Artists United Against Apartheid - Sun City

Not long after Band Aid and We Are The World focused musical attention on famine in Africa, a collection of artists decided a similar approach might help in the struggle against apartheid. The initiator was Steven van Zandt - erstwhile guitarist in Bruce Springsteen's E Street Band - who whipped up dozens of musicians to work on the project. They included Peter Gabriel, members of U2, Springsteen himself, Hall and Oates, Bob Dylan, Ringo Starr, Run DMC, Lou Reed, Jackson Browne and Keith Richards. Van Zandt wrote and produced the song himself and it reached the top 40 in several European nations, though not in the US.

Sun City is a large casino resort in the north-west of South Africa. During the apartheid years it was located in 'independent' state of Bophuthatswana, a phoney political construct that enabled white South Africans to visit a casino, gamble and attend strip shows, even though these activities were illegal within South Africa itself. Although the United Nations had placed a cultural ban on artists touring or performing in South Africa, many notable American and European acts ignored this and received large sums to perform at Sun City's massive auditorium. Amongst those to defy the ban included Linda Ronstadt, Queen, Laura Branigan, Rod Stewart, Julio Iglesias - and, ironically, black singers such as Ray Charles, Dionne Warwick and Boney M. As a result, Van Zandt's song continually insists that "I ain't gonna play Sun City":

Twenty-three million can't vote 'cause they're black
We're stabbing our brothers and sisters in the back
I wanna say I, I, I ain't gonna play Sun City
I, I, I ain't gonna play Sun City

Boputhuswana is so far away
But we know it's in South Africa
No matter what they say
You can't buy me, I don't care what you pay
Don't ask me Sun City because I ain't gonna play

Category:

Music

Tags:

• Sun City
• Steven Van Zandt
• apartheid
• South Africa
• Bophuthatswana

[stuckeysamuel]

@sweetcurmudgeon I also saw and remember it well Little Stevie of E-street band was a major source in putting it together

[OnlyForAngels]

R.I.P. Joey Ramone. <3

[keithdra]

little steven and company wonderful.

[heychumz12345]

Why isn't this song on iTunes?!!!



[feericka]

i ain't gonna play SUN CITY : I live on.... Nelson MANDELA Mail (there is a commemorative) and the other door opens to Dulcie SEPTEMBER Place !!!... It's no joke !!!... and it was not premeditated goal...it suits perfectly well with my ideals though it's not in a Palace !... I'm proud of it !

[zuska69]

I love this song :)... But I want more Joey Ramone in this!... That's a pitty :)

[1kapala]

@guitardedboy

Things have changed a bit since 88...

[1kapala]

In this classic, inspiring video, we bid Rest in Peace to Clarence Clemons .... and Bono's mullet.

[guitardedboy]

3 people played Sun City.

[sneeyize45]

@sneeyize45 ... especially the appearance of The Boss on this.

[sneeyize45]

@SpandexManney Well, for someone who was heavily involved in the movement at the time to get governments (including the U.S. government) and educational institutions (in my case my alma mater, 1987), the University of South Florida to divest funds (including spending several days in the winter/spring of 1986 in shanty town building set up on USF's Tampa campus) when I was 22 years old at the time, this was very inspiring that all these artists lent their voice to the cause. It kept us going ..

[ceeceesrevenge33]

gives me chills in 2012.