Wiki
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Length
3:48
According to Murdoc, this song is the first impression that Bashy and Kano had of "Plastic Beach". According to Gorillaz mythology, he dumped them on the beach, held up a mic, and recorded the freestyle they spit. As such, this is an introductory track to the "Plastic Beach" where the album takes place, including observations of the strange peacefulness of the island. Even though it’s built out of garbage and they’re essentially stranded on it, the rappers notice that their removal from the world gives them a certain peace of mind. A white flag is an international symbol of peace, so to Bashy and Kano, it is as though "Plastic Beach" lives under a perpetual white flag, where none of their problems can reach them:
"Look, no feds, no stress, no rent, no superficial shit, this real flow<br> Where the women look hot, but the beach cold."
― Gorillaz (feat. Bashy & Kano) – White Flag
“This one features the National Orchestra For Arabic Music. ‘Plastic Beach’ was intended to be a worldwide collage. Via the guests I brought in and used, I could take little snapshots of the world.
‘White Flag’ was recorded in Beirut, around the end of March 2009. Over there, the Israelis like to fly their jets really low over the city once a month. It’s called “sabre-rattling”. If they fly low and fast enough, it creates a sonic boom effect, taking out all the windows in the area.
This faintly surreal experience in Beirut and Syria got rolled into various themes on the album. What I wanted to do was then add a British counterpart. And who would fit the bill better than the British grime artists Bashy and Kano? What they bring to this is great.“ – band member Murdoc Niccals in an interview with NME
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