Sun City

The article my friend posted on facebook (a phony news story about African artists uniting to save U2 - really funny) gave me an idea for my story. Yippy! Which got me thinking again about those 80s protest band-aid type songs.

My favourite one is still the Sun City project led by Little Steven. Musically & lyrically I think it's the best song (love Miles' trumpet at the beginning), its critique is directed at the artists' own government, it's political, and it not only tried to raise awareness of apartheid, but had a more specific and art-related goal to get artists not to play at the resort. (There are some other good songs on the album too.)

Reading on wiki it's even more interesting. Little Steven had traveled in S.A. and was "distressed" by this resort, and wanted to write a song paralleling it with the state of Native Americans ("relocation to phony homelands"); but his journalist friend "suggested turning the song into a different kind of "We Are the World", or as Schechter explains, "a song about change not charity, freedom not famine."

And you must be on to something when many of the radio stations in the US ban you. (I'd never realized it because it played all the time in Canada.)

Our government tells us we're doing all we can
Constructive Engagement is Ronald Reagan's plan
Meanwhile people are dying and giving up hope
This quiet diplomacy ain't nothing but a joke

And in the end the money apparently went to Oliver Tambo and the exiled ANC. (Though I wonder who gets the royalties now?) And finally... everyone in this video is just so much cooler than the We Are the World crowd. It all degenerates into a big dance party!

We're rockers and rappers united an strong (Run DMC)
We're here to talk about South Africa we don't like what's
going on (Grandmaster Melle Mel & Duke Bootee)
It's time for some justice it's time for the truth
(Afrika Bambaataa & Kurtis Blow)
We've realized there's only one thing we can do
(Big Youth & All Rappers)

I ain't gonna play Sun City

Relocation to phoney homelands (David Ruffin)
Separation of families I can't understand (Pat Benatar)
23 million can't vote because they're black (Eddie Kendrick)
We're stabbing our brothers and sisters in the back
(Bruce Springsteen)

I ain't gonna play Sun City



Our government tells us we're doing all we can (George Clinton)
Constructive Engagement is Ronald Reagan's plan (Joey Ramone)
Meanwhile people are dying and giving up hope
(Jimmy Cliff & Daryl Hall)
This quiet diplomacy ain't nothing but a joke (Darlene Love)

I ain't gonna play Sun City

Bopusthuswana is far away (Run DMC)
But we know it's in South Africa on matter what they say
(Kurtis Blow, Run DMC, Afrika Bombaataa)
You can't buy me I don't care what you pay
(Duke Bootee, Grandmaster Melle Mel, Afrika Bombaataa)
Do'nt ask me Sun City because I ain't gonna play
(Linton Kwesi Johnson & All Rappers)

I ain't gonna play Sun City



It's time to accept our responsibility (Bonnie Raitt)
Freedom is a privilege nobody rides for free
(Ruben Blades & John Oates)
Look around the world baby it can't be denied (Lou Reed)
Why are we always on the wrong side (Bobby Womack)

I ain't gonna play Sun City


Relocation to phoney homelands (Jackson Browne & Bob Dylan)
Separation of families I can't understand (Peter Garrett)
23 million can't vote because they're black (Nona Hendryx & Kashif)
We're stabbing our brothers and sisters in the back (Bono)