The song is a child of its time. After Khomeini came to power in Iran in 1979 and turned Iran into a theocracy, Western rock music, among other things, was banned there. Joe Strummer wrote this song in 1982 to make fun of exactly that. The whole thing was actually intended as an anti-war song and for general understanding, but unfortunately it was often misunderstood
Yep. BP isn’t aware of the context and is entirely missing the point. (No shade, just facts) They’re speaking to power, not crapping on anyone’s religion. It’s punk rock at its best.
Train in vain; police on my back; Rudie can't fail; lost in the supermarket; the guns of Brixton; clampdown.. Come on now, there is a LOT more than London calling...
Orthodox Jew and an Arab come together over music. It always said to me that the people on both sides of the conflict are people, they have a lot in common, it's just the institutions that divide them and get them into wars and conflicts. As timely today as it was then.
Given part of my heritage, I've always looked at the conflicts over there as cousins disagreeing . Most Arabic people hate the facts that a majority of what is known as Arabic are descended from Semitic Haplogroups. The most brutal disputes are generally from families: Hatfield's and the McCoy's etc.
I actually think it’s money, generated by oil, that’s the great leveller in play here. For me, it suggests the hypocrisy of religion & religious values of individuals (of any faith) when money comes into the equation - that is, it’s all thrown out of the window
We all have a lot more in common than we have in differences, just folks with bad intentions that make us forget that and only focus on differences as it stops us unifying.
@@DoxGR7934 we live in the age of information, never ever in history have we had so much opportunity to connect, but this doesn't suit everyone, in particular, those whose power depends on our ignorance and division. Always remember tolerance, because nobody is perfect and others have to tolerate us also. One world, one love!!!!!
I am french of Algerian origin, I am an atheist but my family is Muslim and here most North Africans know this song, it was covered by Rachid Taha an Algerian singer very well known in our country, I have never met anyone who took the words of joe strummer badly, I usually agree with you but on this one no, the so-called "kings" more commonly called dictators are not voices of peace, they are there to oppress and ban everything that does not "please" them, the people cannot stand them, this song is a revolt against this constant opression due to a misreading of the Muslim religion, we must really learn about this subject to understand but unfortunately our days, we take everything badly and we are shocked by everything, let's go back to the good old days no ? 😅
Bravo pour ton courage et pour le fait de raisonner avec ton cerveau et ton coeur plutôt qu'avec l'assistance d'un livre écrit il y a 1400 ans, puis interprété par des "savants"... comme disait OTH :"Mieux vaut régner en enfer que servir au paradis" surtout si cela n'existe pas et même avec la preuve du contraire. Signé : Le dragon rose qui parle Kabyle et qui vit à 50 milliards d'années lumière
This is a song about oppression and liberties being taken away that they previously had. Religion is one thing. Autocracy is another. You are not considering how a whole population was/is suppressed.
This song is the epitome of what 'Punk Rock' is. Punk is ALL about protest against the Powers that Be. Also, keep in mind that this song came out in 1982. The average American/Brit really did not have any idea of what was forbidden under Islam.
Noting that The Clash weren't doing the whole Boston, Kansas, Journey thing might be the understatement of the year. Nice to see that it still resonates after 40 years.
I had an Iranian friend at this time; a student in America who was afraid to go back after the Iranian revolution. He explained to me that Iranian people were the most "Westernized" in the middle East and that for many of them this was going to be very dangerous.
I, too, had a friend whose family escaped Itan in the late 70's. They identified as Persian, not Iranian. Fortunately, they saw what was happening with the Ayetollah a few years before he took over Iran. It was very Westernised. You can google pictures of 1960's Iran, and it was a really relaxed, nice place. He joined the Marines in 79 and I joined the Navy during the Iranian Hostage Crisis.
@@girl_overthinx I was born in 1971 (Germany). When I was about 30, I saw for the first time pictures of what people in Iran looked like in the 60s and 70s. The women wore knee-length boots or high-heeled shoes and super, super short miniskirts. They wore their hair long and loose and were all beautiful. Men wore modern-cut suits or jeans and T-shirts. I remember a scene in a public square. Everything was well-kept and green and full of flowers. People were going to university or shopping. I was horrified. All I had seen of Iran up to that point was ash-grey ground, not even a hint of green anywhere, neglected houses, women in black cloaks and men with nightshirts (sorry^^), beards and machine guns in their arms. I think I'm still shocked. These pictures have stuck with me ever since. There really isn't a better warning...but hardly anyone talks about it.
100%. I have tons of Persian friends (and ex's) that came here in the late 70s/early 80s (they were months or a couple years old when they came). All of them (their parents) tell me how horrific it became after the revolution. This came from BOTH the Jewish and Muslim sides.
Get the history before you speak. Joe Strummers dad was a diplomat and Joe saw it all, as a child around the world. This is a protest against banning music, nothing more, nothing less. Just good ole Punk Rock!
@@reality1958 Stop making excuses for a "reactor" not knowing anything about one of the earliest and greatest political punk rock bands of all time - singing about real life - with oppression TILL THIS DAY in Iran with "illegal music". (#28 to be exact per Rolling Stone) And one of the greatest rock singles of all time, and a post 9-11 anthem.
You really need to study up on the issuses in the Middle East during the 70's especially the overthrow of the Iranian gov't the US Hostage situation, the Munich Olympics massacre, Entebbe.
@@jujutrini8412 It's crazy that a 40-year old man can live his whole life not knowing about these things. I'm only 23 and remember reading about this stuff when I was 10 or 11.
Not allowing people to make their own decisions is unjustifiable under any belief system. So this idea of protecting people from themselves is a question of social control, not religion. If the underlying values are strong, they can handle exposure to different ideas. Peace to you for standing by your beliefs and doing what you believe is in the best interest of you and your family. Nothing wrong with sharing your views and opinions. I've heard the song thousands of times. This is the first I'm hearing where it led your brain and heart. I don't have to agree with you to respect you.
Err, sorry it's not. This was classed as "new wave" or post punk era. Got a lot of criticism from punk rockers at the time and lost the Clash a lot of fans.
