Just as broad communications between the Arab and Western world shaped such classic works of literature as The Arabian Nights, the history of Rai music has been shaped by the interaction between these two cultures. Although many examples exist, no song is perhaps more appropriate to this discussion than the Clash’s politically charged single “Rock the Casbah.” While the songs lyrics and political ideology are certainly integral to the song’s own history, it is the transformation of the single by Rai musician Rachid Taha into an Arab punk-rock-pop anthem which best illustrates the influence the Arab and Western worlds have continually had on one another.
The Clash was formed in 1976 amongst London’s emerging punk-rock movements. Inspired by rock-n-roll legends the Sex Pistols, the Clash eventually suprassed their idols to become one of the most celebrated punk bands of the late 70’s and early 80’s.The founding members included: Joe Strummer (vocal, rhythm guitar), Mick Jones (lead guitar), Paul Simonon (bass) and Terry Chimes (drummer). Chimes was eventually replaced by Topper Headon, forming the band’s most well known lineup. Although the Clash found commercial success in Britain after their first album, 1977’s The Clash, it was not until the band’s third effort, London Calling, that the band found an audience in the United States.
The Clash’s most well known single, “Rock the Casbah,” was released on their last and most successful album: 1982’s Combat Rock. An iconic album for the punk-rock movement, Combat Rock backed its fast paced and fervid tracks with an unwavering political zeal. Despite being by far the most lighthearted track of the album, “Rock the Casbah” remains to this day the band’s best-known expression of their leftist ideologies. A direct response to Iran’s outlawing of rock music during the Islamic Revolution of 1979, the single also provided a broader political comment on Arab-Israeli relations. Ironically enough, the song became the unofficial anthem of the Gulf War, rightfully noted as “typical and despicable” by Clash front-man Strummer. “Rock the Casbah” was the first song played on the Armed Forces Radio during Operation Desert Shield.
“Rock the Casbah” was written by lead guitarist Joe Strummer. The first lines (Now the King told the boogie man/You have to let that raga drop) where inspired by a remark made in passing by the band’s manager, Bernie Rhodes. After a the band recorded a particularly long-winded track he commented: “Does everything have to be as long as this raga?” The term raga, which refers to classical Indian music known for its length, is one of many cultural references the songs lyrics include. Sharif, bedouin, sheikh, muezzin, kosher and casbah are all used. The song’s breezy piano riff was written and laid down by drummer Topper Headon, who also contributed bass and percussion to the final track. The song is completed with the obligatory bass and guitar lines, as well as the occasional synthesized electronic additions (it was the 80’s after all). Strummer’s simple and raspy vocals contrast well with the richly textured instrumentals of the track, to create one of the band’s catchiest tunes.
With the commercial success of “Rock the Casbah” in both Britain and the United States, the anthemic song has become a popular cover added to many band’s repertoires. Many versions offer a cheap imitation of Strummer’s vocal stylings, falling short of the original’s catchy punk-infused energy. Some artists take the opposite approach, maiming the iconic song in the process. Notable examples include Richard Cheese’s smarmy lounge-act cover, the Solar Twins flat and lifeless electronic version, and above all the most horrendous: Organ Failure’s fantastically bad “spoken word” interpretation. Perhaps no artist has come closer to The Clash’s original vigor than Rai singer Rachid Taha.
Born in 1958 in Oran, Algeria, Taha grew up in the heart of the Rai music. He comments: “I grew up… listening to Bollywoods, Arab music at weddings and in the hamam (baths), and trance music.” Typical of the broader evolution of Rai music in recent history, Taha moved from Algeria to France in 1970. After facing the widespread racism in France and a series of dead-end jobs, Taha eventually landed in Lyon. It was here that Taha and several close friends formed Carte de Séjour in the early 1980’s. While the Rai band never found commercial success, Taha become one of Rai’s most well known and provocative musicians after a brief return home to Oran. Blending Rai with punk, rock, techno and electronica, Taha’s music is politically charged and fiercely unapologetic.
Taha’s 2004 release, Tékitoi, displays his eclectic musical style. Recorded in Paris, London and Cairo, Western influences meld with classical Egyptian orchestration and Arab vocal techniques. “I take Western music and read it right to left.” Traditional Arab instruments are also extensively utilized throughout the album, including the guitar and oud hybrid the madolute. A “mix of West and East… it’s got so many sounds inside it that it reminds where I come from and where I’m going.” The album’s cover of “Rock the Casbah” is another example of this cultural blending, displaying Taha’s affinity for Western punk music.
A fan of the Clash in the late 70’s, Taha attended a concert at the Mogador in Paris. “It was a very quick encounter, I ran into them backstage after a concert. I wanted them to produce my first album and handed them a demo tape. I never heard back from them, but I know they were influenced by what I gave them, just as I was influenced by them. Good spirits met that night.” While this might be wishful thinking on Taha’s part, his choice to cover the Clash’s iconic single was an undeniable tribute to late lead singer Joe Strummer.
The song is also appropriate for Taha, given his history of blunt political commentary. Although the song was originally released over 20 years ago, the political message it is structured upon is still poignant today, especially after September 11th. Taha brings “Rock the Casbah” back to its appropriate use after its ‘misuse’ in the early 90’s during the Gulf War. “It was a way of readjusting things and bringing the songs of the Clash and Joe Strummer back to their proper use… to the people.” While Taha is undeniably critical of Western misappropriation, he is equally condemnatory of Islamic fundamentalism. “For me, bin Laden and all those bringing this war, they come from the same place. It’s the desert- an intellectual desert as much as any geopolitical desert.”
Although the lyrics remain un-changed, Taha sings the verses in Arabic and the choruses in English. The song begins with Arab woodwinds, following the common Arab tradition of extended instrumental introductions. Sweeping Egyptian strings add a dark and foreboding tone to the song, which shares the same strong percussion downbeats as its predecessor. The vocal technique of melisma (changing pitch on extended notes instead of Western vibrato) is also featured. This technique, which can faintly be heard in Strummer’s original rendition, is relished by Taha, whose rough vocal treatment of the song gives his own cover a harder edge than the Clash original.
While The Clash’s original version of “Rock the Casbah” is a punk-rock classic, it is Rachid Taha’s recent rai-infused cover that pushes the song to a new level. The fiercely aggressive cover honors the song’s Western traditions while adding a unique blend of Arab, African and Egyptian influences. By tracing the musical evolution of “Rock the Casbah” between the Western and Arab worlds, the dynamic relationship between these two cultures becomes evident.
