“Rock the Casbah”
Single by The Clash from the album Combat Rock
B-side	"Long Time Jerk"
Released	June 11, 1982 (1982-06-11) (U.K.)
Format	7" & 12" vinyl, CD
Recorded	1982
Genre	Disco Synthpunk
Length	3:43
Label	CBS Epic (North America)
Writer(s)	The Clash[1]
Producer	The Clash
The Clash singles chronology
"Should I Stay or Should I Go?" (1982) "Rock the Casbah" (1982) "Straight to Hell" (1982)
Music sample
"The Clash - Rock the Casbah" Problems? See media help. For the debut album by The Clash see The Clash (album The Clash were Combat Rock is a 1982 album released by The Clash. It was the last album to feature the classic line-up before Mick Jones left and Topper Headon A-side and B-side originally referred to the two sides of 7 inch Vinyl records on which singles were released beginning in the 1950s Events 1184 BC - Trojan War: Troy is sacked and burned according to the calculations of Eratosthenes. Year 1982 ( MCMLXXXII) was a Common year starting on Friday (link displays the 1982 Gregorian calendar) The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK or Britain,is a Sovereign state located A Compact Disc (also known as a CD) is an Optical disc used to store digital data, originally developed for storing digital audio A music genre is a categorical and typological construct that identifies musical sounds as belonging to a particular category and type of music that can be distinguished from other Disco is a Genre of dance-oriented music whose origins are hard to define Synthpunk (also known as electropunk) is a Music genre invented by Damian Ramsey in 1999 as an attempt to retroactively identify a small sub-genre of punk In the Music industry, a record label can be a Brand and a Trademark associated with the Marketing of music recordings and Music Columbia Records is an American Record label founded in 1888 Columbia is the oldest surviving Brand name in pre-recorded sound being the first record company Epic Records is an American Record label. It is owned and operated by Sony Music Entertainment. A songwriter is someone who writes the Lyrics to songs the Musical composition (chords or Melody to songs or both In the Music industry, a record producer or music producer has many roles among them controlling the recording sessions coaching and guiding the musicians organizing For the debut album by The Clash see The Clash (album The Clash were " Should I Stay or Should I Go " is a song by The Clash, from their album Combat Rock. " Straight to Hell " is a song by The Clash, from their album Combat Rock.

"Rock the Casbah" is a song by The Clash, released on their 1982 album Combat Rock. A song is a Musical composition. Songs contain vocal parts that are performed 'sung' and generally feature Words ( Lyrics) commonly followed For the debut album by The Clash see The Clash (album The Clash were Year 1982 ( MCMLXXXII) was a Common year starting on Friday (link displays the 1982 Gregorian calendar) An album or record album is a collection of related audio or Music tracks distributed to the public Combat Rock is a 1982 album released by The Clash. It was the last album to feature the classic line-up before Mick Jones left and Topper Headon It was later released as a single, and is their only song to become a Top 10 hit in the United States, reaching #8 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the See Billboard (Turkish magazine Billboard is a weekly American Magazine devoted to the Music industry ^[2]

Contents 1 Origins of the song 2 Video 3 Single 3.1 Single issues 4 Music sample 5 Political impact 6 References in pop culture 7 Cover versions 8 Charts 9 Notes 10 References 11 External links

Origins of the song

One theory is that the song was inspired by the banning of rock music in Iran under Ayatollah Khomeini. Rock music is a genre of Popular music often though not necessarily employing Electric guitar, Bass guitar, and Drums. For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Iran topics. Seyyed Ruhollah Musavi Khomeini ( Persian:, pronounced muːsæviː-je xomejniː}}( September 24, 1902 – June 3 1989 ^[2] The song gives a fabulist account of the ban being defied by the population, who proceed to "rock the casbah". A fable is a succinct story in prose or verse that features Animals Plants inanimate objects, or forces of nature which are The Casbah ( French) or as transliterated from Arabic Qasba (from qasba, قصبة ' Citadel ' is specifically the citadel of Algiers The King orders jet fighters to bomb any people in violation of the ban. A jet aircraft is an Aircraft propelled by Jet engines Jet aircraft fly much faster than Propeller -powered aircraft and at higher altitudes -- as high as A fighter aircraft is a Military aircraft designed primarily for air-to-air combat with other Aircraft, as opposed to a Bomber, which is designed The pilots ignore the orders, and instead play rock music on their cockpit radios.

