I am a big fan of The Clash. Although my preference is for the music they recorded in the 70s, I still like “Rock the Casbah,” which was recorded in the 80s. And I am not alone, as it was a huge hit song for The Clash.
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The meaning behind the Clash’s 1982 hit “Rock the Casbah” deals with very different subject matter compared to most of their other songs. Because of this, and its huge popularity, it makes it well worth delving deeper into this classic track. So, let’s get straight to it and take a closer look.
Band History
The Clash is one of my favorite bands. I grew up listening to them as a teenager during the height of the Punk explosion in the late 70s in the UK. They were formed in 1976 in London and were an integral part of the Punk era but also of the Post-Punk and New Wave revolutions that followed.
The classic lineup of the band was composed of Joe Strummer on vocals and rhythm guitar, Mick Jones on lead guitar and vocals, Paul Simonon on bass guitar, and Nicky “Topper” Headon on drums.
It is fair to say that the band was very much a product of their time. Their music was hard and fast. The lyrics were crude, in your face, and straight to the point. There was nothing subtle or complicated about them, which is what I and the rest of their fans loved.
When The Clash started releasing music…
It was at a very disaffected time in the UK. There was widespread unemployment, hardship, and poor living conditions throughout much of the country. Very little music at the time was talking to these people. And, as good as the Prog Rock music was, people had become tired of it and wanted something that talked to them about their struggles and their lives.
Bands like The Clash, The Sex Pistols, The Dammed, and Sham 69 filled this void and gave people an outlet to express their frustrations. However, once the economic fortunes of the country changed, by around the mid-80s, so did people’s attitudes.
Many began to live a much better life. Consequently, they no longer identified with Punk and New Wave. What’s more, many also wanted to leave the past behind and move on to a better future. This was all perfectly understandable. But, as musical tastes moved forward, an amazing legacy of music was left behind. This included the music of The Clash.
Chart Success
The Clash sold seven million albums worldwide. A highly respectable figure for a band that was only together for eight years. Despite only modest sales numbers, they were still one of the best-selling UK Punk bands of this era.
The Clash’s debut single, “White Riot,” was released in 1976, and what a banger. It was completely anarchical and summed up the mood of anger prevailing at the time to perfection. Interestingly, it was a song about police brutality and oppression that still feels relevant today. A sad reflection of the situation in some places and countries around the world.
The single went to #42 in the UK but bombed everywhere else. It was taken from their self-titled debut album, The Clash. This did better on the charts as it got to #12 in the UK, #42 in Sweden, and, importantly, #126 in the US. Importantly, it also sold well and earned them gold discs in the US and the UK.
They continued writing and releasing equally hard, fast, and angry music…
Including the brilliant “Tommy Gun” in 1978 and “I Fought the Law” in 1979. However, despite the quality of the music and their always-on-point message, it was not until 1979 that they made their breakthrough.
“London Calling” was released on the 14th of December 1979 and became The Clash’s defining album. It charted well, went platinum in the US and the UK, but more importantly, it sold five million copies globally. One of those copies was down to me. You’re welcome!
The Clash subsequently released three more studio albums…
Sandinista in 1980, Combat Rock in 1982, and Cut the Crap in 1985. They all sold well, and The Clash undoubtedly won themselves a strong following with a swathe of new fans. However, I believe that after the release of “London Calling,” they started to lack the intensity of their earlier music.
In many ways, this change of musical direction was a double-edged sword. Their less harsh sound made them more appealing to a wider audience. However, it also took them further away from their core identity. Ultimately, I believe this led them to finally call it a day in 1986.
In my opinion…
“London Calling” was The Clash’s best song. Not only because it was a very personal song to me, but also because I believe it represented the true heart of the band. However, it was far from their most popular. Despite the album’s success, that accolade would go to “Rock the Casbah,” which was released from their 1982 album, Combat Rock.
