-inspired groove, is practically a paean to libertarianism. This is a song Ayn Rand could gleefully sing in the shower while dreaming up dystopian novels. In a general rebuke to overbearing government, Morrison sings, “Don’t need the government cramping my style; give them an inch, they take a mile.” Deftly shimmying into an analogy comparing COVID era curfews and shutdowns to Soviet rule, he continues with the chorus, “The new normal is not normal; it’s no kind of normal at all; everyone seems to have amnesia; just trying to remember the Berlin Wall.”
The other two singles are far less subtle in their lyrics. With “As I Walked Out,” Morrison weaves a somber, piano-driven ballad, directly accusing the government of stoking fear in the public and enacting what he says are overly stringent, economically damaging lockdowns. “Well, on the government website from the 21st March 2020; it said COVID-19 was no longer high risk; then two days later they put us under lockdown; then why are we not being told the truth?” asked Morrison, as the songwriter went on to lambast the media and the government in the chorus, “By all the media outlets and the government lackeys; Why is this not big news, why is it being ignored? Why no checks and balances, why no second opinions? Why are they working, and why are we not?”
“No More Lockdown” is an upbeat blues shuffle, suffused with jazzy underpinnings. As in “Born to Be Free,” through its lyrics Morrison exudes a libertarian chic so obvious it would elate the entire House Freedom Caucus. Invoking natural rights, Morrison sings, “No more government overreach; no more fascist police; disturbing our peace; no more taking of our freedom; and our God-given rights; pretending it’s for our safety; when it’s really to enslave.”
It is along these same lines that comes Morrison’s latest protest song against the COVID-driven economic lockdowns. The newly announced “Stand and Deliver” was written by Morrison and recorded by Eric Clapton. Commenting on the upcoming single, Morrison said in an interview with Variety Magazine, “Eric’s recording is fantastic and will clearly resonate with the many who share our frustrations.”
The future of live music and the touring industry remains shrouded in uncertainty. In efforts to curb and contain the spread of the pandemic, government-enforced lockdowns have consequently derailed the livelihoods of countless people – especially those dependent on live events.
The Rolling Stones’ frontman, Mick Jagger, voiced his concerns about COVID relief measures upending the gigging industry, stating in a recent interview, “The larger point, really, is — in the short, medium, and long term — how is everyone that performs live going to function in the future?… So many people are out of work, losing money. Is it ever going to be the same again? Will it be always different? We just don’t know at the moment.”
Proceeds from “Stand and Deliver” will go to Morrison’s charitable endeavor, the Lockdown Financial Hardship Fund, in efforts to aid struggling musicians beset by government lockdowns.
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This is an excerpt from The Daily Wire.
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