The song does not mention Iran or any other Islamic nation by name. For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Iran topics. For other meanings including people named 'Islam' see Islam (disambiguation. The lyrics include a mixture of Arabic, Hebrew, Urdu, and North African terms such as sharif, bedouin, sheikh, kosher, raga, muezzin, minaret, and casbah. The araB gene Promoter is a bacterial promoter activated by e L-arabinose binding Urdu ( ur '''{{Nastaliq اردو}}''' trans Urdū, historically spelled Ordu) is a Central Indo-Aryan language Urdu is a standardised North Africa or Northern Africa is the Northernmost Region of the African Continent, separated by the Sahara from Sub-Saharan Sharīf ( Arabic: شريف is a traditional Arab tribal Title given to those who serve as the protector of the tribe and all tribal The Bedouin, (from the Arabic (ar بدوي pl badū) are a desert-dwelling Arab Nomadic pastoralist, or previously Sheikh, also rendered as Sheik, Cheikh, Shaikh, and other variants ( Arabic:, shaykh Rāga ( Sanskrit, lit "colour" or "mood" or rāgam in Carnatic music) refers to melodic modes used The muezzin (via Turkish müezzin from Arabic: مؤذن mu’aḏḏin) is a chosen person at the For the mountain formation see Minarets (California. Minarets ( Arabic manara (lighthouse منارة but more usually مئذنة The Casbah ( French) or as transliterated from Arabic Qasba (from qasba, قصبة ' Citadel ' is specifically the citadel of Algiers ^[3][4]

According to the album notes on the box set The Clash on Broadway, "Rock the Casbah" originated when the band's manager Bernie Rhodes, after hearing them record an inordinately long track for the album, asked them facetiously "does everything have to be as long as this raga?" (referring to the Indian musical style known for its length and complexity). A box set (sometimes referred to as a boxed set) is a compilation of various musical recordings Films Television programs or other collection Clash on Broadway is a triple-disc 64-song box set covering The Clash 's entire career (except Cut the Crap) Bernard Rhodes is the former manager of legendary English Punk rock band The Clash. Rāga ( Sanskrit, lit "colour" or "mood" or rāgam in Carnatic music) refers to melodic modes used India, officially the Republic of India (भारत गणराज्य inc-Latn Bhārat Gaṇarājya; see also other Indian languages) is a country Joe Strummer later wrote the opening lines to the song: "The King told the boogie-men 'you have to let that raga drop'". John Graham Mellor (21 August 1952 – 22 December 2002 better known as Joe Strummer, was the co-founder lyricist Rhythm guitarist and lead singer of the The rest of the lyrics soon followed. ^[5]

The song is one of the few in which drummer Topper Headon played a substantial role in the writing of the music beyond the percussion tracks. A drummer is a Musician who plays a Drum or drums particularly a Drum kit ("drum set" or "trap set" Marching percussion Nicholas Bowen "Topper" Headon (born 30 May 1955, Bromley, Kent, England) known as 'Topper' (because of his resemblance ^[2] The instrumental opening was a tune he had written on the piano some time earlier, and had toyed with during rehearsals before being incorporated into the song. The piano is a Musical instrument played by means of a keyboard that produces sound by striking steel strings with Felt covered hammers In the 2000 documentary Westway to the World Headon said he played drums, bass, and piano on the record for the song. 2000 ( MM) was a Leap year that started on Saturday of the Common Era, in accordance with the Gregorian calendar. Documentary film is a broad category of visual expression that is based on the attempt in one fashion or another to " Document " reality The Clash Westway to the World is a 2000 Documentary film about the British Punk rock band The Clash. Headon claims that, while he thought he was merely playing the song for the band, his performances were, unbeknownst to him, recorded. All that was left to record was the guitar parts and the vocals. ^[6]

Video

The Clash made low-budget music videos for several of their songs, and the one for "Rock the Casbah" may be their most memorable. A music video is a Short film or video that accompanies a complete piece of music most commonly a Song with lyrics Filmed in Austin, Texas, it depicts an Arab, played by Bernie Rhodes, and an Hasidic Jew, played by Mark "Frothler" Helfont, skanking together through the streets, often followed by an armadillo, interspersed with the band performing in front of an oil well. The araB gene Promoter is a bacterial promoter activated by e L-arabinose binding Hasidic Judaism (also Chasidic, etc from the Hebrew: he '''''חסידות''''', Chassidus, meaning "piety" from the Hebrew Skanking is a form of dancing practiced in the Reggae, Ska, Ska punk, ska-core Hardcore punk, and grime music scenes Armadillos are small Placental Mammals known for having a leathery armor shell The humorous tone of the video fits the song, although it is easy to read the antics of the Arab and Jew as a desire for better relations between Israelis and Arabs. For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Israel topics. ^[2]

The video features their first drummer Terry Chimes, because, at the time of its release, Headon was out of the band due to his growing drug addiction. Terry Chimes (born 25 January 1955, Stepney, London) was the original Drummer of Punk rock Drug addiction is widely considered a pathological state. The disorder of addiction involves the progression of acute Drug use to the development of drug-seeking ^[2] Headon admitted that seeing the video with "someone else at my place, playing my song" was very painful for him and he spiraled into an even bigger depression and drug taking.

