Dictator

Album: Cut the Crap (1985)
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Songfacts®:

  • This song is a character sketch about US-funded Central American despots, calling back to the song "Washington Bullets" on 1980 album Sandinista! Included in the lyrics is a subtle reference to the Sergio Leone movie For a Few Dollars More ("Cos I need a few more dollars, For my fighter pilot to be free").
  • "Dictator" made it into the post-Mick Jones Clash lineup's live set for most of 1984, where it was played faster and harder in a more Heavy Metal arrangement, suggesting that the original studio recording was marred by the over-reliance on poor-quality synths and drum machines during the making of Cut the Crap.

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