Gareth Cattermole/Getty ImagesRock music legends Van Morrison and Eric Clapton have teamed up for “Stand and Deliver,” a song that takes coronavirus lockdowns to task.
“There are many of us who support Van and his endeavors to save live music; he is an inspiration,” Clapton said according to Variety. “We must stand up and be counted because we need to find a way out of this mess. The alternative is not worth thinking about. Live music might never recover.”
Clapton also said that the end of live entertainment due to coronavirus lockdowns is “deeply upsetting.”
Proceeds for the track — set to be released on December 4 — will go to Morrison’s Lockdown Financial Hardship Fund, which works to lend financial assistance to musicians left struggling during the global pandemic and the mitigation lockdowns imposed across the world.
“It is heartbreaking 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,” Morrison added upon release of news of his Clapton collaboration.
According to his website, Morrison’s fund has already disbursed its first allotments. Still, the group promises that more money will soon be raised for a second round of donations to struggling artists.
Van Morrison has already released several songs that are critical of the lockdowns, including “Born To Be Free,” “As I Walked Out,” and “No More Lockdown.”
Morrison’s criticism of lockdowns has stirred controversy in certain circles, especially among government officials. The “Moondance” singer recently drew criticism from Northern Ireland’s health minister Robin Swann who called the protest songs “dangerous.”
“I don’t know where he gets his facts. I know where the emotions are on this,” Swann told BBC in September, “but I will say that sort of messaging is dangerous.” As Rolling Stone reported, Morrison has for decades voiced grievances through song, but “this time, Morrison’s preferred method of venting might also cause harm to others.”
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