Special AKA - Free Nelson Mandela (TOTP)

[brianab31]

This song is effen BRILLIANT! I love the fact that it is not relevant anymore.

Still an amazingly great song, nonetheless.

[TheJosiewilks]

Its stupid that Nelson Mandena got put in prison just fo being black and people who thought apatied was good should be ashamed of them self

[nixcails]

It was this song and the concert for apartheid that finally made Thatcher be seen to impose some sanctions.. of course most of her party pals broke the sanctions embargo. - it was THE most successful political protest songs that was ever written.

[yzm06]

when i was busted by police for fighting on the street i was screaming: FREE NELSON MANDELA" 

[milesthered]

@08alexg - I presume you have never heard of Soweto or the Sharpesville massacre where people who did protest peacefully against apartheid were massacred. Nelson Mandela didn't turn to violence because it was cool. He did it because blacks had no legal means to remove apartheid as they had no right to vote, protest or even live where they liked.

[trashcanalive]

Jerry Dammers deserves a kinghthood.

[skapolis]

genial!!!!!!!!!!

[08alexg]

if you think about it nelson mandela was a terrorist and killed thousands of people

I'm not racist or anything like that and I do believe martin luther king did a good job but did not harm anyone.

Nelson mandela is a terrorist

alhough I did enjoy the song (its catchy)

[phantomsuccour]

@08alexg go to an aryan nation website and spout your nonsense, you white supremacist!!!! It's people like you that are terrorists!!! Go to hell where people like you and Hitler belong!!!

[deniserosax33]

Okay Well I got This Song &' I need to Find OUt Things ABout This Artist ASAP &' If I Dont Find Out Wat It Is ABout I Will Get A Biig F :o Well Hmu If YUh Can Give Mii Any INfo :] Thx

[skytoweruk]

@deniserosax33 Try Google... probably quicker.

[deniserosax33]

@skytoweruk i Tryed that..... i didnt find nun usefull but thx any ways ill just ask my frinds :D

[ChezKiva]

@deniserosax33: I'm not British, but it seems like the AKA broke with a few hits and later shortened their name to simply: "The Specials."

[vkman34]

I'm not sure if today's bands could come up with such a powerful political song today, but one thing I do know is they'd never get it played on the radio or TV if they did.

[jamesmorritt]

Bloke was a terrorist. Just like Bin Laden, Yassar Arafat. Killed innocent people. A coward. Banged up n prison , for murder. A terrorist murderer.

[jacklaurencethompson]

@jamesmorritt If Mandela wanted to kill people wouldnt he of done it in the day when people were there??? he only blew up places at night so the minimum ammount of people were killed. His aim was to disrupt the lives of white south africa not to kill people

[jamesmorritt]

@jacklaurencethompson 

[08alexg]

@jacklaurencethompson that is a point but he should went through peaceful protests and then no'one would have died and he would not be branded a terrorist

[rosalee26]

over the years, an international consensus was built, which helped to bring an end to [South African apartheid].But we know too well that our freedom is incomplete without the freedom of the Palestinians". Nelson Mandela

The Man who produced this song Elvis Costello plans to play Israel june 30th -jul1st, please ask him to rethink this decision and boycott Israel

[MOONST0MP]

Rhoda Dakar is well sexy!

[alibootboy]

@MOONST0MP fkn fair point man!

[gazwilwah]

Shame it was the last we saw of The Special AKA

[xXBidMyBloodToRunXx]

Hey Widmerpool99, you're pretty half-assed yourself.

Back in the day, at least we cared about more than fucking tanning salons and moisturising products.

If you're ignorant about something, at least have the dignity not to assume the mocking and sneering position automatically.

Yep. What have you ever done, what are you ever likely to do?

Just bugger off and read a book.

[Widmerpool99]

The half-assed hand-jive of the hobble-skirted backing singers sums up all that is glorious about the 1980s.

[Concreteowl]

It says something about the time we are living in that back then a group of young musicians could take a song like this into the charts and raise awareness.

I doubt if anyone would be able to do a song about Aung San Suu Kyi and have the same response(though with four syllables a catchy song must be possible her last name even rhymes with free).Nelson was only a known name to campaigners before this song came out. It really did a lot of good bringing the Anti-Apartheid Movement to a new level.

