Johnny Depp has released a new song about the pitfalls of fame.
The track, which is called “This is a Song for Miss Hedy Lamarr”, is performed with Jeff Beck and taken from the duo’s forthcoming joint album, 18, which will be released on 15 July.
Ostensibly singing about Forties film star Lamarr, the lyrics of the first verse go: “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.”
In the chorus, Depp sings: “I don’t believe, I can’t believe, I won’t believe humans any more.” At another point, he laments: “It’s so hard to talk when no one will hear, and everyone stares as you quiver in fear.”
Depp and Beck have been playing across the UK in recent weeks, with Depp missing the last day of his defamation trial against his ex-wife Amber Heard for a gig.
Depp had sued Heard for $50m (£39.8m) over a Washington Post op-ed titled: “I spoke up against sexual violence – and faced our culture’s wrath. That has to change.”
The article did not mention Depp by name, yet his lawyers said it falsely implies he physically and sexually abused Heard while they were together.
Heard countersued for $100m (£80.9m), accusing Depp of orchestrating a “smear campaign” against her and describing his lawsuit as a continuation of “abuse and harassment”. During closing remarks, both sides urged jurors to think about other victims of domestic abuse.
On Wednesday (1 June), the jury shared their verdicts, finding that Heard had defamed Depp on all three counts.
Depp was awarded $10m (£8m) in compensatory damages and $5m (£4m) in punitive damages. Heard was awarded $2m (£1.6m) in compensatory damages, but no punitive damages.
