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Should I Stay or Should I Go

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"Should I Stay or Should I Go"
Song
B-side"Inoculated City"

"Should I Stay or Should I Go" is a song by the English punk rock band The Clash, from their album Combat Rock. It was written in 1981 and featured Mick Jones on lead vocals. It became the band's only number-one single, a decade after it was originally released. In November 2004, it was ranked at 228 on Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.[1] In 2009 it was ranked 42nd on VH1's program 100 Greatest Hard Rock Songs.[2]

The tune leans towards more of a retro punk rock sound than most of the other tracks on the album. Though many legends have arisen about what the song is about (one of which is Jones' impending dismissal from the Clash in 1983), it is actually about a rocky personal relationship between Jones and singer Ellen Foley that would soon implode. The lyrics seem to reflect ups and downs concerning the relationship and the dilemma of sticking with or ending it.[3]

The Spanish backing vocals are courtesy of Joe Strummer:[4][5]

On the spur of the moment I said 'I'm going to do the backing vocals in Spanish,'...We needed a translator so Eddie Garcia, the tape operator, called his mother in Brooklyn Heights and read her the lyrics over the phone and she translated them. But Eddie and his mum are Ecuadorian, so it's Ecuadorian Spanish that me and Joe Ely are singing on the backing vocals.

— Joe Strummer, 1991

Releases

The single was reissued several times. In 1982, with a different cover as a double A-side with "Straight to Hell" and with "Cool Confusion" as its B-side. In 1983, with "First Night Back in London" on the side two, and in 1991, with "Rush" by Mick Jones' group Big Audio Dynamite II as its B-side (see the table below).[6]

Year B-side Format Label Country Note
1982 CBS logo etched into vinyl 45 rpm 7" vinyl Epic ENR-03571 USA One Sided Single - Epic's Get the Hit - Special Low Price.
1982 "Cool Confusion" 45 rpm 12" vinyl Epic 07 5P-223 JP —
1982 "Straight to Hell" (Edit) 45 rpm 12" vinyl CBS CBS A13 2646 UK —
1982 "Straight to Hell" (Edit) 45 rpm 7" vinyl CBS CBS AII 2646 UK Picture disc.
1982 "Inoculated City" 45 rpm 7" vinyl Epic 14-03006 USA 10 June 1982.
1982 "First Night Back in London" 45 rpm 7" vinyl Epic 34-03061 USA Released on 20 July 1982
1982 "Straight to Hell" 45 rpm 7" vinyl CBS CBS A 2646 UK Released on 17 September 1982.
1983 "Cool Confusion" 45 rpm 7" vinyl Epic 34-03547 USA Released on 27 January 1983.
1991
  1. "Rush (Dance Mix)" (Big Audio Dynamite II)
  2. "Protex Blue" (The Clash)
 45 rpm 12" vinyl CBS / Sony UK A-side
  1. "Should I Stay or Should I Go" (The Clash)
  2. "Rush" (Big Audio Dynamite II)

In March 1991, the band allowed the song to be used in a commercial for Levi Strauss & Co. The single was re-released on the back of the commercial and made it to number one in the UK singles chart.

Cover versions and parodies

"Should I Stay or Should I Go" has been covered by many artists including Skin, Ice Cube and Mack 10, Living Colour, Weezer, Guitar Wolf, Die Toten Hosen, The Ukulele Orchestra of Great Britain, and Kylie Minogue. A version by former Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, Tony Blair was created by digital editing of his speeches to make it appear he was performing the song.

Post punk band The Libertines performed a live version of the song, with Mick Jones featured on guitar. Jones, also sampled the track for his Big Audio Dynamite II song "The Globe". American punk band MxPx frequently covers the song during live sets, and it appears on their album On the Cover II. ZZ Top also covered it in the early 1980s. "Weird Al" Yankovic performs this in his "Polkas on 45" medley on his album "Weird Al" Yankovic in 3-D, released in 1984.

In 2001, Paul Shanklin recorded a version called "Will I Stay or Will I Go?" In it, Shanklin imitates John McCain debating whether or not to leave the Republican Party.[7] Christian parody band ApologetiX recorded "Should I Pray or Should I Go?" on their Adam Up album (2003).[8] On 22 December 2007, Love and Rockets played "Should I Stay or Should I Go" at the Strummerville benefit show at the Key Club in Los Angeles. Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers also included it in their sets in the past.

Los Fabulosos Cadillacs from Argentina included a Spanish-language version of the song in their newest album La Luz del Ritmo released on 31 October 2008. Punk band Anti-Flag performed the song, along with other Clash songs as part of a U.S. festival. It has appeared in setlists multiple times since then.

Cover band Camp Freddy have performed an acoustic version of the song. Another cover band Daddy Cool Band from Croatia include it in their live sets featuring female lead vocal. The rock band Šank Rock from Slovenia made a cover of the song in Slovene with the title "Al' Naj Ostanem Al' Naj Grem" which is simply the translation of "Should I Stay or Should I Go".

