Kosovo (song)
Encyclopedia
"Kosovo" is a parody
of the Beach Boys hit song "Kokomo
". It was produced in 1999 by Seattle
radio DJ
Bob Rivers
. The song harshly criticizes US involvement
in the Kosovo War
:
According to Rivers, "...the intent of the song was to mock my own country for its bullying ways around the world. The idea was to point out how casually the U.S.
plays World Police. The song takes on the persona of the U.S. government, ridiculing the fact that we push others around without much concern."
In May 2005 a group of Norwegian peacekeepers
in Kosovo
parodied the music video
for "Kokomo," using Rivers' song with their own hand-held video camera
footage. In the parody, the soldiers imitate dance moves and scenes from the original music video in desolate war-torn areas around Kosovo. It was widely broadcast in the Balkans
, prompting the Norwegian ambassador
to formally apologize.
Rivers stated about the music video, "The song has been stolen...and I wish there were a way to stop it."
The last few seconds show one of the soldiers being hit by a car, but that has been cut in many of the video postings. Also, when subtitles were put on the song in Serbia, they mistakenly replaced "Milosevic" with the name of a 14th century Serb hero
. The soldiers had all left the Norwegian Army by the time the investigation took place so no further action was taken.
Parody
A parody , in current usage, is an imitative work created to mock, comment on, or trivialise an original work, its subject, author, style, or some other target, by means of humorous, satiric or ironic imitation...
of the Beach Boys hit song "Kokomo
Kokomo (song)
"Kokomo" is a song written by John Phillips, Scott McKenzie, Mike Love and Terry Melcher and recorded by The Beach Boys in spring 1988. Its lyrics describe two lovers taking a trip to a relaxing Caribbean island called Kokomo. It was released as a single in July 1988 by Elektra Records and became a...
". It was produced in 1999 by Seattle
Seattle, Washington
Seattle is the county seat of King County, Washington. With 608,660 residents as of the 2010 Census, Seattle is the largest city in the Northwestern United States. The Seattle metropolitan area of about 3.4 million inhabitants is the 15th largest metropolitan area in the country...
radio DJ
Disc jockey
A disc jockey, also known as DJ, is a person who selects and plays recorded music for an audience. Originally, "disc" referred to phonograph records, not the later Compact Discs. Today, the term includes all forms of music playback, no matter the medium.There are several types of disc jockeys...
Bob Rivers
Bob Rivers
Bob Rivers is a well-known American rock and roll radio on air personality in the Pacific Northwest as well as a prolific producer of parody songs, most famous for his Christmas song parodies....
. The song harshly criticizes US involvement
Legitimacy of NATO bombing of Yugoslavia
The legitimacy of the NATO bombing of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia has been subject to question by many bodies and individuals from the time of the action continuing to this day. The key basis governing the legality of any act of war is international law...
in the Kosovo War
Kosovo War
The term Kosovo War or Kosovo conflict was two sequential, and at times parallel, armed conflicts in Kosovo province, then part of FR Yugoslav Republic of Serbia; from early 1998 to 1999, there was an armed conflict initiated by the ethnic Albanian "Kosovo Liberation Army" , who sought independence...
:
- We'll kick some ass,
- and then we'll see how it goes,
- and then we really don't know.
- Good luck to Kosovo.
According to Rivers, "...the intent of the song was to mock my own country for its bullying ways around the world. The idea was to point out how casually the U.S.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
plays World Police. The song takes on the persona of the U.S. government, ridiculing the fact that we push others around without much concern."
In May 2005 a group of Norwegian peacekeepers
Peacekeeping
Peacekeeping is an activity that aims to create the conditions for lasting peace. It is distinguished from both peacebuilding and peacemaking....
in Kosovo
Kosovo
Kosovo is a region in southeastern Europe. Part of the Ottoman Empire for more than five centuries, later the Autonomous Province of Kosovo and Metohija within Serbia...
parodied the music video
Music video
A music video or song video is a short film integrating a song and imagery, produced for promotional or artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a marketing device intended to promote the sale of music recordings...
for "Kokomo," using Rivers' song with their own hand-held video camera
Camcorder
A camcorder is an electronic device that combines a video camera and a video recorder into one unit. Equipment manufacturers do not seem to have strict guidelines for the term usage...
footage. In the parody, the soldiers imitate dance moves and scenes from the original music video in desolate war-torn areas around Kosovo. It was widely broadcast in the Balkans
Balkans
The Balkans is a geopolitical and cultural region of southeastern Europe...
, prompting the Norwegian ambassador
Ambassador
An ambassador is the highest ranking diplomat who represents a nation and is usually accredited to a foreign sovereign or government, or to an international organization....
to formally apologize.
Rivers stated about the music video, "The song has been stolen...and I wish there were a way to stop it."
The last few seconds show one of the soldiers being hit by a car, but that has been cut in many of the video postings. Also, when subtitles were put on the song in Serbia, they mistakenly replaced "Milosevic" with the name of a 14th century Serb hero
Miloš Obilic
Miloš Obilić was a medieval Serbian knight in the service of Prince Lazar, during the invasion of the Ottoman Empire. He is not mentioned in contemporary sources, but he features prominently in later accounts of the Serbian defeat at the Battle of Kosovo as the legendary assassin of the Ottoman...
. The soldiers had all left the Norwegian Army by the time the investigation took place so no further action was taken.