[xschatzx89]

oh noooooo.. i gave it 1 star instead of 5 :((

[VarsityFanclub13]

This song is rockin!! we heard this in history class the other day cuz we learned all about him! pretty cool stuff =]

[manthakev]

don't care what you say best song of the year maybe even the decade

[kiran2368]

You people are ignorant. This song is one of the fingers that formed the clenched fist that freed madiba. It's a fact.

[MisterBronchitis]

it works thanx God!

[markwak71]

This is the only song that has no meaning now, probably, because he's well free and has done a brilliant job for the world to see how a humble man who was locked up for years and years has no bitterness a good example for the world to follow.

[Rootveg]

Dont you think that this song has great meaning 'cos he is free?

[Machiavelli1513]

@markwak71 Yeah, tell that to the white farmers in South Africa who are slaughtered (over 3,000) since Mandela and the ANC have been in power (1994). Don't be fooled, there is a silent genocide existing today under the new Aparteid. Funny thing is, many black Africans are preferring the old racist white Aparteid to the corrupt black ANC regime of today!

[phantomsuccour]

@Machiavelli1513 lol which blacks? the ones witha slave mentality? yes those ones. there are always those ones that want a master. Otherwise the majority are happy to be free from the slavery you people were happy to maintain, now go back to whatever far right crusade you are part of demon.

[Machiavelli1513]

@phantomsuccour I oppose the racist Aparteid regime as well as the racist ANC of today. Being a narrow minded left wing hypocritical buffoon, I don't expect you to comprehend my comment too deeply. I suppose the millions of poor starving and unemployed blacks you don't deal with directly also suffer from a slave mentality? You are the demon and it's your sheer ignorance and leftist agenda which continues to enslave these peoples.

[phantomsuccour]

@Machiavelli1513 'leftist propaganda' lol Spoken like a real far right extremist. Last I checked, the slavery was perpetrated by people with your mentality. You are against freedom democracy and justice. Your comment was in support of apartheid and it surprises me that you could deny it. I thought you people were proud of that policy? And throwing insults around doesn't change the fact that your time has ended, apartheid is over and the people are at least free from that tyranny.

[Machiavelli1513]

@phantomsuccour Duh, moron. The leftist comment was on purpose since you said the 'far right crusade' nonsense. I am apolitical.  Look the word up since you obviously missed the point of my first comment and so you brushed it off as a right wing conspiracy. lol I was pointing out that the ANC is so bad that blacks out there prefer the old Arparteid. This doesn't mean I support it. LOL Enrolling in a critical thinking course would benefit you greatly. They are both evil systems, clown!

[phantomsuccour]

@Machiavelli1513 lol throwing insults again. It is great to see that extremists like you are angry at the way things are going. It means the world is becoming a better place. At least Mandela preached tolerance and reconciliation. You extremists seem to want chaos and destruction. Apartheid is over! Get over it, or get a time machine and go back to your 'glory days'.

[Machiavelli1513]

@phantomsuccour lol The one who first hurled politcal extremist insults is trying to turn it around on me....Seeing how I voted for Obama, perhaps you are right, I am an extremist since he is doing the exact same thing as Bush...Mandela preached tolerance when it suited him politically. Educate yourself and read on how him and ANC youthleaders chant 'Kill the Boer, kill the farmer" which is racially motivated hatred. The glory days would be without your new Aparteid or the former one...

[ChezKiva]

@markwak71: I beg to differ, considerably. The song has more meaning Today than it did back when. It literally launched a revolution against apartheid in the West, but it still had almost nothing to do with 'freeing' Nelson. The question, dear heart, is how 'free' is this infamous 'leader?' What great things did his Presidency yield for Africa? I'm afraid the ANC, and the nefarious Bilderberg have our dear friend by the short and curlies!

[ChezKiva]

@markwak71 -Actually, this song has extra-special meaning now, and not just because we've entered a new era in economic slavery & serfdom. Africa has never been more effectively exploited, enough so that it will be the eventual conflict-zone of choice against the Chinese. As to Nelson, he's never actually been free, he's been treated precisely like Bill Clinton, put up to the task of 'playing president.'

[lezony7]

classic tune

[XiJam1e29iX]

cool

[dayster88]

Tune!

[hayleyclips]

11 Feb 1990 :)

[chippyminto]

is he out yet??????????????????????

[skinnydiprog3r]

yep he has been out for awhile

[Bieji]

Yeah, he has been out for ages

[sc4portugal]

Yesm since 11 Feb 1990

[GothicKing1000]

you are a twat

[RemakeSquadron]

@chippyminto yes you retard