Week Seventy-Seven: Songs of 1977 - The Clash - "White Riot" - The Clash

In honor of my 36th birthday, which I will celebrate on Sunday, October 27th, for Week Seventy-Seven, I am going to cover songs from the year 1977, which just so happens to be the year of my birth!!!

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So during my very first year of teaching, I was informed that the 8th graders that year were bound and determined to be the "worst 8th grade class ever" that graced the halls of the school --- in reality, they turned out to be my favorite class!!!

The personalities in that group of 78 adolescents were so widely varied, but I had a handful of boys who were die-hard fans of The Clash. It was most likely less than appropriate to allow them to enter my classroom singing "White Riot" and "London Calling", but I swear that I would have the equivalent of what must be a proud parent moment when I would hear them reciting The Clash. 

That was the only class that I ever taught that had musical tastes anywhere near my own. In fact, I ran into one of the girls from that class at the Depeche Mode show a few weeks back.

I'm somewhat embarrassed to admit that I really don't own a ton of memorabilia relating to The Clash, but I will share an image of a patch that is sewn onto one of the bags that I carry around.

You may already know this, but The Clash snagged that design from Elvis Presley:

"White Riot" was released on March 18, 1977, and since we are celebrating the year of 1977, it would be completely apropos to include the tune by The Clash called "1977", as well as "London Calling", since I mentioned it above. I will also include another favorite called "Train in Vain"...

White riot - I wanna riot
White riot - a riot of my own
White riot - I wanna riot
White riot - a riot of my own

Black people gotta lot a problems
But they don't mind throwing a brick
White people go to school
Where they teach you how to be thick

An' everybody's doing
Just what they're told to
An' nobody wants
To go to jail!

White riot - I wanna riot
White riot - a riot of my own
White riot - I wanna riot
White riot - a riot of my own

All the power's in the hands
Of people rich enough to buy it
While we walk the street
Too chicken to even try it

Everybody's doing
Just what they're told to
Nobody wants
To go to jail!

White riot - I wanna riot
White riot - a riot of my own
White riot - I wanna riot
White riot - a riot of my own

Are you taking over
or are you taking orders?
Are you going backwards
Or are you going forwards?