When the English rock band The Clash came out with their song “Rock the Casbah” in 1982, it was a satirical reaction to the ban on Western music in Iran set to an irresistible beat. The band likely had no idea that it would go on to become their biggest hit in the United States ever.
The track was the group’s second official single on their fifth studio album, Combat Rock, which was released on May 14, 1982. Along with “Rock the Casbah,” the other singles were “Know Your Rights” and “Should I Stay or Should I Go / Straight to Hell.” The album was the last from The Clash to feature the band’s classic lineup that included members Joe Strummer, Mick Jones, Paul Simonon, and Nicky “Topper” Headon.
“Rock the Casbah” is one of the band’s most unique songs. The track tells the story of a ruler who tries to outlaw rock music, and how all the citizens fight back against the censorship. The Clash wrote the lyrics in reaction to the ban on Western music in Iran following the 1979 Islamic Revolution.
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Strummer opened up about writing the lyrics for the song in an interview with Rolling Stone shortly before he died in 2002, via Rocking in the Norselands. He said that he initially wrote the line, “The King told the boogie men You gotta get that raga drop,” after a discussion with the band’s manager.
“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,” Stummer went on. Topper composed the music for the hit song.
“Rock the Casbah” was an impressive success for The Clash, and it became their highest-charting song in the U.S., reaching No. 8 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.
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