Commercial uses

As sign of popularity, the song was used in many television commercials, including for Levi Strauss & Co. (1991), for Zoey 101 while saying, "Should she stay, or should she go?", for Pontiac (2004/05), for Benylin (Canada, 2008/09) and for mobile phone network Claro (Brazil, 2009).

Notable appearances

"Should I Stay or Should I Go" has been used in several TV programs, such as BBC One's Ashes to Ashes (in its second series), Blackpool (episode five), and Bravo Two Zero (miniseries). Both CTV teen drama series Instant Star and Degrassi: The Next Generation had episodes named after the song. It was used and inspired a segment on the Frosty, Heidi and Frank radio show.

A live version of the song was used for the opening sequence of the film 28 Days in 2000. In 2003, Jones had a cameo appearance in the film Code 46, singing "Should I Stay or Should I Go" in a karaoke club. It was sung by Angelica Pickles' character in the children's film Rugrats Go Wild, also released in 2003. It is also featured as a playable track in the video game Rock Band.[9]

The song's opening riff was used by Brazilian comedy rock band Mamonas Assassinas on their song "Chopis Centis". It is also referenced in the lyrics of Kelly Clarkson's hit "Walk Away", in the lines "Should you stay or should you go?".

A part of the song is played in the films "Iron Man 2" and "Divorcing Jack".

Charts

Preceded by UK number-one single
9 - 16 March 1991 (2 weeks) 		Succeeded by

Notes

  1. ^ "The RS 500 Greatest Songs of All Time". Rolling Stone. 2004-12-09. Retrieved 2007-11-22.
  2. ^ "spreadit.org music". Retrieved 7 February 2009.
  3. ^ "The Uncut Crap - Over 56 Things You Never Knew About The Clash". NME. 3. London: IPC Magazines. 16 March 1991. ISSN 0028-6362. OCLC 4213418. "Should I Stay Or Should I Go" was written by Mick about American singer Ellen Foley, who sang the backing vocals on Meatloaf's Bat Out Of Hell LP. {{cite journal}}: |access-date= requires |url= (help)
    Related news articles:
  4. ^ "Should I Stay or Should I Go? by The Clash". Songfacts. Retrieved 2007-11-23. Mick Jones sings the words in English, and Joe Strummer echoes with Spanish lyrics. Strummer decided to sing the backing vocals in Spanish on the spur of the moment along with Texan country rocker Joe Ely. However he needed someone to do the translation so Eddie Garcia, the sound engineer, called his mother in Brooklyn Heights and got her to translate them over the phone. Eddie's mother is Ecuadorian, so Joe Strummer and Joe Ely ended up singing in Ecuadorian Spanish. (thanks, Edward Pearce - Ashford, Kent, England and Rainyhouse - Spanish Fork , UT)
  5. ^ Moser, Margaret (2000-05-22). "Music: Lubbock Calling (Austin Chronicle. 05-22-00)". The Austin Chronicle. Weekly Wire. Retrieved 2007-11-22. "I ran into them accidentally in New York when they were cutting 'Should I Stay or Should I Go' and Strummer said, 'Hey, help me with my Spanish.' So me and Strummer and the Puerto Rican engineer sat down and translated the lyrics into the weirdest Spanish ever. Then we sang it all. "When you listen to 'Should I Stay or Should I Go,' there's a place in the song where Mick says, 'Split.' Me and Strummer had been yelling out the Spanish background lyrics and we had snuck up behind him as he was recording. We were behind a curtain, jumped out at him in the middle of singing, and scared the shit out of him. He looks over and gives us the dirtiest look and says, 'Split!' They kept that in the final version.
  6. ^ "Albums by The Clash - Rate Your Music". rateyourmusic.com. Retrieved 2007-12-31.
  7. ^ Will I Stay Or Will I Go
  8. ^ Adam Up. ApologetiX.com.
  9. ^ Boyes, Emma (2007-08-22). "GC '07: Rock Band coming to PlayStation 2 - Xbox 360 News at GameSpot". GameSpot UK. Retrieved 2008-01-03. The Clash -- "Should I Stay or Should I Go" {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)
  10. ^ "The Irish Charts". IRMA. Retrieved 2008-10-02.
  11. ^ "Chart Stats - The Clash". chartstats.com. Retrieved 2008-11-18.
  12. ^ a b c d e "Various singles charts". lescharts.com. Retrieved 2009-01-15.
  13. ^ "Charts Surfer - UK, German and French charts". charts-surfer.de. Retrieved 2008-09-03.
  14. ^ "Charts Surfer - UK, German and French charts". charts-surfer.de. Retrieved 2008-09-03.
  15. ^ "The Irish Charts". IRMA. Retrieved 2008-10-02.
  16. ^ "Chart Stats - The Clash". chartstats.com. Retrieved 2008-11-18.

References

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