Eeeeh, not really, it's been established that the Clash were influenced by the likes of The Sex Pistols.( Melody Maker, a British Music Magazine was possibly the first publication where a journalist coined the phrase "Punk Rock" in a derisive way. And others would argue The Ramones for musical style.
@@maximus6622how would this be classified as new wave when The Clash released their first album at least 5 years before new wave existed? Most punk bands of the time and nowadays cite The Clash as one of their biggest influences. You should check out a few books or documentaries about the history of punk.
We used to use this song in 1982 changing the chorus to "f* the taskforce" [taskforce was a navy force moving down to retake the Falkland Islands from Argentina]. I was in the Royal Navy then. lol
Casbah is a Muslim castle in Algiers, Algeria. Such a geat band. So many of their songs have REALLY GOOD hooks. Very gritty, street-ish sound. And they often have some sort of unique sound effect in. Check out "I Fought the Law and the Law Won". They do a thing with the drums to mimic the sound of a revolver that really sticks out. The Clash was not at all afraid of offending folks, regardless of your race, religion, or social class. Notice the Orthodox Jewish guy dancing with the Sunni Muslim guy. This song is basically a Middle Eastern take on the story of Footloose - repressive prudes crack down on the evils of dancing, and the kids rebel. When this song came out, the world was pushing toward a more tolerant society. Now we're wayyyy on the other end of the pendulum's swing, and in a shocking turn of events, tolerance now means banning all sorts of stuff, to avoid hurting people's feelings.
Many people got offended. Other people usualy wouldn´t hear it though (except if someone important like Sharif got offended by rock music). Now everyone posts every little thing online.
Your wokeness is showing, I was born in 1060, we did not get offended at thoughts, ideas or music, we may have disagreed but we did NOT cancel or censor things or people. true freedom is to offend!!!!
Kings and Sheiks who ban things, but profit of off oil and live the highlife while supressing their own people are not in my opinion trying to protect their people.
Back during this time, I was part of a production of a play that was objected to by both pro-American White supremacists and hard line Islamics in our corner of Michigan. We received bomb threats, death threats, all kinds of things. The play was a Woody Allen play called "Don't Drink the Water." It was written in the 1960s when the entire concept of American people being held hostage in an embassy was absurd. The 1979 Iran American Embassy Crisis occurred while we were rehearsing that play. We were probably the last theater to ever produce it
This song was a product of its time... the American Hostages were taken in Iran and SUDDENLY the whole world noticed the Middle East for seemingly the first time. The Clash's album "Combat Rock" came out about that time. 1979 and Punk was exploding everywhere, and Rock the Casbah fulfilled a LOT of people's fantasies around "dropping bombs between the minarets" to get our hostages back. This song really captured the 'zeitgeist' of the time
OMG! I'm a subscriber and the number of times I've marveled at the words and language you look up has me seriously disappointed in the American education system.... Thank you for starting a reaction channel.... if for no other reason, than to see you learning more and more about history, language, and poetic interpretation of historical events. The Clash are among the fathers of punk rock and commentators on social politics for their time. Keep learning and growing! The Clash and modern rock music is not the reason for society's moral and social breakdown. Calm down. Keep learning and thinking and discovering.... you may change your mind about what has caused the breakdown of modern society.
As long as we still have a Constitution, you have the right to your opinion. No one has the power to stop you! So feel free to speak your mind! You have a subscriber that truly respects you!
I'm 60 years old. Thankfully MY "moral compass" hasn't shifted noticably since I was 20. I'm a little more relaxed, a little more considered but my views on most things are the same. Unlike you I was a young man at this time & I can assure you that the Iranian regime that banned western music along with many other things wasn't trying to protect anything other than their own power. By the tried & tested autocratic method of restricting & banning everything they didn't like. They were theocratic dictators, pure & simple. You can quote many examples of "degeneracy" in the western world for sure. I've got a list of them a mile long. But the regime that inspired this song was, & still is, one that denies freedom of thought,speech & expression, treats women like dirt (including putting them on trial for being raped) & uses state sanctioned murder as a tool of control. It deserved every bit of criticism it got. The Clash had plenty of songs that criticised the shortcomings & evils of their own western culture, both in the UK & the US ( See Washington Bullets, Something About England, Somebody Got Murdered, Know Your Rights, Straight To Hell, London Calling, White Riot, Clampdown, Ghetto Defendant & many others ) They saw no reason to hold back from calling out oppression wherever it existed, at home or abroad, & neither should anyone. I doubt Uncle Joe would have given any thought to what lens his words might be viewed & interpreted through over 40 years after the event (& nor should he) But I'm 100% certain he wouldn't have cared anyway (& again, nor should he)
clash was one of the leading Pink bands. One of their biggest songs is the two you reviewed and "London Calling" The whole album with same title is epic
This song was made to protest the Iranian revolution of 1979. Amongst a lot of other things that were banned music was heavily clamped down on. The Clash were all about personal freedom and this was a way of them speaking out against repression.
The Clash are almost universally hailed as an inspiration for just about every modern punk band. Their sound, their lyrics, their attitude resonated with so many. Train in Vain, Guns of Brixton, London Calling, I Fought the Law, Should I Stay or Should I Go, Tommy Gun. You aren't starved for choice with this band. This is, arguably, one of their weaker songs but it caught the most air play.
The greatest British punk band by a light year. And Londons calling is one of the greatest albums of all time. I was a kid when this was released. I have a image of riding on the dodgems at the fair, with my mum watching with a smile on her face and this song playing.. Then I grew up and realised what it's about. Joe strummer is a frigging genius and a legend in this country of England..😎🤟🏻
Unless I'm mistaken, the piano, bass and drums on this banger were *all* played by the band's drummer Topper Headon, who wrote the music for the song. That bass line is one of my favourite ever.
The Clash is one of the most sampled punk bands ever. This one was sampled by Will Smith, 2 Live Crew, and plenty of others. You should check out Big Audio Dynamite, a punk/funk/dance fusion band started by Tom, the guitarist.
