Steve Hackett - Blood On The Rooftops

DISCLAIMER: No copyright infringement intended. This video is for entertainment and educational purposes only. The rights to the song and video belong to the band & the music company. “A classical guitar intro for a Jimmy Webb inspired tune about ’televisual’ apathy. The box can often take over from family life and communication. Phil Collins, who came up with the line Blood on the Rooftops, thought I was doing a Pete on this anthem to the electric paradise brought to life in every home, and indeed there was an aspect of the Lamb about my lyrics.” ~ Steve Hackett ~~~~~ The lyrics refer to a typical middle-aged or elderly couple (Dark and Grey) that have very little else to do with their lives than to watch TV, and complain about the content. “Better in my day, for when we got bored we had a world war“. “On Wednesday evenings the BBC used to broadcast plays. This long running series was called... The Wednesday Play.“ “Watching the Queen on Christmas Day is “a longstanding tradition. The Queen records a Christmas message to the Commonwealth which is broadcast at pm on Christmas Day. “The Arabs and Jews, boy… too much for me“ , The lyrics reference the 72 Munich Olympics when 11 Israeli athletes were shot on the roof of their living quarters in the Olympic village by Palestinian Black September (And it’s become a tittle of the song). The tragedy was happen at September 5 (Five Past Nine) In the same year that Nixon went to Peking (now Beijing) China to broker a deal with eastern nations that included a staged withdrawal from Vietnam “Word from Peking“. Lindesfarne’s Fog on the Tyne was a number 1 ablum in the UK earlier that year. That includes the line “The fog on the Tyne is all mine all mine“. ’Mother Goose’ is the name of a pantomime. The phrase ’they’re out for 23’ seems to be a cricket reference (which is 23 is very, very low score). There is another cricket reference in the line “When the rain at Lords stopped play“ - Lords cricket ground is the home of English cricket - the headquarters of the Marylebone Cricket Club. “Seems Helen of Troy has found a new face again” – is it refers to Rossana Podestà? Her most memorable role was Helen of Troy in 1956, and starring many genre movies such as comedy, drama, sex, war, etc