“Rock the Casbah” is a great example of their generally more chart-friendly sound. No doubt that is why it became the band’s only single to break the US Billboard Top 100, where it reached #8. It also became their only single to go platinum in the US, where it went double platinum. The song also went platinum in the UK but only managed to reach #30.
Like many of The Clash’s biggest singles, following the band’s break up, “Rock the Casbah” was re-released. It came out again in 1991, though, unlike the first time, it didn’t even chart in the US. However, in the UK, it charted higher at #12. And it also managed to repeat the feat of going platinum.
Recording
The recording of “Rock the Casbah” was not the typical way most of their other tracks were written. Generally, Mick Jones and Joe Strummer wrote most of their songs. However, in this instance, the song, musically speaking, was predominantly penned by their drummer, Topper Headon.
The tune came to him whilst he was in America. With no other band members around at the time, he laid down the drum, bass, and piano tracks himself at the Electric Lady Recording Studios in New York. Headon subsequently presented the song to the band, complete with lyrics. Then, the changes began.
Immediately, one sticking point became the lyrics…
Headon had come up with something that was generally just crude references to his girlfriend. The rest of the band felt that it was like an over-sentimental open letter about how he was missing his girlfriend.
Joe Strummer was particularly scathing about the lyrical content. Subsequently, he went about re-writing the words. He already had lyrics for a song that he was waiting for the right tune, and he pretty much just reused these. So, now let us have a look at what he came up with and what they meant.
Lyrics and Meaning
The Meaning Behind The Clash’s 1982 Hit “Rock the Casbah” is centered around the banning of Western music in staunch Muslim enclaves. However, the first couple of lines is a kind of a bit of a diversion from this, so I’ll deal with it first.
Many of The Clash’s songs were long. And, in the opinion of their manager, they were way, way too long. He frequently complained about it. Often, he would compare the length of their songs to complicated pieces of Indian music known as raga.
Strummer clearly took this to heart as he referenced their manager’s frustration about it in the first two lines. Maybe all his nagging paid off. The song was only three minutes and 42 seconds long which makes it one of their shortest. The song then continues by referencing the banning of music.
There is no specific place that is mentioned…
But, Casbahs are found in North Africa. They are typically fortified areas that surround major towns and cities. The song also references the Minarets of Mosques. Consequently, this leaves us with no doubt that we are talking about the banning of Western music in hard-line Muslim countries.
More specifically, this could easily be a song about the tough laws that came into Iran in the late 1970s as the Ayatollah took power. However, Strummer had moved around extensively as a child in various developing and often Muslim countries. So, the song could just as easily be a song about the general distrust of all things from the West amongst Muslims.
As the song unfolds…
It tells of fighter pilots who are ordered by the King, of whichever land we want to presume him from, to bomb the areas in his kingdom playing the offensive music. The pilots defy the order and respond by playing the evil music over their plane’s radios.
This may have possibly been a nod to the fact that during the 80s, when this song was released, there was a short lifting of the ban on Western music in Iran. Admittedly, it was only short and limited to classical music and live concerts, but it was something. The ban was later re-introduced approximately 20 years ago.
Curious About the Meaning Behind Other Famous Songs?
Well, check out our thoughts on The Meaning Behind “Eye of the Tiger” by Survivor, The Meaning Behind “Rolling in the Deep” by Adele, The Meaning Behind “Both Sides, Now” by Joni Mitchell, The Meaning Behind “Mr. Brightside” by The Killers, and The Meaning Behind “When Doves Cry” by Prince for more interesting song insights.
The Meaning Behind The Clash’s 1982 Hit “Rock the Casbah” – Final Thoughts
I have not listened to this for a long time, and I have enjoyed taking a more measured look than previously. Hopefully, you have enjoyed it too. And I also hope that the meaning behind The Clash’s “Rock the Casbah” is now a little clearer. I find this to be a fascinating song as it stands as an outlier to much of their other work.
If you have anything you would like to add or have any interesting things about the song or the band, then please let me know in the comments below.
Until next time, happy listening.
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