NEWS > EVERYONE ELSE > IRAN ROCKS THE CASBAH WITH WARSHIPS IN INTERNATIONAL WATERS

IRAN ROCKS THE CASBAH WITH WARSHIPS IN INTERNATIONAL WATERS

May 27 2009

Tehran, Iran – Though he never revealed the true meaning behind the lyrics of one of their most iconic songs, Joe Strummer and The Clash struck the perfect chord with the hit ‘Rock the Casbah’. Originally released on their 1982 album ‘Combat Rock’, ‘Casbah’ became a hit across the world when released as a single, helped along by its
now legendary music video. The mishmash of Middle East politics and catchy beat solidified the band as one of the most important in music.

Much was made at the time of the song’s release of its perceived connection to the censoring of music by Ayatollah Khomeini despite the fact that it never mentioned Iran or the leader in the lyrics. That fact aside, the song and music video sparked an interest in the turmoil in the Middle East and surrounding regions that persists today. As modern day Iran, under a different Ayatollah, began to move warships into international waters on Monday, those lyrics remained as obtuse and confused as ever but that fact hasn’t stopped Iran from rocking the region.

“Iran has dispatched six warships to international waters and the Gulf of Aden region in a historically unprecedented move by the Iranian Navy,” said Iranian Adm. Habibollah Sayyari to Reuters. “These ships have been moved to preserve Iran's territorial integrity in its southern waters.”

Already global outrage has reached a peak as the six ships anchored off the coast of Yemen in the Gulf of Aden. Foreign officials from around the world have decried the move as a calculated effort to show the world Iran’s strength, as well as gain international attention, much like The Clash did with the release of ‘Combat Rock’.

“When it was released in 1982 ‘Combat Rock’ was seen as a bit of a sell out. It took The Clash from everyone’s favourite band that no one
had heard of to everyone’s favourite band period. That irritated a lot of fans and the relative lack of musical innovation, especially compared with their previous album ‘Sandinista!’ disappointed many fans who saw it as simply a way to make money,” said Scrape TV Music analyst Dylan Chambers. “Along with ‘Casbah’ the album also featured ‘Should I stay or should I go’ both of which still stand as the band’s most identifiable hits. There is an argument to be made that the band simply wanted a financial hit to coincide with their cult status and no one could really blame them for that, but fairly or not the accusation that they made the album to sell has cast a long shadow over both it and the band.”

‘Combat Rock’ was the band’s biggest success, being certified platinum in the United States. Iran’s biggest hit to date remains the 1979 coup that ousted the Shah and installed an Islamic inspired dictatorship. As the country continues to seek nuclear weapons many see Iran as having nothing but upward potential.

“Moving ships into international waters for the first time definitely signifies a change in philosophy for the Iranian government and their policy towards the rest of the world. It let’s everyone know that they are around, that they are a threat, and that their boats are fully capable of staying afloat even in rough international waters,” continued Chambers. “There’s no doubt that this move has caused a stir in many countries but likely the harshest reaction will be in those most directly threatened by a formidable Iran, namely Saudi Arabia and Israel, exactly the types of people mentioned in ‘Rock the Casbah’ and featured in the video. It may very well be that those two sides will have to join forces just as they did in the video to fight the rocking power of Iran.”

Many critics saw the release of ‘Combat Rock’ as the beginning of the end for The Clash. Iran, being a country of millions and not a punk band is likely to outlast this current attention grab.    

Emil Uliya, International Correspondent  

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