Yep, this is punk rock. I play it, listen to it, love it. The Ramones, The Clash, The Damned, The Ruts, Generation X, X-ray Specs, Revolting Cocks, The Misfits, etc. The Clash were VERY political and outspoken but often in a very dry, funny way.
It's got nothing to do with the environment. It's a political statement on the indigenous culture and settlement of Australia. Advocating treaty and reparations. When it's all just a ploy to steal from everyone. Can't say much more here. Other than the recent referendum being nothing more than a trojan horse.
A kasbah, also spelled qasba, qasaba, or casbah, is a fortress, most commonly the citadel or fortified quarter of a city. It is also equivalent to the term alcazaba in Spanish,
I remember waking up one morning and listening to the news on the radio in London that operation Desert Storm had started, Chris Tarrant the DJ then said here’s one for all our troops in the Middle East then played this 😂
I lived in Jeddah Saudia Arabia as a kid. We lived on what was called the " american compound", but when we went to the Capitol, my mother would have to walk behind us. Women were treated as 2nd class citizens, were not allowed to go anywhere solo. Our TV was not LIVE, it was vhs recordings they recorded while they were visiting other countries, and broadcasted as if it was legit live TV. They would have prayer time, and the whole city would go silent. We had a tape store called 747, i went to a lot. The store clerks watched me like a hawk, as they would chop the hand off thieves, for 1st offense. The music was also pirated from other countries, they had no copyright laws, and bootleg tapes were all you could get. And if the picture showed a woman with cleavage, they would cross it out with a magic marker. Even Anita Bakers Rapture, had a giant x through the tape cover. You could drive however you wanted, no laws. The rich would leave any accident-damaged car on the side of the road, and buy a new one. We saw tons of brand new cars with minor damage abandoned. No middle class, you would see a castle, and a cardboard tent, not too far from it. At the time, the cities were recently built. There were patches of desert sand everywhere, and you'd see a camel tied to a pole in the heart of the city. It was a crazy place to grow up lol
This song slaps. It's about rock music being banned in the middle east I'm pretty sure. This is their reaction to that 😂 Great reaction and Peace out ✌️ ☮️ 🙏
That's the understatement of the year the Clash mentioned along with Boston, Journey, and Kansas the Clash are a punk band first and foremost. Rock the Casbah was a protest song 40 years about banning rock music so it wouldn't influence his authoritarianism.
"In your face" truth is what punk provided on the surface. Behind that facade (with the great classic punk bands from 70's and early 80's) is usually a deeper meaning that should be thought provoking and conversation starting.
Would love you to listen to Ian Dury and The Blockheads. Ian Dury was the guy who influenced early Punk bands like The Clash and Sex Pistols when he was in a Pub Rock band called Kilburn and the High Roads. He contracted polio at young age which left him disabled and gave him with hunched stance on mic which most punk singers copy to this day
The Clash is a very political PUNK BAND (one of the first to incorporate REGGAE into their music). This song came out at a time when you could sing about political injustices and not worry about being politically correct or cancelled. Punk Rock was meant to be in your face and not sound so pretty like the arena rock bands of the 70's and 80's.
I didn't get your take on the song at all dude. Spoke to me about how music could bring people together. Great song and video welcome to Punk Rock maybe it's not for you haha. Nah I'm glad it's going on your playlist. Next try The Sex Pistols Anarchy in the UK now that will really blow your mind.
Hey, I'm from the UK and was looking through my primary (elementary) school class photo. My wife (of 24 years) asked about the pupils in the photo and, almost every single person has been married or with the same partner for a very long time. Maybe it is just America rather than the entire West.
The Clash were very anti-establishment. They were against so much they saw as wrong. London's Calling is about the fear of nuclear war., They wrote about the Sandinistas. They got it.
In a weird way the lead singer, Joe Strummer, was kind of Middle Eastern. He was born in Ankara in Turkey and had an Armenian great-grandfather. The song's about Iranians losing their freedom, not western degeneracy BP.😂 RIP Joe. Missed but not forgotten. Long live the Mescaleros!
The Clash are most definitely UK Punk, though I’m pretty sure they started out as Pub Rock band, that evolved into punk but throughout life of the band they absorbed into their brand of punk all of the major music trends of the time too (especially the most prevalent scenes in London), which enabled their longevity and continually expanded their fan base. One of my favourite songs by The Clash though is Know Your Rights and it’s most definitely worth a listen. As for your conflation of lack of moral compass and preferred pronouns or that only religion gives a moral compass…that’s just mental. As an almost fifty year old cis white woman, as far as I’m concerned there is no difference between selecting which pronouns are used to refer to you and choosing which name you want to be known by. It’s about what makes each individual feel comfortable. Of course there is also the fact that religion (and specifically the belief that one religion is more right than any other) along with not respecting the borders of neighbouring countries, have been responsible for pretty much every war that has ever happened…and how many women have been ended because of a man being misguided by their religious beliefs? And honestly, a broad strokes term for the person giving birth can only become insulting if the person giving birth asked to be referred to in a specific manner but their choice is then disregarded. I also have a ridiculous amount of issues with people banging on about the definition of a woman because the definition given by the people who get up in arms about it, is so vague. They normally say an adult female but then can’t give a fixed point at which a person becomes an adult, is it when the law determines or when your body determines, remember that some girls start their periods at nine (that’s the lower end of the average age to start, so for a small handful it might even be younger). As for female, what makes you female? Is it the type of reproductive equipment that can be seen when you’re born? Is it the need to wear a bra? Is it the ability to menstruate? Is it the ability to get pregnant? Is it the ability to give birth? Etc etc etc because I can guarantee that the vast majority of people who were designated female at birth would not be classed as female in response to at least one of those questions. Oh and I’m not seeking engagement in this, I’m just giving the perspective of a middle aged woman whose many years of trying for children only resulted in miscarriages, so whose inability to carry a pregnancy to term may make some people feel that I’m not worthy of the designation of woman. If it makes someone feel more comfortable to not be put into a specific box, then why should I refuse their comfort…especially when it takes nothing away from me to offer that small act of kindness and consideration. It costs me nothing and ensures that they feel respected. Not everything and everyone needs to fit in a box.
