Washington Bullets (song)
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| “Washington Bullets” | ||
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| Song by The Clash | ||
| Album | Sandinista! | |
| Released | December 12, 1980 | |
| Genre | Reggae | |
| Length | 3:51 | |
| Label | CBS | |
| Composer | The Clash | |
"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-Afghan War, the Dalai Lama, and Victor Jara, referencing his death at the hands of the Chilean government in the stadium that now bears his name. 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 marimba and lyrics that are almost spoken rather than sung. Though the marimba is the most prominent instrument, electric guitar riffs are still audible.
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 Yeltsin's embrasure of western-style capitalism, making particular disparaging references to the New world order following the end of the Cold War.
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