“I can’t take this B.S. any longer / its” gone far enough / You wanna claim my soul, you’ll have to come and break down this door”
English rock and blues legend Eric Clapton has shared a new song called ‘This Has Gotta Stop,’ an anti-lockdown anthem which lyrically lambasts the worldwide response to the coronavirus pandemic.
Clapton, who is often referred to as one of the most influential guitarists of all time, has been publicly vocal about his opposition to lockdown restrictions and vaccinations in recent months. Last December, he teamed up with fellow sceptic Van Morrison for the track ‘Stand and Deliver’, an anti-lockdown protest song; proceeds went to Morrison’s Lockdown Financial Hardship Fund.
“Do you want to be a free man / Or do you want to be a slave?” the guitarist sang on the Morrison-penned release.
Earlier this year, after receiving two doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine, Clapton wrote a letter to anti-lockdown activist Robin Monotti that was later authenticated and partly replicated by Rolling Stone. “I took the first jab of AZ and straight away had severe reactions which lasted ten days. I recovered eventually and was told it would be twelve weeks before the second one…” Clapton wrote.
“About six weeks later I was offered and took the second AZ shot, but with a little more knowledge of the dangers. Needless to say the reactions were disastrous, my hands and feet were either frozen, numb or burning, and pretty much useless for two weeks, I feared I would never play again, (I suffer with peripheral neuropathy and should never have gone near the needle.) But the propaganda said the vaccine was safe for everyone…”
Now, Clapton has recorded and shared new song ‘This Has Gotta Stop’, a track on which he emphatically expresses his frustrations with the measures used to help curb the spread of COVID-19.
“I can’t take this B.S. any longer / its’ gone far enough / You wanna claim my soul, you’ll have to come and break down this door,” the three-time Hall of Famer sings on the track. Clapton’s views are further illuminated in the music video for the song, which features illustrations of hypnotised people, an evil puppeteer, and those in protest holding signs which carry the phrases “Enough is Enough,” “Liberty” and “Stop”.
Last month, Clapton came out in defiance of some restrictions, stating that he will not perform at concerts that require proof of vaccination after the UK government lifted restrictions last month.
In a statement posted on Telegram, he said: “Following the PM’s announcement on Monday the 19th of July 2021, I feel honour bound to make an announcement of my own: I wish to say that I will not perform on any stage where there is a discriminated audience present. Unless there is provision made for all people to attend, I reserve the right to cancel the show.”
In June, Clapton discussed discovering “alternative data” about the pandemic on Youtube and “heroes” like anti-lockdown U.K. politician Desmond Swayne.
“I continue to tread the path of passive rebellion and try to tow the line in order to be able to actively love my family, but it’s hard to bite my tongue with what I now know,” Clapton wrote In his letter to Robin Monotti, .
“Then I was directed to Van [Morrison]; that’s when I found my voice, and even though I was singing his words, they echoed in my heart,” Clapton wrote. “I recorded ‘Stand and Deliver’ in 2020, and was immediately regaled with contempt and scorn.”
Clapton revealed he considered leaving the UK completely after being “devastated” that he had to cancel a world tour. However, he said he received backlash in America over his collaboration with Morrison. “The minute I began to say anything about the lockdown here, and my concerns, I was labelled a Trump supporter,” he said. “I got some pretty heavy feedback.”
Addressing the track ‘Stand and Deliver’ in an accompanying letter last December, Clapton said, “It’s not aggressive or provocative, it just asks ‘Where have all the rebels gone? Hiding behind their computer screens. Where’s the spirit, where is the soul. Where have all the rebels gone.’”
“I’ve been a rebel all my life, against tyranny and arrogant authority, which is what we have now,” Clapton wrote. “But I also crave fellowship, compassion and love… I believe with these things we can prevail.”
Governments say they have been acting according to advice from the WHO and best international guidance in locking down during the Covid crisis.