Washington Bullets (song)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| "Washington Bullets" | ||
|---|---|---|
 |
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| Song by The Clash | ||
| from the album Sandinista! | ||
| Released | December 12, 1980 | |
| Genre | Reggae(?) | |
| Length | 3:51 | |
| Label | CBS Records | |
| Composer(s) | The Clash | |
| Sandinista! track listing | ||
| The Call Up (22) |
"Washington Bullets" (23) |
Broadway (24) |
- This article is about the song. For the basketball team, see Washington Wizards.
"Washington Bullets" is a song from The Clash's 1980 album Sandinista!. A politically charged song, it is a simplified version of Latin American history from the 1959 Cuban Revolution to the Nicaraguan Sandinistas of the 1980s, with mention of the Bay of Pigs Invasion, the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan, the Dalai Lama, and Victor Jara. A criticism of the foreign policy of the United States, the song is indicative of The Clash's left wing politics. The song's title is often thought to have been a pun on the name of the American capital city's NBA 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 xylophone and lyrics that are almost spoken rather than sung. Though the xylophone is the most prominent instrument, electric guitar riffs are still audible.
