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John Lydon doesn't want "God Save The Queen" used inappropriately when the Queen dies

21 March 2017, 12:58 | Written by Laurence Day

John Lydon - frontman of seminal punks Sex Pistols - has spoken about the monarchy and the use of his punk anthem "God Save The Queen" in a new interview.

When Tory PM Margaret Thatcher died scores of revellers bought "Ding Dong! The Witch Is Dead", pushing it to the Number Two spot in the official charts in a perverse tribute to the controversial politician.

Lydon is keen to avoid one of his band's biggest hits faring a similar fate. Although opposed to the monarchy, Lydon stresses that he values Queen Elizabeth II's life - as he does all life - saying "long may she live."

"That [song is] about a political situation and the demand for obedience to a monarchy I don't believe in," Lydon told The Quietus. "She's a human being and I will sorely miss her as a human being on planet Earth... it's not her fault she was born into a gilded cage."

The full interview airs on The Quietus Hour podcast tomorrow (22 March).
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