The Clash » Tracks » Rock The Casbah

The Clash – Rock The Casbah (3:38)

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Popular tags: punk, 80s, rock, punk rock, classic rock  See more

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About This Track

According to the Rock The Casbah Songfacts, Clash Drummer Topper Headon wrote the music and the original lyrics. Vocalist Joe Strummer then decided to take Headon’s lyrics in a different direction, to tell the story of an Arab ruler (the Shereef) who hates music, but is defied by the citizens . According to former Clash co-manager Kosmo Vinyl, Headon’s original words were a filthy ode to his girlfriend. Vinyl recalled to Rolling Stone: “He had really pornographic lyrics for it if I remember correctly. Very, very pornographic lyrics.” Strummer’s inspiration for re-working the song came from the Clash’s other manager, Bernie Rhodes, who asked the band, “Does everything have to be as long as a raga?” after a particularly long take of the track “Sean Flynn.” Strummer told Rolling Stone shortly before he died in 2002: “I got back to the hotel that night and wrote on a typewriter, ‘The King told the boogie men You gotta get that raga drop.’ I looked at it and for some reason I started to think about what someone had told me earlier, that you get lashed for owning a disco album in Iran.”
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  • Trysta_Ismene

    Love this song...it's oh so party ready....

    last week

  • Omoroca_13

    ROOOCKK THE CASBAHHHH !!!

    16 days ago

  • BMWPRETTY

    Classic! Rock the Casbah!!! ;-)

    20 days ago

  • TNVWBOY

    My wife likes to sing "Rock the Cat Box". <sigh> Now I've infected you with that too. Muahaha

    21 days ago

  • Marjo47

    classic

    last month

  • DavCnuk

    Sharia don't like it!

    last month

  • G0DSTAR

    Such a great song, and a very political one at the time. Love it.

    last month

  • abir12501101

    One of my favourite Clash songs!

    last month

  • BMWPRETTY

    Rock the Casbah! Rock the Casbah! Rock the Casbah! Take me back years Rock the Casbah! Rock the Casbah! Spank! Whooo!

    last month

  • shesnotamerican

    Full Of Memories.

    last month

  • oldiesfanjohn

    lol,I keep thinkin` about that armadillo running in the video!

    last month

  • Rayjohead

    The ringtone is actually a watch that's playing Dixie.

    last month

  • kiteo

    I think it's meant to be a plane or rockets..

    December 2011

  • kman182

    Yep, I also hear some sort of ringtone which I don't remember from the original.

    December 2011

  • Serletti243

    Makes me think of Tony Soprano pulling a U turn in the Escalade haha

    December 2011

  • sallycinnamon_

    Topper's masterpiece!

    December 2011

  • buttgammon

    Lock the taskbar! Lock the taskbar!

    December 2011

  • Timaaaahhhh

    Wait... Do I just have a bad rip of this? I hear a cell phone ringing?

    December 2011

  • KConn3711

    a oldie but a goodie

    December 2011

  • valplayer

    love

    December 2011
See all 633 shouts

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