Reviews for Rock The Casbah Lyrics

This song talks about how Iran outlawed western music. The Sharif a.k.a. the leader doesn't like the music being played. He bans it but people still play it behind his back. So he sends his jet fighters to bomb those who play the music but the pilots also like the music. Casbah means like a fortress. Basically, it's rock the fortress even if the leader doesn't like it. It's my interpretation of the song.

Sharīf (Arabic: شريف‎) is a traditional Arab tribal title given to those who serve as the protector of the tribe and all tribal assets, such as property, wells, and land. The feminine form is sharifa(h).

"you are all stupid. a casbah is like a mosque. it's an islamic place of prayer. it is against "sharia law" to play rock music, or even dance. they are saying sharia don't like it, not the sharif don't like it. it's a song about protesting islam"
i think that the stupid one here is you... and it is the sharif... listen tot he song and look at the lyrics on the inside of any cd with this song on it

you are all stupid. a casbah is like a mosque. it's an islamic place of prayer. it is against "sharia law" to play rock music, or even dance. they are saying sharia don't like it, not the sharif don't like it. it's a song about protesting islam

I like how this song has a kick ass funky beat while still being able to send some very interesting political messages.
awesome.
i wish more songs were like this.
does anyone know of similar songs/bands?

I thought it was wurzel was a standing. I have no idea what a wurzel is. I even thought homer told bart once to change his catchphrase from "i didn't do it' to 'woozlewuzza' as a direct reference!

So the US military played this brilliant, innocent, essentially light hearted, song about the power of music, while they shelled arab civilians in the middle east?

Find it hard to listen to now. Thanks again, America. Your stupidity knows no bounds.

I love this song so freaking much. I have to admit, I didn't know all of the lyrics meaning, but even as a kid, I got the idea that it meant liberating people to have fun and rock out. I mean even a kid can get the gist of it witht the shiek and the Jewish man dancing together and whatnot. Great song, and yes I agree, totally innapropiate to be referenced to with the war.

listen this doesn't really have anything to do algiers, the song was directed at iran's ban of rock music. A casbah is just a reference to a arabic citadel, and with other arabic references such as sharif, bedouin, sheikh, kosher, raga, muezzin, the band is alluding to iran with out actually saying country's name. he's telling the people to dismiss the ban and "rock the casbah"

The casbah is a part of algiers wherein there was a particularly strong rebel following during the wars with France. They're talking about the French political as well as Islamic fundamentalist oppression of the Algerian people, and that no matter who comes to police it, it will always be a stronghold of rebellion.

Thanks for the Enlightenment. I have had a reverse "ah-ha" moment...a "ha-ah" moment?

You see, for years I thought the lyrics were:

"SHARIA don't like it...." as in Sharia law. Maybe that would be bad grammar (or just poetic license which many lyricists indulge in). Any rate, for the Clash to take on Sharia law -- I mean, that made the song, for me anyway, even more immediate, and I suppose less attached to the historical moment of a particular individual, implied by the actual lyric, "Sharif don't like it."

I guess I just didn't hear the "F"s too well on my tinny car radio.

Oh well. Still a great dancing tune. Catchy, catchy.

Mo

what the fuck are you tossers saying about the wars? only strummer himself truly knows what it was about, but does it not seem that it was about an ideology of rebellion and eventually getting the authority to turn against the even higher-archy?
"As soon as Sharif was
Chauffeured outta there
The jet pilots tuned to
The cockpit radio blare"

!!!!!! urgh, tossers

What idiots think this was for the Gulf War?????
Joe Strummer almost had a stroke when he heard that is what US soldiers were using it for. He was very anti war. Very politically minded band.
Not some lame ass track artists.

Ummm. This song about rebellion against islamic facism and yes the song was the theme in the gulf war against Iraq. You should get your facts straight.

this song is superb, but i hate how overplayed it is, i wouldn't mind, but there's so many people [even probably half or more of the people before me who reviewed it] who have absolutely no idea to the meaning of the lyrics.
that just pisses me off.