To be clear, there are some sects of Islam that may consider music to be haram, but its not the standard. For example, Sufism is very in favour of music. Sufism is Islamic mysticism whos followers believe you can get closer to god through music, art poetry and dance, so very much in contrast to some of those extreme sects like the Taliban.
It was the Foreign Muslims in America that took in the Black American R&B Singers during segregation. The Rolling Stones often did concerts for the Muslim sponsored gatherings
I love how young people think today's world problems are a new thing, like the middle east and oil..lol.. it's been a thing for a long time.. and he's 40 ....
Sorry about your opinion on this great song. A Punk protest song. Your take on the “breakdown” of “morality” is quite sad. I’m in my 70s and it is much better to have the freedom to live your life as you wish…as long as you aren’t hurting someone else. It is much better to be able to leave a bad marriage than to be forced to stay in that marriage. I could go on…but won’t.
@@Educated_Guesser explain your idea of perversity. My idea of it is deliberately causing harm to another person. It is not perverse if someone happens to be lgbtq…or chooses not to have children
French-Algerian musician Rachid Taha (RIP) covered this song. Rock el Casbah. He was a big fan of The Clash and may have been influential in the writing of this song. Guitarist Mick Jones toured with him.
The song gives a fabulist account of a ban on Western rock music by a Middle Eastern king. The lyrics describe the king's efforts to enforce and justify the ban, and the populace's protests against it by holding rock concerts in temples and squares ("rocking the casbah").
Other great The Clash songs are "Should I Stay or Should I Go", their cover of "I Fought the Law" & "Train in Vain", but my favorite is "London Calling"
You looked up Casbah, I looked up Sharif. Sharif is someone that says that they are in the direct lineage of Muhammad. I believe if the Clash came out with this song today there would be Muslim riots in the streets of the UK
i wont respect the igorance of people who deny the differences between men and women. and how ignore the correlation between moral decay and the fall of civilizations.
“Maybe this is punk rock…”
Dude. This IS punk rock.
The Clash were a pop band
@@modern_memory nice try, Gen Zer. I was there. The Clash is Punk royalty, numbnutz.
@@The_Jasonian01 Gen Xer here, they were pop, and there's no such thing as punk royalty
Actually new wave music
@@modern_memoryThe Ramones are bubblegum formulaic pop, The clash were a punk band with multiple noticeable influences(reggae, rockabilly, and blues).
The song is a child of its time. After Khomeini came to power in Iran in 1979 and turned Iran into a theocracy, Western rock music, among other things, was banned there. Joe Strummer wrote this song in 1982 to make fun of exactly that. The whole thing was actually intended as an anti-war song and for general understanding, but unfortunately it was often misunderstood
Yes !
Thanks for the breakdown. Been listening for over 15 years and never knew the backstory
Well put. You can read about it, but those of us thatblived through it get it and this song.
Yep. BP isn’t aware of the context and is entirely missing the point. (No shade, just facts) They’re speaking to power, not crapping on anyone’s religion. It’s punk rock at its best.
Facts!!@@BigTwinRiver
Don't leave The Clash behind, before having listened to "London Calling" !!! 😊 ❤
Yes!!!
I came to the comments to say the exact same thing!
Yup. Their best!
Every track on London Calling is genius.... and even the album cover is Art....
Train in vain; police on my back; Rudie can't fail; lost in the supermarket; the guns of Brixton; clampdown.. Come on now, there is a LOT more than London calling...
Orthodox Jew and an Arab come together over music. It always said to me that the people on both sides of the conflict are people, they have a lot in common, it's just the institutions that divide them and get them into wars and conflicts. As timely today as it was then.
Given part of my heritage, I've always looked at the conflicts over there as cousins disagreeing . Most Arabic people hate the facts that a majority of what is known as Arabic are descended from Semitic Haplogroups. The most brutal disputes are generally from families: Hatfield's and the McCoy's etc.
I actually think it’s money, generated by oil, that’s the great leveller in play here.
For me, it suggests the hypocrisy of religion & religious values of individuals (of any faith) when money comes into the equation - that is, it’s all thrown out of the window
We all have a lot more in common than we have in differences, just folks with bad intentions that make us forget that and only focus on differences as it stops us unifying.
Divide and conquer is so much of what is going on today.
@@DoxGR7934 we live in the age of information, never ever in history have we had so much opportunity to connect, but this doesn't suit everyone, in particular, those whose power depends on our ignorance and division. Always remember tolerance, because nobody is perfect and others have to tolerate us also.
One world, one love!!!!!
Different generation my friend, back then we didn't get hurt by words as easily as today's generation.
Exactly! Nobody was butt hurt by songs. I really miss those times.
What a great times we got lived through.
The More "Politically Correct" America has become, the Less Tolerant We've Have Become. Sad state of affairs.
GenX is a highlight among recent generations. Can't speak for the ancient Greeks or the Romans.
and which generation is that?
This song speaks out against censorship in all its forms especially those who use and pervert religion to advance their own personal agendas.
This song was about the ban of Rock music in the middle east.
And this song was then banned from radio in the U.K. during the Iraq war. ;)
Also the Clash was formed in LONDON!
Not America.
They were formed in a cafe opposite the dole office in Paddington London where I was born.
@@garyd6421cool, Gary!
I am french of Algerian origin, I am an atheist but my family is Muslim and here most North Africans know this song, it was covered by Rachid Taha an Algerian singer very well known in our country, I have never met anyone who took the words of joe strummer badly, I usually agree with you but on this one no, the so-called "kings" more commonly called dictators are not voices of peace, they are there to oppress and ban everything that does not "please" them, the people cannot stand them, this song is a revolt against this constant opression due to a misreading of the Muslim religion, we must really learn about this subject to understand but unfortunately our days, we take everything badly and we are shocked by everything, let's go back to the good old days no ? 😅
Words of wisdom, from the truth of life experience. Sadly with all the world's knowledge & history at their fingertips"G**gle" they don't use it🙈
❤🎉
Even before modern dictators the sultans & shieks had harems & what happened with the palaces was not allowed for the workers 😤
Bravo pour ton courage et pour le fait de raisonner avec ton cerveau et ton coeur plutôt qu'avec l'assistance d'un livre écrit il y a 1400 ans, puis interprété par des "savants"... comme disait OTH :"Mieux vaut régner en enfer que servir au paradis" surtout si cela n'existe pas et même avec la preuve du contraire.
Signé : Le dragon rose qui parle Kabyle et qui vit à 50 milliards d'années lumière
@@chucku00 :)
This is a song about oppression and liberties being taken away that they previously had. Religion is one thing. Autocracy is another. You are not considering how a whole population was/is suppressed.
Getting like Britain nowadays😢
This song is the epitome of what 'Punk Rock' is. Punk is ALL about protest against the Powers that Be. Also, keep in mind that this song came out in 1982. The average American/Brit really did not have any idea of what was forbidden under Islam.
Noting that The Clash weren't doing the whole Boston, Kansas, Journey thing might be the understatement of the year. Nice to see that it still resonates after 40 years.
The clash..... the only band that matters
the just went there! and my money was well spent!
RIP Joe Strummer, very talented guy, great group, loved them then & still now 🔥👍🏻🇬🇧❤️xxx
Miss him so much. Saw the Clash many times; and saw Joe with his next band, (Joe Strummer and) The Muscaleros.
London calling, Train in vain, Guns of Brixton , so many great songs
I had an Iranian friend at this time; a student in America who was afraid to go back after the Iranian revolution. He explained to me that Iranian people were the most "Westernized" in the middle East and that for many of them this was going to be very dangerous.
I, too, had a friend whose family escaped Itan in the late 70's. They identified as Persian, not Iranian. Fortunately, they saw what was happening with the Ayetollah a few years before he took over Iran. It was very Westernised. You can google pictures of 1960's Iran, and it was a really relaxed, nice place. He joined the Marines in 79 and I joined the Navy during the Iranian Hostage Crisis.
@@girl_overthinx I was born in 1971 (Germany). When I was about 30, I saw for the first time pictures of what people in Iran looked like in the 60s and 70s. The women wore knee-length boots or high-heeled shoes and super, super short miniskirts. They wore their hair long and loose and were all beautiful. Men wore modern-cut suits or jeans and T-shirts. I remember a scene in a public square. Everything was well-kept and green and full of flowers. People were going to university or shopping.
I was horrified. All I had seen of Iran up to that point was ash-grey ground, not even a hint of green anywhere, neglected houses, women in black cloaks and men with nightshirts (sorry^^), beards and machine guns in their arms. I think I'm still shocked. These pictures have stuck with me ever since. There really isn't a better warning...but hardly anyone talks about it.
100%. I have tons of Persian friends (and ex's) that came here in the late 70s/early 80s (they were months or a couple years old when they came). All of them (their parents) tell me how horrific it became after the revolution. This came from BOTH the Jewish and Muslim sides.
They were known as the garage band these were the fathers of British punk along with the sex pistols
Get the history before you speak. Joe Strummers dad was a diplomat and Joe saw it all, as a child around the world. This is a protest against banning music, nothing more, nothing less. Just good ole Punk Rock!
He’s reacting. We want to see an honest reaction…not a history lesson
Damn dude. Take your meds.
@@reality1958 Stop making excuses for a "reactor" not knowing anything about one of the earliest and greatest political punk rock bands of all time - singing about real life - with oppression TILL THIS DAY in Iran with "illegal music". (#28 to be exact per Rolling Stone) And one of the greatest rock singles of all time, and a post 9-11 anthem.
Give him a chance. He's learning. He knew only rap and gospel growing up.@@FactCheck-i7p
@@reality1958Hes reacting to historic music, not contemporary. It’s all a history lesson.
You really need to study up on the issuses in the Middle East during the 70's especially the overthrow of the Iranian gov't the US Hostage situation, the Munich Olympics massacre, Entebbe.
The seventies was wild. The plane hijackings, all kinds of terrorists, hostage situations, etc.
@@jujutrini8412 It's crazy that a 40-year old man can live his whole life not knowing about these things. I'm only 23 and remember reading about this stuff when I was 10 or 11.
@kallsop2 Well said.
@@jujutrini8412 There were a lot of cults and weird religious fanatics in the 70s too.
Not allowing people to make their own decisions is unjustifiable under any belief system. So this idea of protecting people from themselves is a question of social control, not religion. If the underlying values are strong, they can handle exposure to different ideas. Peace to you for standing by your beliefs and doing what you believe is in the best interest of you and your family. Nothing wrong with sharing your views and opinions. I've heard the song thousands of times. This is the first I'm hearing where it led your brain and heart. I don't have to agree with you to respect you.
This is real punk rock
Err, sorry it's not. This was classed as "new wave" or post punk era. Got a lot of criticism from punk rockers at the time and lost the Clash a lot of fans.
Ive always loved the clash❤🎉 @@maximus6622
Eeeeh, not really, it's been established that the Clash were influenced by the likes of The Sex Pistols.( Melody Maker, a British Music Magazine was possibly the first publication where a journalist coined the phrase "Punk Rock" in a derisive way. And others would argue The Ramones for musical style.
@@maximus6622how would this be classified as new wave when The Clash released their first album at least 5 years before new wave existed? Most punk bands of the time and nowadays cite The Clash as one of their biggest influences. You should check out a few books or documentaries about the history of punk.
We used to use this song in 1982 changing the chorus to "f* the taskforce" [taskforce was a navy force moving down to retake the Falkland Islands from Argentina].
I was in the Royal Navy then. lol
Casbah is a Muslim castle in Algiers, Algeria. Such a geat band. So many of their songs have REALLY GOOD hooks. Very gritty, street-ish sound. And they often have some sort of unique sound effect in. Check out "I Fought the Law and the Law Won". They do a thing with the drums to mimic the sound of a revolver that really sticks out. The Clash was not at all afraid of offending folks, regardless of your race, religion, or social class. Notice the Orthodox Jewish guy dancing with the Sunni Muslim guy. This song is basically a Middle Eastern take on the story of Footloose - repressive prudes crack down on the evils of dancing, and the kids rebel. When this song came out, the world was pushing toward a more tolerant society. Now we're wayyyy on the other end of the pendulum's swing, and in a shocking turn of events, tolerance now means banning all sorts of stuff, to avoid hurting people's feelings.
When rock and roll is banned rock bands will make great songs out of it.
1970-80s a time where no one instandly got offended by anything.... Want to go back😭😭😭😭
Many people got offended. Other people usualy wouldn´t hear it though (except if someone important like Sharif got offended by rock music). Now everyone posts every little thing online.
Oh yeah the 70s, loved it, sticks and stones may break my bones but words will never hurt me
...it was a great time... Insulted or glorified things equally! No one immune 🤣😂🤣
100 percent
Your wokeness is showing, I was born in 1060, we did not get offended at thoughts, ideas or music, we may have disagreed but we did NOT cancel or censor things or people. true freedom is to offend!!!!
Kings and Sheiks who ban things, but profit of off oil and live the highlife while supressing their own people are not in my opinion trying to protect their people.
Meanwhile trying to conquer the west
It was inspired by The Iranian Revolution of 1979 which banned, among many other things, Western rock music ...
Back during this time, I was part of a production of a play that was objected to by both pro-American White supremacists and hard line Islamics in our corner of Michigan. We received bomb threats, death threats, all kinds of things. The play was a Woody Allen play called "Don't Drink the Water." It was written in the 1960s when the entire concept of American people being held hostage in an embassy was absurd. The 1979 Iran American Embassy Crisis occurred while we were rehearsing that play. We were probably the last theater to ever produce it
Wow! That’s amazing.
I remember that time.
Sad how much more suppressed some types of speech have become over the years
This song was a product of its time... the American Hostages were taken in Iran and SUDDENLY the whole world noticed the Middle East for seemingly the first time. The Clash's album "Combat Rock" came out about that time. 1979 and Punk was exploding everywhere, and Rock the Casbah fulfilled a LOT of people's fantasies around "dropping bombs between the minarets" to get our hostages back. This song really captured the 'zeitgeist' of the time
I'm 28 and have grown up listening to this song all my life. I can't believe I never knew all the real words and the true mening of this song.
OMG! I'm a subscriber and the number of times I've marveled at the words and language you look up has me seriously disappointed in the American education system.... Thank you for starting a reaction channel.... if for no other reason, than to see you learning more and more about history, language, and poetic interpretation of historical events. The Clash are among the fathers of punk rock and commentators on social politics for their time. Keep learning and growing! The Clash and modern rock music is not the reason for society's moral and social breakdown. Calm down. Keep learning and thinking and discovering.... you may change your mind about what has caused the breakdown of modern society.
Very, well said.
@@LibraAllWoman Thank you!
As long as we still have a Constitution, you have the right to your opinion. No one has the power to stop you! So feel free to speak your mind! You have a subscriber that truly respects you!
I'm 60 years old. Thankfully MY "moral compass" hasn't shifted noticably since I was 20. I'm a little more relaxed, a little more considered but my views on most things are the same. Unlike you I was a young man at this time & I can assure you that the Iranian regime that banned western music along with many other things wasn't trying to protect anything other than their own power. By the tried & tested autocratic method of restricting & banning everything they didn't like. They were theocratic dictators, pure & simple.
You can quote many examples of "degeneracy" in the western world for sure. I've got a list of them a mile long. But the regime that inspired this song was, & still is, one that denies freedom of thought,speech & expression, treats women like dirt (including putting them on trial for being raped) & uses state sanctioned murder as a tool of control. It deserved every bit of criticism it got.
The Clash had plenty of songs that criticised the shortcomings & evils of their own western culture, both in the UK & the US ( See Washington Bullets, Something About England, Somebody Got Murdered, Know Your Rights, Straight To Hell, London Calling, White Riot, Clampdown, Ghetto Defendant & many others )
They saw no reason to hold back from calling out oppression wherever it existed, at home or abroad, & neither should anyone. I doubt Uncle Joe would have given any thought to what lens his words might be viewed & interpreted through over 40 years after the event (& nor should he) But I'm 100% certain he wouldn't have cared anyway (& again, nor should he)
This song is infectious! I can’t help but sing along and turn it up whenever it’s on the radio!❤❤
Rebellious……yeah that about sums up 70s Punk rock.
This was the 80's.
clash was one of the leading Pink bands. One of their biggest songs is the two you reviewed and "London Calling" The whole album with same title is epic
Those of us who are GenXers weren't bothered by or offended by anything.
This song was made to protest the Iranian revolution of 1979. Amongst a lot of other things that were banned music was heavily clamped down on. The Clash were all about personal freedom and this was a way of them speaking out against repression.
The Clash are almost universally hailed as an inspiration for just about every modern punk band. Their sound, their lyrics, their attitude resonated with so many. Train in Vain, Guns of Brixton, London Calling, I Fought the Law, Should I Stay or Should I Go, Tommy Gun. You aren't starved for choice with this band. This is, arguably, one of their weaker songs but it caught the most air play.
The greatest British punk band by a light year.
And Londons calling is one of the greatest albums of all time.
I was a kid when this was released.
I have a image of riding on the dodgems at the fair, with my mum watching with a smile on her face and this song playing..
Then I grew up and realised what it's about.
Joe strummer is a frigging genius and a legend in this country of England..😎🤟🏻
I love when you’re truthful with your reactions. Even if I don’t agree with your point of view I enjoy hearing your take. Keep it up! 😊
Singer Joe Strummers father was a diplomat and he grew up abroad. A world view beyond his years
"London Calling" next Please & Thank You, BP!!!
Killer song. The piano, the drums, the guitar...but that bass line just swings.
Unless I'm mistaken, the piano, bass and drums on this banger were *all* played by the band's drummer Topper Headon, who wrote the music for the song. That bass line is one of my favourite ever.
Filmed in Austin Texas! I can recognize all the old places! That Burger King is still there on 71!
I freakin' KNEW that looked familiar! I used to take 71 between Bastrop and Austin.
The Clash is one of the most sampled punk bands ever. This one was sampled by Will Smith, 2 Live Crew, and plenty of others.
You should check out Big Audio Dynamite, a punk/funk/dance fusion band started by Tom, the guitarist.
Yep, this is punk rock. I play it, listen to it, love it.
The Ramones, The Clash, The Damned, The Ruts, Generation X, X-ray Specs, Revolting Cocks, The Misfits, etc.
The Clash were VERY political and outspoken but often in a very dry, funny way.
Guns of Brixton. So many of their songs are very relevant once again, especially for the English ppl.
Midnight oil -"beds are burning" is a 90s environmental banger
It's got nothing to do with the environment. It's a political statement on the indigenous culture and settlement of Australia. Advocating treaty and reparations. When it's all just a ploy to steal from everyone. Can't say much more here. Other than the recent referendum being nothing more than a trojan horse.
A kasbah, also spelled qasba, qasaba, or casbah, is a fortress, most commonly the citadel or fortified quarter of a city. It is also equivalent to the term alcazaba in Spanish,
Like medieval castles
It's also a tightly packed living area with small shops [like an 'old town' in European cities] within the former fort/castle.
I remember waking up one morning and listening to the news on the radio in London that operation Desert Storm had started, Chris Tarrant the DJ then said here’s one for all our troops in the Middle East then played this 😂
I lived in Jeddah Saudia Arabia as a kid. We lived on what was called the " american compound", but when we went to the Capitol, my mother would have to walk behind us. Women were treated as 2nd class citizens, were not allowed to go anywhere solo. Our TV was not LIVE, it was vhs recordings they recorded while they were visiting other countries, and broadcasted as if it was legit live TV. They would have prayer time, and the whole city would go silent. We had a tape store called 747, i went to a lot. The store clerks watched me like a hawk, as they would chop the hand off thieves, for 1st offense. The music was also pirated from other countries, they had no copyright laws, and bootleg tapes were all you could get. And if the picture showed a woman with cleavage, they would cross it out with a magic marker. Even Anita Bakers Rapture, had a giant x through the tape cover. You could drive however you wanted, no laws. The rich would leave any accident-damaged car on the side of the road, and buy a new one. We saw tons of brand new cars with minor damage abandoned. No middle class, you would see a castle, and a cardboard tent, not too far from it. At the time, the cities were recently built. There were patches of desert sand everywhere, and you'd see a camel tied to a pole in the heart of the city. It was a crazy place to grow up lol
This song slaps. It's about rock music being banned in the middle east I'm pretty sure. This is their reaction to that 😂 Great reaction and Peace out ✌️ ☮️ 🙏
This song is not anti religion or anti prayer. It's pro rock. Pure and simple
This reminds me of the beginning of MTV, back when it played music. Lol
No apologies necessary. You're spot on.
That's the understatement of the year the Clash mentioned along with Boston, Journey, and Kansas the Clash are a punk band first and foremost. Rock the Casbah was a protest song 40 years about banning rock music so it wouldn't influence his authoritarianism.
"In your face" truth is what punk provided on the surface.
Behind that facade (with the great classic punk bands from 70's and early 80's) is usually a deeper meaning that should be thought provoking and conversation starting.
So much growing into the world for this lad
Music can teach people a lot about history.. I love the Clash. Peace and Love from Canada
Would love you to listen to Ian Dury and The Blockheads. Ian Dury was the guy who influenced early Punk bands like The Clash and Sex Pistols when he was in a Pub Rock band called Kilburn and the High Roads.
He contracted polio at young age which left him disabled and gave him with hunched stance on mic which most punk singers copy to this day
A true legend.
That's Dury, not Drury.
@@ijabbott63I know brain fart lol
@@stephenlawless4156legendary song writer and poet with great stage presence
Saw yhe blockheads supporting the Who at the stadium tour...long time ago 🏴🌻💜
The Clash is a very political PUNK BAND (one of the first to incorporate REGGAE into their music). This song came out at a time when you could sing about political injustices and not worry about being politically correct or cancelled. Punk Rock was meant to be in your face and not sound so pretty like the arena rock bands of the 70's and 80's.
Now, now, now . Thy shalt not pass judgement!
The Clash isn’t Western music, they are European music. They are from London
I didn't get your take on the song at all dude.
Spoke to me about how music could bring people together.
Great song and video welcome to Punk Rock maybe it's not for you haha.
Nah I'm glad it's going on your playlist. Next try The Sex Pistols Anarchy in the UK now that will really blow your mind.
This song had us singing "rock the casbah, F#ck the casbah!" Great sing along in the 80s and 90s!! ❤
A Casbah is the neighborhood around the main ancient holy part of town in the Middle East.
Another DJ standard here in the UK… Always gets the crowd going😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊
I heard a teenage garage band perform this in Dallas about 10 years ago. They nailed it.
The Clash is such a hugely influential band. They introduced genx to punk.. and all of their songs say something
You not trippin’ BP! Punk rock for sure 😁Love their irreverence! I stayed til the end, you can’t get rid of me that easy! ❤️🔥✌🏻🫶🏻
Hey, I'm from the UK and was looking through my primary (elementary) school class photo. My wife (of 24 years) asked about the pupils in the photo and, almost every single person has been married or with the same partner for a very long time. Maybe it is just America rather than the entire West.
The Clash were very anti-establishment. They were against so much they saw as wrong. London's Calling is about the fear of nuclear war., They wrote about the Sandinistas. They got it.
In a weird way the lead singer, Joe Strummer, was kind of Middle Eastern. He was born in Ankara in Turkey and had an Armenian great-grandfather. The song's about Iranians losing their freedom, not western degeneracy BP.😂 RIP Joe. Missed but not forgotten. Long live the Mescaleros!
