Dave Clark’s latest single addresses one of the most hotly contested and perhaps most misunderstood talking points of the moment – Freedom of Speech. Many use this political umbrella, he argues, as the right to say what they want, use inflammatory language without being held to account, punch downward, and, in short, embrace the freedom to hate. But, as any right-minded person knows, words have meaning, language has consequences, and speech, when used without self-regulation and personal responsibility, comes at a cost.
The impact of the song comes not just from the powerful and poignant message it delivers but also from the mechanical, stomping, fist-in-the-air groove it runs on, clockwork, and robotic. It shimmers with a sort of martial energy and metronomic thump, but this is then tempered by deft guitar work and his soulful voice.
Increasingly, artists like Dave Clark, those brave and uncompromising enough to put their sonic money where their mouth— and also their heart —is, are using their platform to address the issues of the hastily changing and ever-darkening world we find ourselves in.
Perhaps the world will change for the better, one day, and when that day comes it may be because of new political winds ushered in by a more engaged and enlightened population; it may be because of protests rather than protest votes, because people are willing to hold those in power to account or because those emboldened by populist leaders action will be checked and challenged. But if, or rather when (let’s remain optimistic) that change comes, it will be in no small part thanks to artists like Dave Clark and songs such as “I Called For You.”
It may seem like one small drop in a political ocean, but aren’t tsunamis simply a collection of water droplets driven by powerful, unstoppable forces?
