Van Morrison and Eric Clapton have finally released their anti-lockdown song, ‘Stand and Deliver’, on Friday, December 18th.
We all know by now that Van Morrison is no fan of COVID-19 restrictions. He’s released several anti-lockdown odes, with insufferable names such as ‘Born To Be Free’ and ‘No More Lockdown’.
Last month, he announced that he was teaming up with another British artist looking to tarnish a legacy, Eric Clapton. Now, as per Stereogum, their collaboration is here, the ‘rousing’ ‘Stand and Deliver’. The track is written by Morrison and sung by Clapton.
Some notable lines in the song include “Is this a sovereign nation / Or just a police state? / You better look out, people / Before it gets too late” and “Magna Carta, Bill of Rights / The constitution, what’s it worth?”
The original version also referenced – for some strange reasoning – the famous English highwayman Dick Turpin, making a connection between a robber and horse thief who wore a mask to commit crimes to innocent people protecting themselves from a deadly virus.
To his credit, sales from the track will be going to Morrison’s Lockdown Financial Hardship Fund, which aims to assist musicians who are struggling amid the coronavirus pandemic.
“Eric’s recording is fantastic and will clearly resonate with the many who share our frustrations,” Morrison recently told Variety. “It is heart-breaking to see so many talented musicians lack any meaningful support from the government, but we want to reassure them that we are working hard every day to lobby for the return of live music, and to save our industry.”
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The Northern Irish singer hasn’t been content to just fight against lockdown musically. He’s also launched a Change.org petition urging officials in his home country to put a proper end to the COVID-19 lockdowns.
“The Northern Ireland Executive has refused to quantify the economic impact of the restrictions on live music nor have they provided the scientific evidence to justify the ban,” Morrison said in a statement. “It’s time to make them accountable.”
Check out ‘Stand and Deliver’ by Van Morrison and Eric Clapton:
