Wednesday, October 31, 2018

Carole King calls new anti-Trump song 'a call to action'


Carole KingImage copyrightGETTY IMAGES
Carole King has come out of retirement to write an anti-Trump song.
The songwriter's first new music in seven years is a reworked version of her 1977 track, One.
The song features a new final verse, which King told the Guardian is "a call to action" ahead of the mid-term elections in the US.
The 76-year-old initially rewrote the song to play at a political fundraiser last month, but then recorded the new version to "empower people".
King - a staunch Democrat - is one of the most successful songwriters of all time, but hasn't written any music since her 2011 Grammy-nominated Christmas album.

The woman behind songs including (You Make Me Feel Like A) Natural Woman and The Loco-Motion told Rolling Stone: "I need a reason to make music and I haven't had one."
The song is slightly shorter than the original, which appeared on her album Simple Things. 
The new third verse features lyrics speaking to prospective political candidates: "What will we do?/We're gonna run/reach for the sun/come together as one/show 'em how it's done/at the end of the day, we'll be able to say/love won."
The song also features King's daughters Louise Goffin and Sherry Kondor on backing vocals to enhance the line "We are one" with more voices.
King said of the song: "I see it as empowering people who feel hopeless to do whatever they can as one person. If nothing else, they can vote for Democrats and change the climate of our country."
Barbra StreisandImage copyrightAFP/GETTY IMAGES
Image captionStreisand's new album Walls is inspired by Donald Trump's presidency
The songwriter isn't the first to come out of retirement to write an anti-Trump song.
Last month, Barbra Streisand recorded her first new music since 2005, Don't Lie to Me, which also takes aim at the US President.
Speaking to the Associated Press, the 76-year-old said: "After the election I became mortified and terrified. And so I had to use my creative energy, I had to put it somewhere. 
"Every morning I literally was afraid to turn on the news," she added. "I'm fired up - I have to write about it."
Joan BaezImage copyrightGETTY IMAGES
Image captionJoan Baez at a rally in front of the US Supreme Court last month
In 2017, Joan Baez also confirmed that she was writing her first song in 25 years, Nasty Man, about President Trump.
The Blowin' in the Wind singer renowned for her resistance music in the 1960s and 1970s told Rolling Stone: "There's not enough [protest music] right now. There needs to be more. It's terribly important, because that's what keeps the spirit."

No comments:

Post a Comment