Van Morrison Is Releasing Songs Railing Against COVID-19 Lockdowns

Van Morrison is releasing three songs to protest the lockdowns imposed to slow the spread of the new coronavirus. “No More Lockdown,” “Born to Be Free,” and “As I Walked Out” will drop in two-week intervals, with the first coming Sept. 25. Morrison has previously referred to the justification of shelter-in-place orders as “pseudoscience,” and, according to the BBC, the lyrics of “No More Lockdown” repeat that message in no uncertain terms: “No more taking of our freedom/And our God-given rights/Pretending it’s for our safety/When it’s really to enslave.” Northern Ireland’s health minister told the BBC, “I don’t know where he gets his facts. I know where the emotions are on this, but I will say that sort of messaging is dangerous.”