Reviewed by Ian Phillips.
By Mike McClellan, Independent 2022.
Evergreen Australian troubadour Mike McClellan has returned with one of the most poignant songs of his long career.
With an election imminent and the UN imploring world governments to act urgently to abate disastrous climate change, Mike has channelled his anger at our national government’s intransigence into a powerful call for action.
Experts have warned of the disasters that are coming if we don’t act immediately to cut our greenhouse emissions; we are already experiencing an increase in the frequency and ferocity of natural disasters.
Mike McClellan has hit a potent vein of form recently and You Will Be A Witness is one of the best songs that he’s penned.
It joins other recent releases such as If Sorrow Should Find You, and I Wonder Who You’re Waiting For that are among the thirteen tracks on his upcoming album, Behind Every Mask.
The song states the obvious: that we will all be the witnesses to our environmental follies.
He has a message for the Federal Government: we won’t forget those who deliberately thwarted attempts to act while we still had time to.
You Will Be A Witness is a powerful protest song, and protest songs are making a comeback due to the myriad of pressing issues facing the world today.
Mike has been a fixture on the local acoustic music scene for 50 plus years and his hit song, Song And Dance Man, turns 50 in two-years-time.
He began performing in the late ‘60s, won the Australian pop idol award in 1969, and released his first self-titled album in 1972.
His second album, Ask Any Dancer was a major hit and included Song And Dance Man which won the Song Of The Year in 1975.
And Mike is still writing outstanding songs.
Give You Will Be A Witness a listen and think carefully who you’ll vote for when the election is finally called.