Single

The US single version of the song features a mix different from the album version. ^[2] The single version has more pronounced bass. Also when Joe Strummer screams "The crowd caught a whiff / Of that crazy casbah jive" at the end of the third verse the word "jive" is sustained for several seconds with digital delay. Delay is an Audio effect which records an input signal to an audio storage medium, and then plays it back after a period of time The single version of the song is what is played in the music video.

"Mustapha Dance", that features in many releases of the single, is an instrumental remix of the song.

Single issues

The single has several issues, all with different cover, format and B-side (see the table below). ^[7]

Year	B-side	Format	Label	Country	Note
1982	"Rock the Casbah"	45 rpm 7" vinyl	Epic 34-03245	CAN/USA	Promo
1982	"Mustapha Dance"	45 rpm 12" vinyl	CBS/Sony Records Inc. 07. 5P-191	JP	—
1982	"Mustapha Dance"	45 rpm 7" vinyl	Epic 49-03144	USA	—
1982	"Mustapha Dance"	45 rpm 12" vinyl	Epic 49-03144	CAN	—
1982	"Mustapha Dance"	45 rpm 7" vinyl	CBS A112479	UK	Picture disc
1982	"Red Angel Dragnet"	45 rpm 7" vinyl	Epic 34-03245	CAN	—
1982	"Long Time Jerk"	45 rpm 7" vinyl	Epic 34-03245	USA	In blue Epic generic die cut sleeve
1982	"Mustapha Dance"	45 rpm 12" vinyl	CBS A 13-2479	UK	—
1982	"Long Time Jerk"	45 rpm 7" vinyl	Epic 15-05540	USA	—
1991	"Mustapha Dance"	45 rpm 7" vinyl	Columbia 656814-7	UK	Reissue
1991	"Mustapha Dance" "The Magnificent Dance"	45 rpm 12" vinyl	Columbia 656814-6	UK	—
1991	"Mustapha Dance" "The Magnificent Dance"	CD	Columbia 656814-2	UK	—

Music sample

Political impact

The song became an unofficial anthem for U. S. forces during the first Gulf War, largely on the basis of the line about dropping "bombs between the minarets". For the mountain formation see Minarets (California. Minarets ( Arabic manara (lighthouse منارة but more usually مئذنة ^[2] It was the first song played by Armed Forces Radio at the start of the war. American Forces Network (or AFN) is the brand name used by the United States Armed Forces Radio and Television Service (AFRTS for its entertainment This is ironic given the band's well established left-wing stance. The song can also be understood as a message that western rock and roll will help defeat radical Islamist regimes by winning over the people of the Middle East, especially the young.

In 2006, the conservative National Review released their list of the top 50 "Conservative Rock Songs", with "Rock the Casbah" at #20, noting its frequent requests during the Iraq War. National Review ( NR) is a biweekly Magazine and Web site, founded by the late author William F The Iraq War, also known as the Second Gulf War, the Occupation of Iraq, or the War in Iraq, is an ongoing Military campaign ^[8] Despite, or perhaps because of, its popularity with soldiers during the Gulf War, "Rock the Casbah" was one of the songs deemed inappropriate by Clear Channel following the September 11, 2001 attacks. ^[9]

