Killing an Arab
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Template:Infobox Single "Killing an Arab" was the first UK single by The Cure, from their album Boys Don't Cry (1979). Robert Smith, the song writer, has said that the song "was a short poetic attempt at condensing my impression of the key moments in L'Étranger (The Stranger) by Albert Camus" (Cure News number 11, October 1991). The lyrics describe a shooting on a beach, in which the Arab of the title is killed by the singer.
The song has a history of controversy, since it has often been viewed as promoting violence against Arabs. The Cure's first greatest hits collection, Standing on a Beach (1986), was packaged with a sticker advising against racist usage of the song. The song saw controversy again during the Gulf War and following September 11th [1]. The song was the only song from the Three Imaginary Boys era not to be included on that album's remaster or Join the Dots, both released in 2004. The track is also not included on Greatest Hits (2001).
However, the song was revived in 2005, when the band performed the song at several European festivals. The lyrics, however, had to be changed for political correctness. Instead of "Killing An Arab," the song was performed as "Kissing an Arab."
When performed at their Royal Albert Hall show on April 1, 2006, the lyrics were changed to "Killing an Other." Apparently, Smith also sang a whole new opening verse for the song.
This song lends two of its lines to the titles of one of The Cure's compilation albums, "Standing on a Beach" (the LP) and "Staring at the Sea" (the CD and video version, which contain a couple more songs).
Track listing
7" Single
- Killing an Arab
- 10:15 Saturday Night