Pop Song Parodies Mock Hussein

BOSTON--Chill out, Madonna and Janet Jackson. Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein is catching heavy play on rock 'n' roll radio these days.

Recalling the era when radio stations blasted Iran's taking of American hostages with the song "Bomb Iran" set to the Beach Boys' "Barbara Ann," disc jockeys across the country are dubbing over pop songs to produce parodies of Hussein.

The results are often more popular than the top 40.

To the strains of the Marvelettes' "Please Mr. Postman," WZLX-FM in Boston lambasted Hussein Wednesday for his country's march into neighboring Kuwait.

The song, updated by the Beatles in the early 1960s,' changes the original lyrics from, "Stop, oh yes, wait a minute Mr. Postman, wa-a-a-it Mr. Postman," to "Oh yeah, wait a minute Mr. Hussein, Kuwait isn't yours Mr. Hussein."

The song continues:

"Saddam Hussein is cut off at sea,

"Our troops are poised so patiently,

"We're gonna be there for a long, long time

"You'll have nothing but an empty pipeline..."

In Philadelphia, WMGK-FM aired "I Am Iraq," to the tune of Simon and Garfunkel's "I Am A Rock," on its show "Harvey in the Morning."

The song blasts Hussein with the lyrics, "I am the chosen leader, no I'm not insane, it's right and just because I am Hussein, I am Iraq, I am a tyrant..."

"It's our biggest hit," said Julie Roberts, the show's producer. "People want to know where they can buy copies, and there are a lot of requests. We've gotten a few dozen calls."

WTIC-FM in Hartford, Conn., played "Blame it on Hussein" to the tune of Milli Vanilli's "Blame it on the Rain."

The song was part of a station promotion Wednesday morning in which disc jockeys dressed as Arab sheiks and a service station offered drivers premium gasoline for 96 cents a gallon. Traffic tie-ups forced the event to end early.

Similarly, WHHY-FM in Montgomery, Ala., caused a traffic jam Tuesday afternoon when it held an "Insane Hussein" party.

There were no song parodies. But the station gave away five gallons of gas to the first 102 cars in line and had a dunking booth with a person dressed as the Iraqi leader.

Following in the footsteps of history, Rush Limbaugh's nationally-syndicated radio talk show set "Bomb Iraq" to "Barbara Ann."

"We had a guy call up who said, `let's go in there and take Hussein out,' "Limbaugh said. "I said, `here's a song for you,' and we played it."

In Dallas, KMGC-FM dubbed over the Fine Young Cannibals' "She Drives Me Crazy," with the lyrics:

"Hussein is crazy, ooh, ooh

"So call his bluff, ooh, ooh

"Hussein is crazy, and things could really get rough.

"Ooh, ooh ..."

KLZX AM & FM in Salt Lake City serenaded its listeners with "Iraq, Iraq," based on "New York, New York," and "Hussein," sung to Eric Clapton's "Cocaine."

Country and western stations are also getting into the act. Disc jockey Ken Cooper at KZLA in Burbank, Calif., came up with several parodies, such as a twist on Hank Williams Jr.'s "All My Rowdy Friends Are Coming Over Tonight" that goes "All My Saudi Friends are Coming Over Tonight."

Michael Coleman, production director of Boston's WZLX, said the station's first parody got such a response he decided to produce several others.