This album was recorded months after the Soviets began a war in Afghanistan, so one might see this song as a pop critique of the Soviets in particular, but war "in old Bombay" is another country entirely, so perhaps it's poking fun at old military officers from every country. But it takes on a different scope when you note that the lyricist, Stewart Copeland, was the son of one of the founders of the CIA, and spent his childhood attending schools in Egypt and Lebanon while his father acted as the agent of a powerful country far away. So is he criticizing the Soviets of 1980 with a hint that his own dad needed to lighten up?
Copeland has been pretty forthcoming about these details so we don't need to guess. In fact, his father's work as a U.S. agent in the Middle East was unknown to him while it was taking place. When he learned of it later, it came as a surprise to him, but not a negative one, and he considered trying to make a movie about it. There was never a movie, but there are many thoughts recorded in interviews, with some merely similar themes in this song.
This album was recorded months after the Soviets began a war in Afghanistan, so one might see this song as a pop critique of the Soviets in particular, but war "in old Bombay" is another country entirely, so perhaps it's poking fun at old military officers from every country. But it takes on a different scope when you note that the lyricist, Stewart Copeland, was the son of one of the founders of the CIA, and spent his childhood attending schools in Egypt and Lebanon while his father acted as the agent of a powerful country far away. So is he criticizing the Soviets of 1980 with a hint that his own dad needed to lighten up?
Copeland has been pretty forthcoming about these details so we don't need to guess. In fact, his father's work as a U.S. agent in the Middle East was unknown to him while it was taking place. When he learned of it later, it came as a surprise to him, but not a negative one, and he considered trying to make a movie about it. There was never a movie, but there are many thoughts recorded in interviews, with some merely similar themes in this song.