Washington Bullets (song)
Encyclopedia
"Washington Bullets" is a song from The Clash
's 1980 album Sandinista!
. A politically charged song, it is a simplified version of Latin America
n history from the 1959 Cuban Revolution
to the Nicaragua
n Sandinistas of the 1980s, with mention of the Bay of Pigs Invasion
, the Soviet-Afghan War, the Dalai Lama
, and Victor Jara
, referencing his death at the hands of the Chilean military dictatorship
in the stadium that now bears his name
. Although a criticism of the foreign policy
of the United States
, the song's final stanza also delivers a harsh criticism on communism
by making reference to the mass murder of pacifist Buddhist monks in the People's Republic of China
during the Cultural Revolution
and the USSR's Invasion of Afghanistan.
The song's title is often thought to have been a pun on the name of the American capital city's National Basketball Association
franchise, which later went on to change its name to the Washington Wizards
in 1997, but The Clash have denied any knowledge of the basketball team previous to the song's release.
The song is one of The Clash's more experimental, in the reggae
style, with a marimba
and lyrics
that are almost spoken rather than sung. Though the marimba is the most prominent instrument, electric guitar
riff
s are still audible. The marimba part is an altered version of the melody from Turkey in the Straw
.
On the tribute album
The Clash Tribute: The Never Ending Story, the song was covered by Attila the Stockbroker
, with new lyrics to the later verses, omitting the reference to Afghanistan and The Clash's subtle attack on communism
. The new verses are critical of U.S. involvement in the end of the Soviet Union
, and Boris Yeltsin
's embrace of western-style capitalism
, making particular disparaging references to the New world order following the end of the Cold War
.
The Clash
The Clash were an English punk rock band that formed in 1976 as part of the original wave of British punk. Along with punk, their music incorporated elements of reggae, ska, dub, funk, rap, dance, and rockabilly...
's 1980 album Sandinista!
Sandinista!
Sandinista! is the fourth studio album by the English punk rock band the Clash. It was released on 12 December 1980 as a triple album containing 36 tracks, with 6 songs on each side...
. A politically charged song, it is a simplified version of Latin America
Latin America
Latin America is a region of the Americas where Romance languages – particularly Spanish and Portuguese, and variably French – are primarily spoken. Latin America has an area of approximately 21,069,500 km² , almost 3.9% of the Earth's surface or 14.1% of its land surface area...
n history from the 1959 Cuban Revolution
Cuban Revolution
The Cuban Revolution was an armed revolt by Fidel Castro's 26th of July Movement against the regime of Cuban dictator Fulgencio Batista between 1953 and 1959. Batista was finally ousted on 1 January 1959, and was replaced by a revolutionary government led by Castro...
to the Nicaragua
Nicaragua
Nicaragua is the largest country in the Central American American isthmus, bordered by Honduras to the north and Costa Rica to the south. The country is situated between 11 and 14 degrees north of the Equator in the Northern Hemisphere, which places it entirely within the tropics. The Pacific Ocean...
n Sandinistas of the 1980s, with mention of the Bay of Pigs Invasion
Bay of Pigs Invasion
The Bay of Pigs Invasion was an unsuccessful action by a CIA-trained force of Cuban exiles to invade southern Cuba, with support and encouragement from the US government, in an attempt to overthrow the Cuban government of Fidel Castro. The invasion was launched in April 1961, less than three months...
, the Soviet-Afghan War, the Dalai Lama
Dalai Lama
The Dalai Lama is a high lama in the Gelug or "Yellow Hat" branch of Tibetan Buddhism. The name is a combination of the Mongolian word далай meaning "Ocean" and the Tibetan word bla-ma meaning "teacher"...
, and Victor Jara
Víctor Jara
Víctor Lidio Jara Martínez was a Chilean teacher, theatre director, poet, singer-songwriter, political activist and member of the Communist Party of Chile...
, referencing his death at the hands of the Chilean military dictatorship
Chile under Pinochet
Chile was ruled by a military dictatorship headed by Augusto Pinochet from 1973 when Salvador Allende was overthrown in a coup d'etat until 1990 when the Chilean transition to democracy began. The authoritarian military government was characterized by systematic suppression of political parties and...
in the stadium that now bears his name
Estadio Víctor Jara
Estadio Víctor Jara is the name of the former Estadio Chile, or Chile Stadium, in Santiago, Chile. The multi-use sports complex was renamed as a memorial to folk singer Víctor Jara, who was killed there, during the Chilean coup of 1973. It has a total capacity for an audience of 4,500 persons...
