(White Man) in Hammersmith Palais
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| “(White Man) in Hammersmith Palais” | |||||
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| Single by The Clash from the album The Clash (US ver.) |
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| B-side | "The Prisoner" | ||||
| Released | June 17, 1978 | ||||
| Format | 7" single | ||||
| Recorded | mid-1978 | ||||
| Genre | Reggae, ska, punk rock | ||||
| Length | 4:00 | ||||
| Label | CBS S CBS 6383 | ||||
| Writer(s) | Joe Strummer and Mick Jones | ||||
| Producer | The Clash | ||||
| The Clash singles chronology | |||||
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| Music sample | |||||
"(White Man) in Hammersmith Palais" is a song and single by The Clash, self produced and first released as a 7" single, backed with similarly themed track "The Prisoner", in June 1978.
The song was later added to the belated American version of the band's debut album The Clash sandwiched between the single version of "White Riot" and "London's Burning".
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[edit] Inspiration and composition
The song showed considerable musical and lyrical maturity for the band at the time and is stylistically more in line with their version of Junior Murvin's "Police & Thieves" as the powerful guitar intro of "(White Man) in Hammersmith Palais" descends into a slower ska rhythm, and was disorientating to a lot of the fans who had grown used to their earlier work.[1] “We were a big fat riff group” author Joe Strummer noted in The Clash's film Westway to the World “we weren't supposed to do something like that”.[2]
"(White Man) in Hammersmith Palais" starts by recounting an all-night reggae "showcase" night at the Hammersmith Palais in Shepherd's Bush, London that was attended by Joe Strummer and roadie Rodent and was headlined by Dillinger, Leroy Smart and Delroy Wilson.[3] Strummer was disappointed and disillusioned that these performances had been more "pop" and "lightweight" similar to Ken Boothe's brand of reggae with Four Tops-like dance routines,[1] and that the acts had been "performances" rather than the roots rock rebellion that he had been hoping for.[4]
The song then moves away from the disappointing concert to address various other themes, nearly all relating to the state of Britain at the time. First giving an anti-violence message, then addressing the state of 'wealth distribution' in Britain, promoting unity between the Black and White youths of the country before moving on to address the state of the British punk rock scene in 1978 which was becoming more mainstream.
Included is a jibe at an unnamed group who wear Burton's suits, taken by many to be The Jam (though in an NME article of the time, Strummer claimed the actual target was the power pop fad hyped by journalists as the next big thing in 1978) and the lyric concludes that the new groups are in it solely to be famous and for the money (though The Clash themselves have often been criticized for just that, notably by other punk rock bands like Crass, however it should be noted the Band didn't start breaking even until 1982).
The final lines fret over the social decline of Britain, noting sardonically that things were getting to the point where even Adolf Hitler could expect to be sent a limousine in the unlikely event of flying into London.[1]
The single was reissued on June, 1978 with a different cover art.
This song was one of Joe Strummer's favorites, he continued to play it live with his new band The Mescaleros until his death and it was played at his funeral.
[edit] Critical reception
"(White Man) in Hammersmith Palais" helped The Clash assert themselves as a more versatile band musically and politically than many of their peers, and it broke the exciting but limiting punk mould that had been established by the Sex Pistols; from now on The Clash would be "the thinking man's yobs".
Robert Christgau recommended the single for "(White Man) in Hammersmith Palais" in his Consumer Guide, published by Village Voice, on September 4, 1978, and described the song as a must.[5] Denise Sullivan of All Music Guide wrote that "(White Man) In Hammersmith Palais" may have actually been the first song to merge punk and reggae."[3]
In 2004, Rolling Stone rated the song as #430 in its list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.[6][7]
[edit] Cover versions
The song was covered by 311, originally to be released on their album Transistor, but was taken off at the last minute and later released in 1999 on The Clash tribute album, Burning London.
The song is covered on Colin Gilmore's album The Day The World Stopped And Spun The Other Way.
[edit] Charts
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[edit] Notes
- ^ a b c Begrand, Adrien. 100 FROM 1977 - 2003 (PHP). PopMatters. Retrieved on 2008-04-03.
- ^ Letts Don. (2001). The Clash: Westway to the World. Event occurs at 37:00.
- ^ a b Sullivan, Denise. (White Man) In Hammersmith Palais (DLL). Song Review. allmusic. Retrieved on 2008-04-03.
- ^ Connor, Alan (2007-03-30). White man's blues (STM). Smashed Hits. BBC NEWS, Magazine. Retrieved on 2008-04-03.
- ^ Christgau, Robert (1978-09-04). Consumer Guide Sept. 4, 1978 (PHP). Consumer Guide. Village Voice. Retrieved on 2008-04-03.
- ^ The RS 500 Greatest Songs of All Time. RollingStone (2004-12-09). Retrieved on 2007-11-22. “430. White Man in Hammersmith Palais, The Clash”
- ^ White Man in Hammersmith Palais The Clash. The RS 500 Greatest Songs of All Time. RollingStone (2004-12-09). Retrieved on 2007-11-22.
[edit] References
- Gilbert, Pat [2004] (2005). Passion Is a Fashion: The Real Story of The Clash, 4th edition, London: Aurum Press. ISBN 1845131134. OCLC 61177239.
- Gray, Marcus [1995] (2005). The Clash: Return of the Last Gang in Town, 5th revised edition, London: Helter Skelter. ISBN 1905139101. OCLC 60668626.
- Green, Johnny; Garry Barker [1997] (2003). A Riot of Our Own: Night and Day with The Clash, 3rd edition, London: Orion. ISBN 0752858432. OCLC 52990890.
- Gruen, Bob; Chris Salewicz [2001] (2004). The Clash, 3rd edition, London: Omnibus. ISBN 1903399343. OCLC 69241279.
- Letts Don; Joe Strummer, Mick Jones, Paul Simonon, Topper Headon, Terry Chimes, Rick Elgood, The Clash. (2001). The Clash, Westway to the World [Documentary]. New York, NY: Sony Music Entertainment; Dorismo; Uptown Films. Retrieved on 2007-11-26. Event occurs at 37:00. ISBN 0738900826. OCLC 49798077.
- Needs, Kris (2005-01-25). Joe Strummer and the Legend of the Clash. London: Plexus. ISBN 085965348X. OCLC 53155325.
- Topping, Keith [2003] (2004). The Complete Clash, 2nd edition, Richmond: Reynolds & Hearn. ISBN 1903111706. OCLC 63129186.
[edit] External links
- Connor, Alan. (2007-03-30) White man's blues. SMASHED HITS Pop lyrics re-appraised by the Magazine. bbc.co.uk. Retrieved on 2008-02-24. “BBC article on the song and venue”.
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