A Thousand and One Arabian Nights circa 1986 by Josh Berson
12016-10-16T14:44:53-07:00Josh Berson0f35865acfcdd3de35d66e58fe0a565937d7b281118785This song by the Beastie Boys, references the story of Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves. While the song doesn’t go into particulars of the story, it is named “Rhymin’ and Stealing”, in reference to the stolen treasure Ali Baba takes from the thieves. This song shows how A Thousand and One Arabian Nights, still impacts popular culture centuries later.google_maps2016-10-31T10:30:57-07:001986A Thousand and One Arabian NightsStandard YouTube License34.8021° N, 38.9968° EMP4Beastie BoysJosh Berson0f35865acfcdd3de35d66e58fe0a565937d7b281The Beastie Boys song “Rhymin’ & Stealin” makes reference to A Thousand and One Arabian Nights’ story of “Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves”. This story describes two brothers living in what is now present day Syria, Ali Baba and Cassim. A Thousand and One Arabian Nights, makes reference to its location in its opening line, "In a town in Persia there dwelt two brothers, one named Cassim, the other Ali Baba." (Burton, Richard Francis. "The Forty Thieves." Supplemental Nights to the Book of The Thousand Nights and a Night. Shammar ed. Vol. 4. Place of Publication Not Identified: Privately Printed by the Burton Club, 1886. 369-402. Print.) Ali Baba catches a glimpse of the captain of a band of thieves entering a magical portal and depositing his treasure there. Ali Baba enters the portal and steals the thieves’ treasure. Cassim finds out about the portal himself and enters the portal in hopes of gaining plunder for himself. Cassim upon entering the portal forgets the magic word that will reopen the portal, and ends up trapped in the portal until the forty thieves return. Upon returing the thieves slaughter Cassim and put his corpse on display to dissuade any other potential plunderers. When the thieves come for Ali Baba, Cassim’s maid, Morgiana helps trick them and save Ali Baba’s life. Ali Baba then frees Morgiana out of gratitude and passes on the secret word to the portal to his children who live prosperously. While the Beastie Boys’ “Rhymin’ & Stealin” does not directly address the plot beside for the one line saying, “Ali Baba and the forty thieves” (Diamond, Michael, Adam Yauch, and Adam Horovitz. Rhymin' and Stealin'Beastie Boys. Rec. 15 Nov. 1986. Rick Rubin, 1986. CD.) the overall theme of the song discusses robbing for living such as what Ali Baba, his children and the forty thieves do. The song proves the longevity of A Thousand and One Arabian Nights’, the song was released in 1986 nearly two centuries after A Thousand and One Arabian Nights was published in English. The fact that a story from well over two hundred years ago was able to even influence a piece of pop culture from the past half century is incredible.
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12016-10-16T14:01:35-07:001001 Arabian Nights Josh Berson1This song by the Beastie Boys, references the story of Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves. While the song doesn’t go into particulars of the story, it is named “Rhymin’ and Stealing”, in reference to the stolen treasure Ali Baba takes from the thieves. This song shows how A Thousand and One Arabian Nights, still impacts popular culture centuries later.plain2016-10-16T14:01:35-07:00