| The Clash – Revolution Rock Lyrics | 17 years ago |
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Get that cheese grater going... against the grain. It's food for thought mobsters. |
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| The Clash – Red Angel Dragnet Lyrics | 17 years ago |
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Another point... "Personally I know the alley Where Jack feeds on the birds of night" seems to pertain to Jack the Ripper as "birds of night" could mean ladies of the night aka prostitutes, the Ripper's victim of choice, which ties in again to the theme of 'Taxi Driver' |
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| The Clash – Overpowered by Funk Lyrics | 17 years ago |
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"Is her name in there?" Catchy, driving beat... "Graffiti train" refers to refers to the NYC subway and the 'artists' (some may disagree with that term) who clandestinely spray painted their work on the trains. The "T.A." is the NYC Transit Authority who spent a substantial portion of their budget trying to remove the paint... "blew 40 mil, they say". |
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| The Clash – Red Angel Dragnet Lyrics | 17 years ago |
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This song seems to go in a lot of different directions. The main point I get from it is how paranoid politicians and police, who may themselves be doing a horrible job of controlling crime, feel threatened and will suddenly focus their attention on "vigilante" groups as they perceived the Guardian Angels to be. Travis from "Taxi Driver" was a bit nuts, but felt he had high morals. Driving his cab each night he sinks further as he watches the "scum and filth" take over the streets. Anyway, he ends up packing enough heat to make Rambo proud, killing a would-b thief, attempting to assassinate a politician, rescues 13 year old Jodie Foster from her life of prostitution by killing her pimp and various other enablers. Good show. Good song. Good point |
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| The Clash – Death or Glory Lyrics | 17 years ago |
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The defiling of the nuns verse always made me think of the people in prison who, after serving some time for commiting heinous crimes, suddenly find 'religion' and think the world should forgive them for doing so. To the poster who thought some verses prophesied The Clash "selling out"... FU Strummer was what, mid-late 20's when this was written? All I can say is that he had a much clearer vision of human nature than I or anyone I knew had at that age. That's not selling out. That's sheer artistry. |
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| The Clash – Death Is a Star Lyrics | 17 years ago |
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Always struck me as being about people's fascination with 'slasher' movies. Don't know what the smoking laws in the UK were like in the 70's when this was written, but I know before then in the US it was quite acceptable to light up in a movie theater (smoking in a dark cinema). Maybe it's just some Spanish horror flick he saw at an indie playhouse? |
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| The Clash – Car Jamming Lyrics | 17 years ago |
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Where the heck does Lauren Bacall come into it? I don't remember her doing too much acting in the 70's... is it a reference to her earlier work? Anyway, great catchy song but great crazy lyrics. |
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| The Clash – Brand New Cadillac Lyrics | 17 years ago |
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Love the song, but does anyone have any idea what "Balls to you, daddy" means? I've always sort of thought it just means "screw you". |
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| The Clash – Rock the Casbah Lyrics | 17 years ago |
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The inspiration for the lyrics has been well hashed out (Ayatollah banning western-style music in Iran... a practice which is even more widespread now than it was then, sadly), but I've always thought the meaning could apply to any past/current attempt by government or religion to control the thoughts and actions of the populace. Think of Elvis being shown only from the waist up on "Ed Sullivan", or the movie "Footloose" about a big city boy moving to a small conservative (fundie) town where rock music and dancing is outlawed. It's not just the middle east, it could happen in your own neighbourhood. That's what always stuck with me about The Clash... even when they were talking about something bad happening somewhere else, they were warning that it could happen here, so you'd better be on your guard. Since there seems to be a running "under-thread" in this thread about The Clash being sell-outs, I'll go ahead and toss my two-bits in... "Rock the Casbah" was undeniably a commercial success. However "commercial success" is largely determined by the suits in the media/recording industry. If you argue that this song was a sell-out you must also argue that it was intended from the start to be a commercial success. That would entail that there is a magic formula that guarantees mainstream acceptance. If that were so then there are about a bajillion bands out there that are out of the loop because they're dying to have that kind of commercial success but noone's let them in on that magic formula. Point is, sometimes a band just happens to click on a tune that happens to get some mainstream airplay and that happens to become popular with the masses at that particular time. If you consider that a sell-out then I must offer these words from 'Animal Mother' in Full Metal Jacket -- "Flush out your headgear, new guy". In regards to the song being played by the AFRN during Operation Desert Storm, I read somewhere that Strummer actually wept when hearing of it... a song about personal freedom being used as an anthem of war. Sad. |
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