Marines Reject Profits from Offensive 'Hadji Girl' Song
That controversial song "Hadji Girl," written and performed by US Marine Corporal Joshua Belile, is back in the news this weekend. According to a story in the Stars & Stripes, the Marines are reluctant to accept profits from a professional recording of the offensive song:
Music producers want to give a large part of the proceeds from sales of a controversial song to the Marines, but a Marine Corps spokesman said the Corps may not be able to take the money [...] Of the proceeds, 99 cents per every purchase is earmarked to support Morale, Welfare and Recreation facilities for U.S. troops overseas [...]
The Marine Corps called the song insensitive and launched a preliminary inquiry but decided not to take disciplinary action against Belile [...]
While a good chunk of song sales are intended for U.S. troops, the Marine Corps may not be able to accept the money because regulations prohibit “any donation that may bring discredit on the service,” said Bryan Driver, a Personal and Family Readiness Division spokesman.
The Marines have told the song’s producers that they need to submit a formal application letter before the Marine Corps can decide whether to accept the money, and the Marines have also suggested the producers look at giving the money to charities that support Marines, Driver said.
No matter what the Marine Corps decides, [record producer Alan] Grossman vowed to somehow get the money to Marines. “I’ve never heard of anybody who doesn’t want money. It’s not like we did anything bad,” Grossman said. Grossman also called the song a tribute to boot camp, saying the training paid off for the fictional Marine in the song.
“Because he was attacked and he killed everyone who tried to attack him instead of him getting killed,” Grossman said [...]
Belile said he gave producers permission to make a professional version of the song to support U.S. troops. “There’s a large number of people who like it and enjoy it because it’s a good song, and I’m hoping that those people will decide to purchase this song to support the troops,” he said.
But Ibrahim Hooper, of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, said he expects the Marine Corps to reject the money because it has said the song is inappropriate. “Acceptance of the money would indicate approval of the source,” Hooper said.
Sure, right now the USMC is not accepting any money from sales of the song, but in the end, I won't be surprised to learn profits make their way to the Marines, or groups that support the troops. Heck, with the spokesman for a corps readiness division advising the music producers on where to donated their money, it won't be long before the profits benefit US soldiers.
These are some of "Hadji Girl's" obnoxious lyrics, and if you click here, you can watch a video of Belile performing his infamous song.
Then suddenly to my surprise
I looked up and I saw her eyes
And I knew it was love at first sight.
And she said...
Dirka Dirka Mohammed Jihad
Sherpa Sherpa Bak Allah
Hadji girl I can't understand what you're saying...
Her brother and her father shouted...
Dirka Dirka Mohammed Jihad
Sherpa Sherpa Bak Allah
They pulled out their AKs so I could see
... So I grabbed her little sister and pulled her in front of me.
As the bullets began to fly
The blood sprayed from between her eyes
And then I laughed maniacally
Then I hid behind the TV
And I locked and loaded my M-16
And I blew those little fuckers to eternity.
And I said...
Dirka Dirka Mohammed Jihad
Sherpa Sherpa Bak Allah
They should have known they were fucking with a Marine.
I'm not sure any Iraqi charity would agree to take part of the profits, but in the interests of building much-needed understanding and tolerance between US occupying forces in Iraq and local citizens, it might be wise to split the song's profits between the Marines and Iraqis. How can any good come from the despicable song and the profit from its professional recording?
I'm particular impressed by the line where the big well trained fighting Marine chooses to hid behind the little sister.
ReplyDeleteFor me, the distrubing thing about this song is how it seems to reflect the reality these soldiers are living.
ReplyDeleteThe juxtaposition of a romantic ballad form with a murderous firefight is jarring and most telling is the reaction of the fellow marines. Their very strong spontaneous cheering of the song tells me it's a pretty accurate picture of the madness they are inside of.
-- GE
Maybe if the marine hadn't of raped the little girl first the rest of the family wouldn't have tried to kill him.
ReplyDeleteSadly they failed.
Americans really do have no idea how much the rest of the world despises them and the gormless corrupt scum running the white house.
You will have to excuse the harshness of this post I have spent two many hours looking at all the dead Lebanese children on the web, waiting for Bush to call off his Olmert's genocidal attack.
I think people need to lighten the fuck up on this one. Stop blaming these guys for what they are thrown into.
ReplyDeleteObviously none of you know what hes is reffering to; it is a common practice for the arabs to hide behind women in firefights in Iraq. In some cases the women will even flash the troops to try to shock them into not firing.
The song is a comedy piece that incorporates lines from the movie "Team America".
--Maybe if the marine hadn't of raped the little girl first the rest of the family wouldn't have tried to kill him--
ReplyDeleteI've listened to the song a couple of times. Didn't get any rape reference. Did I miss it?
One of the more disturbing of many disturbing images - pulling the little sister in front of him and then her getting shot by the family as they shoot at the Marine, is perhaps a comment on reports that insurgents sometimes shield themselves behind women and children?
I have no idea if this is true. But, if memory serves, there have been multiple reports and they way the Marines react when that out-of-the-blue line is sung seems to me to say that it has a very, very specific resonance to them.
The soldiers also react strongly to the seemingly Arabic line (one that is first said by the young woman, and then repeated by the family, but the Marine doesn't speak Arabic so doesnt' know what they are saying). Does anyone know if it's actually Arabic and if so, what it means?
I find it really funny over what people choose to and choose not to get their panties in a bunch. The hype regarding this song is so pathetic and really shows how little people have to bitch about. It reminds me of how certain groups protest movies before even seeing them.
ReplyDeleteFirst, it's a song; not a statement or a policy. Do you attribute criticism to directors and producers because of the lines the characters in their movies utter?
Second, it's gallows humor. Soldiers have sung "inappropriate" songs since the first war but the only difference today is everyone has a camcorder. It's supposed to be edgy, cynical and appeal to a soldier's attitude and taste.
Third, the laughing is mostly due to the Arabic-sounding chorus, a line from the movie Team America.
Fourth, no Jarrod the subject of the ballad wasn't raping the girl. Please stop projecting your own fantasies into this. Yes we Americans realize how much the world despises us but here's a little inside information: we no longer care. We understand you only like us when you need our money or foreign aid or troops (of course, only for interventions that the rest of the world approves) but it get's under your skin that we have chosen to pretty much go it alone on this one. We waited for Europe to lead twice in the last century and it bought us two world wars. We aren't waiting for a third time.