Johnny Rotten stuck it to the monarchy in spectacular fashion when he snarled "God Save the Queen" back in 1977 — but following the death of Queen Elizabeth II yesterday (September 8), the former Sex Pistols singer has posted a surprisingly fond tribute on Twitter.
A tweet from his official Twitter account reads, "Rest in Peace Queen Elizabeth II. Send her victorious." Attached is the same photo that appeared on the single artwork of "God Save the Queen" — minus the defacement.
A tweet from his official Twitter account reads, "Rest in Peace Queen Elizabeth II. Send her victorious." Attached is the same photo that appeared on the single artwork of "God Save the Queen" — minus the defacement.
It's not totally clear if the message was written by John Lydon himself, since it's credited to "all at johnlydon.com." The official Twitter account is said to be "run on behalf of Mr Rotten" rather than by him, although the message was presumably posted with his blessing.
"God Save the Queen" was, of course, an extremely anti-monarch song featuring lines like "the fascist regime" and "she ain't no human being." But Lydon's political views have moved significantly to the right since those days, and he's even been spotted wearing a Trump T-shirt in recent years. He famously feuds with his former Sex Pistols bandmates.
The phrase "send her victorious" comes from the song "God Save the Queen" — the UK national anthem, not the Sex Pistols song.