References in pop culture

• The title of the song is used as a euphemism for sex in The Simpsons episode "Natural Born Kissers". " Natural Born Kissers " is the season finale of The Simpsons ' ninth season which originally aired on the Fox network Marge says "It is our anniversary night, I suppose we should. . . Rock the Casbah"; later on in the episode; Bart says "So did you guys. . . Rock the Casbah?" The song also plays over the credits.
• In Camelot, a season 5 episode of The Sopranos, features the track during a prominent scene. " In Camelot " is the fifty-ninth episode of the HBO original series The Sopranos and the seventh of the show's fifth season The Sopranos is an American Television drama series created by David Chase. When Tony Soprano attempts to collect a debt from future rival Phil Leotardo, the latter attempts to flee. Anthony John Soprano Sr, played by James Gandolfini, is a Fictional character on the HBO TV series The Sopranos. Philip "Phil" Leotardo, played by character actor Frank Vincent, is a Fictional character on the HBO TV series The Sopranos A vehicle pursuit ensues, while Rock the Casbah plays loudly from Soprano's stereo. The song is largely used as a reference to Leotardo, who is often called "The Shah" by members of the DiMeo crime family. The DiMeo crime family, also referred to by some as the Soprano crime family, is a fictional mob family from the HBO series The Sopranos
• The song "Beelzeboss" from the second album of popular rock band Tenacious D contains the line ". The Pick of Destiny is a Soundtrack Tenacious D is a Satirical Rock band formed in Los Angeles California. . . we rock the casbah. . . ". The line appears in the band's movie "Tenacious D in The Pick of Destiny" as well.
• American Dad! episode "Stan of Arabia": Part 1. American Dad! is a satirical American animated series produced by Underdog Productions and Fuzzy Door Productions for 20th Century " Stan of Arabia " is a two-part episode of the Animated series American Dad!. Steve finally realises he is classed as a man in Saudi Arabia, he proceeds to buy a car and grenades to celebrate. The music is played during the part. He also later crashes into an oil well.
• In one episode of King of the Hill (Nine Pretty Darn Angry MEn), in a lawnmower focus group, Kahn sings the song while spinning around in his chair before falling over, much to Cotton's humour. King of the Hill is an American animated series created by Mike Judge and Greg Daniels for the Fox Broadcasting Company Cotton Lyndal Hill was a Fictional character in the animated series King of the Hill.
• In a television advertisement for Cingular Wireless, two people listening to the song cannot make out the lyrics. AT&T Mobility LLC (usually branded AT&T, and formerly named Cingular Wireless LLC) is the wholly owned wireless subsidiary of AT&T Inc They think the chorus says both "lock the cashbox" and "stop the catbox".
• It is also part of The Royal Tenenbaums soundtrack, used in a scene where Owen Wilson is celebrating. The Royal Tenenbaums is a 2001 dramatic Dark comedy directed by Wes Anderson about three Gifted siblings who experience Owen Cunningham Wilson (born November 18, 1968) is an Academy Award -nominated American Actor and Writer.
• The video game Crash Bandicoot 2: N-Tranced features a level named "Rock the Casaba", a pun on the music's name. Crash Bandicoot 2 N-Tranced is the second handheld installment in the Crash Bandicoot series.
• The costume for several Resident Evil characters were based on the costumes for the band in the video. Resident Evil (known in Japan as) is a Survival horror Video game series and Media franchise consisting of Comic books novelizations Brad Vickers' costume based on the lead singer, Forest Speyer on the bassist, and several prominent Russian characters on the guitarist.

Cover versions

Other versions of "Rock the Casbah" have been recorded by the Austin, Texas band One Bad Pig, on the 1992 album Blow the House Down; the Australian band Something for Kate; the band Solar Twins on the movie soundtrack for the 1999 film Brokedown Palace; the American band TRUST*CO; the Japanese duo Tica recorded a version in 2000 sampled by the English drum and bass, trip hop group from Bristol, Smith & Mighty;^[10] the Asturian studio project Soncai System, who did an Asturian language version of the song on the album Clashturies (2007). One Bad Pig is a Christian punk and metal crossover band from Austin, Texas which formed in 1985. Year 1992 ( MCMXCII) was a Leap year starting on Wednesday (link will display full 1992 Gregorian calendar) For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Australia topics. Something for Kate is a rock band from Melbourne, Australia. Members include songwriter vocalist and guitarist Paul Dempsey, drummer Clint Brokedown Palace Music from the Original Motion Picture Soundtrack is the Soundtrack album for the film Brokedown Palace, released by Year 1999 ( MCMXCIX) was a Common year starting on Friday (link will display full 1999 Gregorian calendar) Brokedown Palace is an American Film directed by Jonathan Kaplan, and starring Claire Danes and Kate Beckinsale. Trust Company (also typeset as TRUSTcompany and TRUST*CO) is a four-piece Alt-rock group from Prattville, Alabama. For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Japan topics. 2000 ( MM) was a Leap year that started on Saturday of the Common Era, in accordance with the Gregorian calendar. Trip hop is a music Genre also known as the Bristol sound or Bristol acid rap. Smith & Mighty are a Drum & Bass / Trip hop group from Bristol, consisting of Rob Smith, Ray Mighty and Peter D Rose Discography The Principality of Asturias ( Spanish: Principado de Asturias, Asturian: Principáu d'Asturies or Asturies) is an Asturian (Asturian Asturianu or Bable) is a Romance language of the West Iberian group, Astur-Leonese Subgroup, spoken in the Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century.

