On this very day, 45 ago, The Cure released their very first 7' single 'Killing An Arab'.
"Killing an Arab" is the first single by the Cure. It was recorded at the same time as their first album Three Imaginary Boys (1979), but not included on the album. However, it was included on the band's first US album, Boys Don't Cry (1980).. It was inspired by the pivotal moment in the 1942 novel The Stranger by Albert Camus where the protagonist shoots his friend’s mistress' brother, a man identified in the book only as ‘the Arab’. It is the apathy of the main character that is the focus of this song.
The song has been controversial since 1979, when a college asked the band not to perform it as it sounded racist.
Shortly after its release, Smith said, "It just happened that the main character in the book had actually killed an Arab, but it could have been a Scandinavian or an English bloke."
In 1986, its inclusion on the band’s singles collection Standing On A Beach was protested by the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee. A compromise was reached when the band agreed to label each unit with a sticker announcing the following:
The song ‘Killing an Arab’ has absolutely no racist overtones whatsoever. It is a song which decries the existence of all prejudice and consequent violence. The Cure condemn its use in furthering anti-Arab feeling.
In 1987, Smith shared his opinion of the controversy in a fanzine:
i felt the whole ‘issue’ absurd and unnecessary and i am relieved that it has been concluded (and forgotten?) imaginatively and intelligently and with mutual satisfaction….(almost…)
In 1991, this song (along with “Rock The Casbah” by The Clash) unofficially became war-rallying cries for the US invasion of Iraq, much to the band’s dislike.
In 2003, Smith acknowledged that, "If I knew it before, I would have called it 'Standing on the Beach'. It would have avoided many troubles."
In 2016, Lol Tolhurst was asked if he thought releasing “Killing An Arab” as the band’s first single was a bold move. He responded:
I didn’t think it was so bold back when we wrote it. It was about alienation and existentialism – things more relevant to us then. Obviously events of the last two decades have changed the perception of the song’s meaning. Totally erroneously I might add, as it has nothing to do with racism or killing at all.
Killing An Arab (Tracklist 7")
A. Killing an Arab
B. 10:15 Saturday Night
The Cure (1979):
Michael Dempsey – bass guitar
Robert Smith – guitar, vocals
Lol Tolhurst – drums
