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American actor Johnny Depp and English guitarist Jeff Beck are all set to release a joint album. The duo have taken the first step by releasing a video of the original song titled This Is a Song for Miss Hedy Lamarr on June 9.
The tribute to the late actress Hedy Lamarr (who died in 2000 at the age of 85) is one of two songs written by Depp for the project, the other being Sad Motherf*ckin' Parade.
These newly written originals stand out on 18, an album mostly comprised of cover songs, some of which are performed by Depp and others which are entirely instrumental. On July 15, the Rhino label will release it in CD and digital formats.
Johnny Depp's new song lyrics explained
Hedy Lamarr was a prominent actress who lived through the changeover from black and white to colour film in the mid-1900s. She was one of the first Hollywood stars to face the drawbacks of being a celebrity, and was also a prolific inventor, holding several patents. Johnny Depp was drawn to her narrative because of the parallels they seemingly share.
Lamarr rose to prominence in her films due to her s*x appeal. Even though she was a great inventor, nobody trusted her because they believed that a Hollywood actress could not be a good scientist.
Some of the lyrics of the song are:
"Erased by the same world who made her a star. The light of her being, her exotic allure / was torn at the seams for daring to dream / it's so hard to speak when you're frozen in scream ... Feels like a dream, but it's life and it's death."
As per AuralCrave, the lyrics talk about Lamarr being a genius but imprisoned in the world of movies and glamor. Her beauty became a barrier that stopped the rest of the world from taking her seriously. It is a tragic viewpoint, which is why Johnny Depp then muses:
"I don't believe in humans anymore."
The song moves along with creative images depicted by Johnny Depp, who croons:
"It’s so hard to speak when you’re frozen in scream."
The lyrics to capture the futility of trying to be something else when one is trapped in a mold. In Hollywood, Hedy Lamarr's worth was defined by her attractiveness, and she lost her struggle to be regarded as someone who was much more than what viewers saw on screen.
Jeff Beck was "blown away" by Johnny Depp's song
In a statement, Jeff Beck revealed that he was "blown away" when he first heard Depp's song three years ago, before they started recording the album.
In a statement following the news of the album, Beck said that he had never had a "creative partner" like him in years.
“He was a major force on this record. I just hope people will take him seriously as a musician because it’s a hard thing for some people to accept that Johnny Depp can sing rock ‘n’ roll. It’s an extraordinary honor to play and write music with Jeff, one of the true greats and someone I am now privileged enough to call my brother.”
The cover art for 18 was also revealed on June 9, which is a drawing of Beck and Depp as they would have been as 18-year-olds, a callback to the youthful versions of David Bowie and Elvis Presley. Sandra Beck, the English musicians's wife, designed the cover.