The Algerian rock singer Rachid Taha covered the song (in Arabic) on his 2004 album Tékitoi. Algeria ( ar [[Arabic]] الجزائر, Al Jaza'ir ælʤæˈzæːʔir Amazigh: ⴷⵥⴰⵢⴻⵔ Dzayer) officially the People's Rachid Taha ( Arabic: رشيد طه (born 1958 in Oran, Algeria) is an French - Algerian Musician His music is influenced Arabic (ar الْعَرَبيّة (informally ar عَرَبيْ) in terms of the number of speakers is the largest living member of the Semitic language "MMIV" redirects here For the Modest Mouse album see " Baron von Bullshit Rides Again " Tékitoi is a Studio album released in 2004 by the Franco - Algerian musician Rachid Taha. On November 27, 2005 at the Astoria, London, during the Stop the War Coalition Benefit Concert, ". Year 2005 ( MMV) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. . . for the night's grandstanding conclusion, the Clash legend Mick Jones strides on in a skinny black suit and plays probably the most exciting guitar he has delivered in years. Michael Geoffrey "Mick" Jones (born 26 June 1955 was the lead Guitarist and a vocalist of the British Punk rock band The He and the band are brilliant on Taha's definitive take on "Rock the Casbah", for which the audience goes berserk. "^[11] They played again the Taha's version of the song, "Rock el Casbah", on February 2006, at the France 4 TV show Taratatà. France 4 is a French public television network featuring Arts, including Music. ^[12] In 2007 at the Barbican, ". Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. . . . The band were later joined by special guest Mick Jones from The Clash who performed on "Rock El Casbah" and then stayed on stage for the remainder of the show. "^[13][14]

Will Smith's song "Will 2K" of the Willennium album samples "Rock the Casbah" both instrumentally and in some of the lyrics. Willennium is the second solo studio album released by Will Smith. "It's Gonna Be Alright" by house act Pussy 2000 also samples the song. Richard Cheese recorded a lounge cover of the song on his 2004 album I'd Like a Virgin. Richard Cheese and Lounge Against the Machine is a Cover band and comedy act based in Los Angeles California Lounge music is a retrospective description of music popular in the 1950s and 1960s encompassing such genres as Exotica, Easy listening and Space age pop "MMIV" redirects here For the Modest Mouse album see " Baron von Bullshit Rides Again " I'd Like a Virgin is the third album from Richard Cheese and Lounge Against the Machine, released April 20, 2004 U2 have also played a snippet of the song on their 2005-2006 Vertigo tour. The Vertigo Tour was a Concert tour by the Irish rock band U2, which took place in 2005 and 2006 in support of the group's 2004 album After hearing the crowd singing the song as it was played over the loudspeaker before the start of the concert, Bono, the lead singer of U2 started singing "Rock the Casbah" in the middle of one of their songs during a concert in Melbourne. Green Day covered the song near the end of their AOL Sessions, and also have performed it live. Green Day is an American rock trio Sessions@AOL is a special avenue of programming conducted by AOL Music

Howlin' Pelle Almqvist of The Hives covered the song with some members of another Swedish Band, Randy for a Joe Strummer Tribute concert at The Debaser in Stockholm. Howlin' Pelle Almqvist (born May 29, 1978 in Fagersta, Västmanlands län, Sweden) is the lead singer of Swedish Garage The Hives are a Swedish Rock band that first rose to prominence in the early 2000s as a leading group of the garage rock revival, playing Garage punk. Randy is a Punk rock band from Hortlax, Sweden, formed in 1992. ('stɔkhɔlm is Sweden 's Capital and its largest City. It is the site of the national Swedish government, the parliament, and the

The Hungarian singer Varga Zsuzsa covered this song on her album called "Szívadóvevő". It's mostly an energetic, electronic version. ^[15]

Cover version was also recorded by Ranking Roger and Pato Banton in 1999 for the Clash tribute album Burning London: The Clash Tribute. Ranking Roger (born 21 February 1961) born Roger Charlery in Birmingham to Jean Baptiste Charlery Pato Banton (born Patrick Murray) is a Reggae singer and toaster from Birmingham, England. Burning London The Clash Tribute is a Tribute album to the Punk rock band The Clash, released in 1999 (see 1999 in music)

Charts

Chart Peak position Date UK Singles Chart 30 1982 U. The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official UK Charts Company (OCC on behalf of the British record industry S. Billboard Hot 100 8 1982 UK Singles Chart 15 1991 Irish Singles Chart 10 Apr 1991

Notes

References

External links

• Lyrics and chords (Chords are incorrect -- change A7 to Am7. )
• "A Brief History of 'Rock the Casbah' City Pages (December 15, 1999)

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