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Johnny Depp sings Bob Dylan's 'The Times They Are A-Changin’ as a tribute to Geroge Floyd

WION Web Team
New DelhiUpdated: Jun 09, 2020, 10:29 AM IST
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Johnny Depp is best known for his role in the hit 'Pirates of the Caribbean' series. Photograph:(Reuters)

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A day before he turned 57, the actor posted a video on Instagram where he can be seen crooning Bob Dylan's cult classic 'The Times They Are A-Changing'.

It's Johnny Depp's birthday today and the actor is raising awareness around the Black Lives Matter movement through his social media post.

A day before he turned 57, the actor posted a video on Instagram where he can be seen crooning Bob Dylan's cult classic 'The Times They Are A-Changing'. The video was a tribute post for George Floyd and the protest against racism that has erupted in America since his death.

Depp put up a long post along with the video where he talked about the origin of the song in November 1963, just weeks before John F Kennedy was assassinated.

He correlated the song to the present times and wrote, "Dylan’s song applies to Covid-19, it also, very strongly applies to the life-altering image of George Floyd, forever seared to our brains… For me, it applies to the moment we are in, it applies to the moment they were in in 1963, it applies to everything before and everything since and everything that will be."

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Depp revealed that he had performed the song live for a covid relief concert. "I chose to perform this song live, for my friend @drbarbarasturm Covid benefit several weeks ago… I didn’t really know how to play it, but I figured I’d give it a shot, as it seemed to apply so well. And it applies now, more than ever. It was performed a couple of weeks before our collective paralysis was rendered complete by the images of our fellow human George Floyd being cruelly and brutally tortured to death on live TV."

"Let us take a moment to remember the sacrificial hero George Floyd and look with hope towards the changes that his tragic death will cause. And let’s salute the reluctant prophet Bob Dylan and the dream of change he inspired then, now, and onwards… His impact is that of Shakespeare, Marlowe, Hunter Thompson, Marlon Brando, Woody Guthrie, William Blake, Picasso, Bach and Mozart. Dylan’s song is to be kept near you, AT ALL TIMES!!! All love and respect," Depp concluded.

Depp is among the many known faces from the entertainment industry who have spoken against the murder of George Floyd who died after a Police officer knelt on him for over eight minutes. The video of the incident went viral in no time and protests have erupted in several parts of America with people demanding an end to police brutality against the African-American community.