The Clash - White Man In Hammersmith Palais Videos

tenpointprogram Says:

Aug 20, 2008 - Can someone give a reading of the opening verses about Jamaican music and "UK pop reggae"? The song builds into a critique of punk and the white man in the palais "just lookin for fun," but what's up with the opening references to Dillinger, Leroy Smart, Delroy Wilson, and esp Ken Boothe (!) who gets a whole verse? All of them add up to a roots revolution but nobody is listening? White kids missing the uprisings in Brixton and elsewhere at this time, treating it only as a soundtrack?

DrunkMcUnt Says:

Aug 20, 2008 - Midnight to six manFor the first time from JamaicaDillinger and Leroy SmartDelroy Wilson, your cool operatorKen Boothe for UK pop reggaeWith backing bands sound systemsAnd if they've got anything to sayThere's many black ears here to listeni think the refrence to the jamaican artists is just the bill for a show at the hammersmith palais

A8462T Says:

Aug 20, 2008 - Strummer is commenting on the commercialised nature of the performance, "UK pop-reggae". It was a show at the Palais he saw along with Topper, where he felt disappointed with Delroy et al for not using the gig as a platform to deride the rise of the UK Neo-Nazis at the time. "White youth, black youth, better find another solution" later in the song builds on this theme, that ordinary people should act together in a show of disdain for the Neo Nazi movement.meaningful social commentary!

theboardie Says:

Aug 20, 2008 - You think it's funnyturning rebellion into money.Best line in a song...EVER...from the best song and best band in the history of music.

cydermaster Says:

Aug 20, 2008 - Mine too - so many to choose from but this one is heads and shoulders above the others.

swimfreak430 Says:

Aug 20, 2008 - I personally like the line "If Adolph Hitler Flew In Today, They'd send a limousine anyway"Just how satirical it its. That nomatter how bad someone is because of their status they show him respect? Its like the President of Iran Ackmunaminenajad And how a college in the US invited him to speak to the students

slimmeroftheyear1981 Says:

Aug 20, 2008 - I'm so bored with the USA ...

hangin10 Says:

Aug 20, 2008 - The President of Iran should be respected. They invited him to make a speech and then double crossed him. It takes a lot to run a country. Nobody's starving in Iran. No Jewish bodies are being openly burned in Iran. The man holds at least one doctorate; he's intelligent. I should point out that Ahmadinejad is as liberal as he can be in that country. He tried to allow women at sporting events, but he was overruled by their "supreme leader" (a religious figure).

adambomb6672 Says:

Aug 20, 2008 - This might be one of the greatest rock songs ever written. The "turning rebellion into money" line IS the best line ver written in a song.

swimfreak430 Says:

Aug 20, 2008 - Anyone that rules a country is to be respected no doubt. But when hes your ennemy you dont just invite him in. I guess columbia is very libral or they where pulling an opera just to be assholes. lol. I do respect what Achemnineajad says i watched his speaches and he dident seem to be as "evil" as GW made him out to be Dick cheney is the most evil human on earth anyway

kismet110 Says:

Aug 20, 2008 - The opening verses are about Joe's experience when he went to the Hammersmith Palais to a reggae concert and was shocked/saddened to see all these young black kids listening to reggae-lite (UK pop reggae) instead of hard-core, political stuff. It's just saying that even the kids who were (at the time) willing to do something about their sh*tty lives (a la White Riot's "black man got a lot of problems but he don't mind throwing a brick") are now going the same way as the rest. Get it?

tenpointprogram Says:

Aug 20, 2008 - Many thanks for your reading. I played a gig backing Ken Boothe recently, so it was on my mind what they were saying about him. I can see how "Everything I Own" would be tagged as "UK pop reggae" and rated lower than political reggae. But in concert KB is very intense and mixes lovers rock with political reggae/rock steady (eg, "Freedom Street"). And "Everything I Own" was turned into a power chord anthem with vibes reminiscent of The Who and (dare I say it) The Clash.

kismet110 Says:

Aug 20, 2008 - No problem, happy to help. Agreed, a lot of KB's stuff is harder edge, I think it was just a timing thing as "Everything I Own" was current at the time! A bit harsh I guess but Joe was intense and passionate, he wanted it to be a certain way and I guess it all came across a little too "pop" that night. Plus there's mention of him getting a hard time too so maybe that got him wound up :-)

sallygal7 Says:

Aug 20, 2008 - As long as people are talking about amazing lines from this song, what about this one: "All over / people changing their votes / along with their overcoats."Amazing!

SNIFFMYBADGER Says:

Aug 20, 2008 - I live in Hammersmith, shame about the palais

ivandiepart Says:

Aug 20, 2008 - And what about the very next lines: "if Adolf Hitler flew in today/They'd send him a limousine anyway". Especially the way Joe pronounced this hateful, shameful name...

socpa Says:

Aug 20, 2008 - I'm the all night drug-prowling wolfWho looks so sick in the sunI'm the white man in the PalaisJust lookin' for funI'm onlyLooking for fun

Makrillaren Says:

Aug 20, 2008 - The BEST song ever... HEJA G A I S...

cassiopol Says:

Aug 20, 2008 - Clássico total !!!

RedHotMoon4 Says:

Aug 20, 2008 - my heart belongs to the Clash. They're just so great."They got Burton suits, ah, you think it's funnyturning rebellion into money"

themightytim1 Says:

Aug 20, 2008 - Possibly my favourite Clash song. They're incredible, I love their reggae stuff, their version of armagideon time is amazing too. What was all that about the kid being chased out by security? Is this from a documentary or something?

hangin10 Says:

Aug 20, 2008 - It's from the movie Rude Boy. The movie is kind of pointless (or at the very least slightly difficult to follow the plot), but it's full of a good portion of the early Clash footage.

loxme Says:

Aug 20, 2008 - wao, yo pensando que london calling es la mejor cancion del mundo y cada ves q creo encontrar la mejor cancion de the clash me encuentro q tiene otra y tra es interminable el talento de joe y mick, de paul, de esos tres , es increible, son la unica en verdad banda que importa, esa mercadotecnia no es falsa mierda!!!

viabetty1912 Says:

Aug 20, 2008 - the best clash song ever, love it, love it, love it!

xxxKerrygoldxxx Says:

Aug 20, 2008 - Great Memories..The Clash.....Those were da Days W9