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‘Lady in Red’ Singer to Perform in Iran
by
findingDulcinea Staff
Chris De Burgh will be the first Western artist to perform in Iran since 1979, a fact that recalls other musicians’ visits to authoritarian countries. How will the mullahs adapt to British soft rock?
30-Second Summary
Chris De Burgh, whose 1986 single “Lady in Red” is a staple of wedding receptions throughout the West, rejoices in a huge following in Iran.
One reason the pop singer is so well liked there, according to an Iranian fan writing on the Free Thoughts blog, is that “most of CdeB’s love songs can be easily interpreted as holy love songs.”
Such a rationale would appear essential to facilitate his visit to a country ruled by religious leaders who have outlawed Western pop lyrics.
The concerts, which will be performed with Iranian group Arian, are tentatively planned for next summer.
The announcement comes at a time when the Iranian government is in the middle of a crackdown against cultural “immorality.” The authorities have arrested people for not wearing the proper clothes or for attempting to obtain forbidden movies.
De Burgh isn’t the first artist to play in an authoritarian state. Before George Michael pursued a solo career, he performed in China in 1985 as part of the British duo Wham! In 1987, Billy Joel took to the stage in the USSR and threw a tantrum during the performance.
Most people probably aren’t familiar with De Burgh’s extensive work outside of that overture to a million nuptials that is “Lady in Red.” However, he has fans in more than 100 countries, according to his Web site.
What makes a cultural transplantation successful is sometimes hard to explain. Arguably, De Burgh’s trip is no less strange than the stellar success of American-born actor David Hasselhoff, star of “Baywatch,” as a rock singer in Germany.
One reason the pop singer is so well liked there, according to an Iranian fan writing on the Free Thoughts blog, is that “most of CdeB’s love songs can be easily interpreted as holy love songs.”
Such a rationale would appear essential to facilitate his visit to a country ruled by religious leaders who have outlawed Western pop lyrics.
The concerts, which will be performed with Iranian group Arian, are tentatively planned for next summer.
The announcement comes at a time when the Iranian government is in the middle of a crackdown against cultural “immorality.” The authorities have arrested people for not wearing the proper clothes or for attempting to obtain forbidden movies.
De Burgh isn’t the first artist to play in an authoritarian state. Before George Michael pursued a solo career, he performed in China in 1985 as part of the British duo Wham! In 1987, Billy Joel took to the stage in the USSR and threw a tantrum during the performance.
Most people probably aren’t familiar with De Burgh’s extensive work outside of that overture to a million nuptials that is “Lady in Red.” However, he has fans in more than 100 countries, according to his Web site.
What makes a cultural transplantation successful is sometimes hard to explain. Arguably, De Burgh’s trip is no less strange than the stellar success of American-born actor David Hasselhoff, star of “Baywatch,” as a rock singer in Germany.
Headline Links: De Burgh ‘will play gig in Iran’
Chris De Burgh's proposed Iranian gig will be the first of its kind since the revolution of 1979, which overthrew the Shah. Iran's government will allow him to sing with an Iranian group, Arian, next summer, according to the BBC. Western songs with lyrics are banned in Iran, and the religious authorities consider rap music obscene. Anyone who wants to record an album has to obtain the government’s permission first.
Source: The BBC
Background: Iran’s strict laws
In November, Iran had the press publish a list of offenses against decency. For women, that included hats, head scarves that didn’t completely cover the head and neck, skirts with slits, and wearing boots instead of pants. Also, police have been cracking down on "decadent" films, as well as drugs and alcohol. Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamanei has encouraged the police to keep up the campaign, which has resulted in thousands of women being warned or arrested.
Source: The BBC
When Marjane Satrapi took art classes in her native Iran, the female models were fully covered. When students successfully requested a fully clothed male model so they could try to draw his arms and legs, a police officer told the students not to look at the man. Satrapi, who now lives in Paris, wrote Perseopolis: The Story of a Childhood, an autobiographical graphic novel that retells her experience.
Source: Reason Magazine
Key Player: Chris De Burgh
De Burgh, or CdeB, as he is known to his fans, has been one of the most popular Western artists in Iran for more than two decades. Babak Farzad explains that De Burgh’s lyrics are readily understood by Iranians, and his stage persona fits their idea of a gentleman. He has also kept in touch with his Iranian fans as best he could, posting condolence messages on his site after a devastating earthquake.
Source: Free Thoughts on Iran
Christopher De Burgh was born in Argentina, has lived in Ireland for years, and is a big fan of Liverpool Football Club. At his official site he has tour dates, a discography and email addresses of fans in 119 countries.
Source: Christopher De Burgh’s official Web site
Historical Context: Wham!, Billy Joel and the Hoff
In 1985, British duo Wham! became the first Western group to perform in Communist China. The concert’s audience, described in this Time magazine article, was a mix of uninhibited foreigners, who cheered and danced, and reserved Chinese spectators who … didn’t. One 27-year-old Chinese man called the Westerners hoodlums. “Such a raucous response was not necessary,” he told a reporter.
Source: Time magazine
Billy Joel was the first American performer to give an entire concert in the USSR, but Joel lost his temper and overturned a piano on stage. He gives his side of the story in a blog called Reverb. The Piano Man said he was angry that a documentary film crew flooded the audience with light, which upset his fans, who were having a good time until that point. “I wasn’t yelling at the audience—I was yelling at the film crew,” Joel said. “So I threw the piano, and that got their attention.”
Source: Seattle Weekly
David Hasselhoff became a television star in the United States in the 1980s on “Knight Rider,” and recovered his fame in the 1990s on “Baywatch.” But he was a much bigger star in Germany, where he spent the 1990s as a top-selling rock singer.
Source: The BBC
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