The Clash - Rock The Casbah (Video Analysis)

Visuals and lyrics relationship
This is one of the more light hearted (if still somewhat politically driven) of the Clash's songs. It's jovial lyrics are mirrorred in the fun, bright visuals and narrative. The song references the rebellion of people who want to enjoy western music in strict Islamic regimes. The song came close to the time of the islamic revolution in the middle east. Pictured in the video, along with the band's sub standard dance moves and a rogue armodillo, are an Orthodox Jew and hitch hiking Arab. They befriend eachother and indulge in western freedoms, drinking and skanking their way through an American city. 'The king told the boogie men, you gotta let that raga drop' - Strummer thought of Iran where he had heard you would be lashed for owning a disco album. Literal links in the video and lyrics are present to make the song more memorable, for example an overhead flight when the song refers to 'jet fighters.'

Performance/ narrative/ concept/ star treatment
Lots of shots of the band miming the song run adjacent to the narrative, to some extent as a broad narrative voice. The lead singer and the rest of the band address the viewer directly through close ups. This reflects the conventional direct confidence of the clash and the punk genre despite music video conventions barely having developed. Their activist militant style to some extent seeps through to this first time US commercial hit, despite it's slightly more humorous feel. The two characters which the narrative follows end their pursuit of rebellious western pleasure at a Clash concert - placing themselves as the epitome of punk rebellion. The song represents victory of music and freedoms over tyranny, with the jet fighters sent to bomb rebels turning to the music themselves.

Mise en scene/ location
Filmed in Texas, the surroundings in the video represent well the mix of places represented in the song. The sandy desert surrounding the band is reminiscent of the Arab world which the song refers to while 1980's Texas (The flash cars, bright lights and beer bottles) represents the rebellious western culture which the characters in the narrative revel in. The band are dressed in militant punk style, conventional for the genre, but perhaps with unusually bright colours reflecting the light hearted vibe.