My new 50 cent word of the day, Mescaleros! Thanks
@@jollybobo6379 Joe Strummer and the Mescaleros, his band after The Clash.
Check out their song, Johnny Appleseed.
🔥🔥 The Clash - "Straight To Hell"
PLEASE do a reaction to Public Image Limited's song Rise and also the song called Public Image.
Johnny Rotten!!!
Without a shadow of doubt, or left leftfield, open up.
or Annalisa.
Saw these guys open for The Who at the Pontiac Silverdome in 1982. Lot of fists and bottles were thrown. lol
Sound awesome 😎 🎉
The Clash are most definitely UK Punk, though I’m pretty sure they started out as Pub Rock band, that evolved into punk but throughout life of the band they absorbed into their brand of punk all of the major music trends of the time too (especially the most prevalent scenes in London), which enabled their longevity and continually expanded their fan base.
One of my favourite songs by The Clash though is Know Your Rights and it’s most definitely worth a listen.
As for your conflation of lack of moral compass and preferred pronouns or that only religion gives a moral compass…that’s just mental. As an almost fifty year old cis white woman, as far as I’m concerned there is no difference between selecting which pronouns are used to refer to you and choosing which name you want to be known by. It’s about what makes each individual feel comfortable.
Of course there is also the fact that religion (and specifically the belief that one religion is more right than any other) along with not respecting the borders of neighbouring countries, have been responsible for pretty much every war that has ever happened…and how many women have been ended because of a man being misguided by their religious beliefs? And honestly, a broad strokes term for the person giving birth can only become insulting if the person giving birth asked to be referred to in a specific manner but their choice is then disregarded.
I also have a ridiculous amount of issues with people banging on about the definition of a woman because the definition given by the people who get up in arms about it, is so vague. They normally say an adult female but then can’t give a fixed point at which a person becomes an adult, is it when the law determines or when your body determines, remember that some girls start their periods at nine (that’s the lower end of the average age to start, so for a small handful it might even be younger). As for female, what makes you female? Is it the type of reproductive equipment that can be seen when you’re born? Is it the need to wear a bra? Is it the ability to menstruate? Is it the ability to get pregnant? Is it the ability to give birth? Etc etc etc because I can guarantee that the vast majority of people who were designated female at birth would not be classed as female in response to at least one of those questions.
Oh and I’m not seeking engagement in this, I’m just giving the perspective of a middle aged woman whose many years of trying for children only resulted in miscarriages, so whose inability to carry a pregnancy to term may make some people feel that I’m not worthy of the designation of woman. If it makes someone feel more comfortable to not be put into a specific box, then why should I refuse their comfort…especially when it takes nothing away from me to offer that small act of kindness and consideration. It costs me nothing and ensures that they feel respected. Not everything and everyone needs to fit in a box.
Concur on Know Your Rights. It is still such an important song.
To be clear, there are some sects of Islam that may consider music to be haram, but its not the standard. For example, Sufism is very in favour of music. Sufism is Islamic mysticism whos followers believe you can get closer to god through music, art poetry and dance, so very much in contrast to some of those extreme sects like the Taliban.
This is the song on my playlist of the last 15 years I played the most-it never gets old! Love it!!
RAF pilots played this in the cockpits of their Tornado Bombers as they launched their first strikes into Iraq in 1991
The Clash - "White Man In Hammersmith Palais"
It was the Foreign Muslims in America that took in the Black American R&B Singers during segregation. The Rolling Stones often did concerts for the Muslim sponsored gatherings
I love how young people think today's world problems are a new thing, like the middle east and oil..lol.. it's been a thing for a long time.. and he's 40 ....
Sorry about your opinion on this great song. A Punk protest song. Your take on the “breakdown” of “morality” is quite sad. I’m in my 70s and it is much better to have the freedom to live your life as you wish…as long as you aren’t hurting someone else. It is much better to be able to leave a bad marriage than to be forced to stay in that marriage. I could go on…but won’t.
Better still to live in a 'free' society that hasn't degraded itself into perversity. Thankfully, they make passports.
@@Educated_Guesser explain your idea of perversity. My idea of it is deliberately causing harm to another person. It is not perverse if someone happens to be lgbtq…or chooses not to have children
French-Algerian musician Rachid Taha (RIP) covered this song. Rock el Casbah. He was a big fan of The Clash and may have been influential in the writing of this song. Guitarist Mick Jones toured with him.
Oh get over it!
They’re just taking the piss.
It’s what the Brits do & it’s done with affection.
The song gives a fabulist account of a ban on Western rock music by a Middle Eastern king. The lyrics describe the king's efforts to enforce and justify the ban, and the populace's protests against it by holding rock concerts in temples and squares ("rocking the casbah").
Love this song! Some more Clash songs: London Calling & I Fought The Law
Other great The Clash songs are "Should I Stay or Should I Go", their cover of "I Fought the Law" & "Train in Vain", but my favorite is "London Calling"
I love that you post during my granddaughter's nap. Lol. 😊
Stomping, bongos.. this song always kinda felt like a street riot and rebellion ❤ one of the best from the 80s
Thank you! I wanted to see you reacting to this song since your last The Clash reaction! 😀🤗👍
The Clash = music legends and for sure PUNK ROCK! Joe Strummer is a legend.
You looked up Casbah, I looked up Sharif. Sharif is someone that says that they are in the direct lineage of Muhammad. I believe if the Clash came out with this song today there would be Muslim riots in the streets of the UK
Don't judge by today's standards. This song and video were created in 1982 as a form of protest. This is real punk, and real punk is protest!
I acknowledge that ppl have their own religious beliefs, but I don't and won't respect their ignorance
i wont respect the igorance of people who deny the differences between men and women. and how ignore the correlation between moral decay and the fall of civilizations.
Rumour has it that this was the first song played on US forces radio in the first Gulf War,
The Clash - "Guns Of Brixton"
Pat Benatar, fire and ice, promises in the dark. Great songs.