. Although a criticism of the foreign policy
Foreign policy
A country's foreign policy, also called the foreign relations policy, consists of self-interest strategies chosen by the state to safeguard its national interests and to achieve its goals within international relations milieu. The approaches are strategically employed to interact with other countries...
of the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, the song's final stanza also delivers a harsh criticism on communism
Communism
Communism is a social, political and economic ideology that aims at the establishment of a classless, moneyless, revolutionary and stateless socialist society structured upon common ownership of the means of production...
by making reference to the mass murder of pacifist Buddhist monks in the People's Republic of China
People's Republic of China
China , officially the People's Republic of China , is the most populous country in the world, with over 1.3 billion citizens. Located in East Asia, the country covers approximately 9.6 million square kilometres...
during the Cultural Revolution
Cultural Revolution
The Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution, commonly known as the Cultural Revolution , was a socio-political movement that took place in the People's Republic of China from 1966 through 1976...
and the USSR's Invasion of Afghanistan.
The song's title is often thought to have been a pun on the name of the American capital city's National Basketball Association
National Basketball Association
The National Basketball Association is the pre-eminent men's professional basketball league in North America. It consists of thirty franchised member clubs, of which twenty-nine are located in the United States and one in Canada...
franchise, which later went on to change its name to the Washington Wizards
Washington Wizards
The Washington Wizards are a professional basketball team based in Washington, D.C., previously known as Washington Bullets. They play in the National Basketball Association .-Early years:...
in 1997, but The Clash have denied any knowledge of the basketball team previous to the song's release.
The song is one of The Clash's more experimental, in the reggae
Reggae
Reggae is a music genre first developed in Jamaica in the late 1960s. While sometimes used in a broader sense to refer to most types of Jamaican music, the term reggae more properly denotes a particular music style that originated following on the development of ska and rocksteady.Reggae is based...
style, with a marimba
Marimba
The marimba is a musical instrument in the percussion family. It consists of a set of wooden keys or bars with resonators. The bars are struck with mallets to produce musical tones. The keys are arranged as those of a piano, with the accidentals raised vertically and overlapping the natural keys ...
and lyrics
Lyrics
Lyrics are a set of words that make up a song. The writer of lyrics is a lyricist or lyrist. The meaning of lyrics can either be explicit or implicit. Some lyrics are abstract, almost unintelligible, and, in such cases, their explication emphasizes form, articulation, meter, and symmetry of...
that are almost spoken rather than sung. Though the marimba is the most prominent instrument, electric guitar
Electric guitar
An electric guitar is a guitar that uses the principle of direct electromagnetic induction to convert vibrations of its metal strings into electric audio signals. The signal generated by an electric guitar is too weak to drive a loudspeaker, so it is amplified before sending it to a loudspeaker...
riff
RIFF
The Resource Interchange File Format is a generic file container format for storing data in tagged chunks. It is primarily used to store multimedia such as sound and video, though it may also be used to store any arbitrary data....
s are still audible. The marimba part is an altered version of the melody from Turkey in the Straw
Turkey in the Straw
"Turkey in the Straw" is a well-known American folk song dating from the early 19th century.The song's tune was first popularized in the late 1820s and early 1830s by blackface performers, notably George Washington Dixon, Bob Farrell and George Nichols. Another song, "Zip Coon", was sung to the...
.
On the tribute album
Tribute album
A tribute album is a recorded collection of cover versions of songs or instrumental compositions. Its concept may be either various artists making a tribute to a single artist, a single artist making a tribute to various artists, or a single artist making a tribute to another single artist.There...
The Clash Tribute: The Never Ending Story, the song was covered by Attila the Stockbroker
Attila the Stockbroker
Attila the Stockbroker is a punk poet, and a folk punk musician and songwriter. He performs solo and as the leader of the band Barnstormer...
, with new lyrics to the later verses, omitting the reference to Afghanistan and The Clash's subtle attack on communism
Communism
Communism is a social, political and economic ideology that aims at the establishment of a classless, moneyless, revolutionary and stateless socialist society structured upon common ownership of the means of production...
. The new verses are critical of U.S. involvement in the end of the Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
, and Boris Yeltsin
Boris Yeltsin
Boris Nikolayevich Yeltsin was the first President of the Russian Federation, serving from 1991 to 1999.Originally a supporter of Mikhail Gorbachev, Yeltsin emerged under the perestroika reforms as one of Gorbachev's most powerful political opponents. On 29 May 1990 he was elected the chairman of...
's embrace of western-style capitalism
Capitalism
Capitalism is an economic system that became dominant in the Western world following the demise of feudalism. There is no consensus on the precise definition nor on how the term should be used as a historical category...
, making particular disparaging references to the New world order following the end of the Cold War
Cold War
The Cold War was the continuing state from roughly 1946 to 1991 of political conflict, military tension, proxy wars, and economic competition between the Communist World—primarily the Soviet Union and its satellite states and allies—and the powers of the Western world, primarily the United States...
.