Carole King comes out of retirement with anti-Trump anthem

'I need a reason to make music and I haven’t had one'

(Carole King/YouTube)

Carole King has released new music for the first time in seven years, re-working her 1977 song “One” in a bid to “empower people” ahead of the US mid-term elections.

The 76-year-old is a lifelong Democrat, and described the song to the Guardian as “a call to action”.

Best known for hits like “(You Make Me Feel Like A) Natural Woman” and “The Loco-Motion”, King had not felt inspired to make new music until now.

“I need a reason to make music and I haven’t had one,” she told Rolling Stone.

The song’s new verse muses: ”What will we do?/We’re gonna run/reach for the sun/come together as one/show ‘em how it’s done/at the end of the day, we’ll be able to say/love won.”

“I see it as empowering people who feel hopeless to do whatever they can as one person,” King said of the track. :If nothing else, they can vote for Democrats and change the climate of our country.”

On YouTube she added in the song’s description:

“I kept thinking about the song “One” for which I had written both music and lyrics in 1977. It’s a song about wondering what we can do when we see injustice, and it expresses my long held belief that we – all of us humans – are most effective when we come together as “One” and stand up for our values such as dignity, inclusivity, equality of opportunity, and caring for our most vulnerable neighbors. Drawn to the piano like pins to a magnet, I was inspired to write some new lyrics for the last chorus to reflect my feelings about the 2018 election. And then I wanted to record it.”

King’s return comes shortly after a similar one from Barbra Streisand. “Don’t Lie to Me” was her first new song since 2005, and also took aim at Trump.

“After the election I became mortified and terrified,” Striesand told the Associated Press. ”And so I had to use my creative energy, I had to put it somewhere.

“Every morning I literally was afraid to turn on the news. I’m fired up – I have to write about it.”

The US mid-term elections, which could see the Democrats reclaim control of the House of Representatives, is expected to be an incredibly close race.