Shami Chakrabarti

Album: Vile Pervert (2007)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • At first sight this is a straightforward tribute song to a woman named Shami Chakrabarti; there would be nothing unusual about that if it were not written by Jonathan King, because at the time it was written Miss Chakrabarti was at least 25 years too old for him. And female, of course.

    Although this song does say nice things about the lady in question it was written as yet another swipe at the British legal system. Shami Chakrabarti was born in 1969, graduated from the London School Of Economics, qualified as a barrister, and after working for the Home Office joined Liberty in 2001, becoming its Director in September 2003.

    Liberty was founded in 1934 as the National Council For Civil Liberties, and campaigns for and against a large number of civil liberties issues - against ID cards and torture, for homosexual rights, but it is doubtful if Miss Chakrabarti or any bona fide member of her organization supports Jonathan King's idea of homosexual rights, ie legalizing sex between men of his age and young boys.
  • King wrote the song for his highly acclaimed musical Vile Pervert - highly acclaimed by Jonathan King, that is. The title song sums up King in his own words. Writing in the June 2008 issue of the prison newspaper Inside Time, Bob Woffinden said, "It's still possible that the British legal authorities will come to rue the day that they convicted and imprisoned Jonathan King."

    Sure, the Judges of Appeal are already quaking in their boots. Woffinden also approves of a song written in tribute to this eloquent campaigner. No doubt she would have appreciated it too, had it been written by anyone but Jonathan King. >>>
    Suggestion credit:
    Alexander Baron - London, England, for above 2

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Rickie Lee Jones

Rickie Lee JonesSongwriter Interviews

Rickie Lee Jones on songwriting, social media, and how she's handling Trump.

Amy Lee of Evanescence

Amy Lee of EvanescenceSongwriter Interviews

The Evanescence frontwoman on the songs that have shifted meaning and her foray into kids' music.

Dick Wagner (Alice Cooper/Lou Reed)

Dick Wagner (Alice Cooper/Lou Reed)Songwriter Interviews

The co-writer/guitarist on many Alice Cooper hits, Dick was also Lou Reed's axeman on the Rock n' Roll Animal album.

Amanda Palmer

Amanda PalmerSongwriter Interviews

Call us crazy, but we like it when an artist comes around who doesn't mesh with the status quo.

He Hit Me (And It Felt Like A Kiss): A History Of Abuse Pop

He Hit Me (And It Felt Like A Kiss): A History Of Abuse PopSong Writing

Songs that seem to glorify violence against women are often misinterpreted - but not always.

Tony Iommi of Black Sabbath, Heaven And Hell

Tony Iommi of Black Sabbath, Heaven And HellSongwriter Interviews

Guitarist Tony Iommi on the "Iron Man" riff, the definitive Black Sabbath song, and how Ozzy and Dio compared as songwriters.