Should I Stay or Should I Go.html |
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| “Should I Stay or Should I Go” | |||||
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| Single by The Clash from the album Combat Rock |
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| B-side | "Inoculated City" | ||||
| Released | June 10, 1982 | ||||
| Format | 7" single, cassette tape | ||||
| Genre | Punk rock, pop punk | ||||
| Length | 3:06 | ||||
| Label | Epic 14-03006 | ||||
| Writer(s) | The Clash | ||||
| Producer | The Clash | ||||
| The Clash singles chronology | |||||
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"Should I Stay or Should I Go" is a song by 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
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 former Meat Loaf backup 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.2
The Spanish backing vocals are courtesy of Joe Strummer:34
| “ | 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. | ” |
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—Joe Strummer, 1991 |
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Contents |
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).5
| 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 | June 10, 1982. |
| 1982 | "First Night Back in London" | 45 rpm 7" vinyl | Epic 34-03061 | USA | Released on July 20, 1982 |
| 1982 | "Straight to Hell" | 45 rpm 7" vinyl | CBS CBS A 2646 | UK | Released on September 17, 1982. |
| 1983 | "Cool Confusion" | 45 rpm 7" vinyl | Epic 34-03547 | USA | Released on January 27, 1983. |
| 1991 |
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45 rpm 12" vinyl | CBS / Sony | UK | A-side
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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
"Should I Stay or Should I Go" has been covered by many artists including Skin, Ice Cube and Mack 10, Error Type II, Living Colour, The Long Tall Texans, Spastic Vibrations, Guitar Wolf, Die Toten Hosen, The Ukulele Orchestra of Great Britain, Bai Bang, Super Green, The Picketts, and even Kylie Minogue.
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". The American punk band MxPx frequently covers the song during live sets. ZZ Top also covered it in the early 1980s. On December 22, 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.
Cover band Camp Freddy have performed an acoustic version of the song. Cover band Daddy Cool Band (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".
Los Fabulosos Cadillacs include the song in their newest album "La luz del ritmo" relased on 31 October 2008.
Parodies
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.[1]
Notable appearances
- Both Canadian popular teen dramas Instant Star and Degrassi: The Next Generation named an episode after this song
- In 1991, the song was used in a commercial for Levi Strauss & Co.
- Sang by Angelica in one of the Rugrats movies.
- Jones has a cameo appearance in the 2003 film Code 46, singing "Should I Stay or Should I Go" in a karaoke club.
- In 2004 and 2005, the song was used in an ad campaign for Pontiac.
- The song is featured as a playable track in the video game Rock Band.6
- The opening riff was used by Brazilian comedy rock band Mamonas Assassinas on their song "Chopis Centis".
- The song was used for a commercial of Zoey 101 while saying, "Should she stay, or should she go?"
- The song was used in the television miniseries Bravo Two Zero released by BBC in 1999.
- The song was used in the Television Show Blackpool, shown on BBC
- The song is used and inspired a segment on the Frosty Heidy And Frank show which runs Fridays @ 1:00 pm which debuts newcomers bands
- A live version of the song was used for the opening of the film 28 Days in 2000.
- This song is referenced to in the Kelly Clarkson song Walk Away, with the lyrics "Should you stay or should you go?".
Charts
| Chart (1982/3) | Peak Position |
|---|---|
| Canadian Singles Chart | 40 |
| Irish Singles Chart 7 | 16 |
| U.K. Singles Chart 8 | 17 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot 100 | 45 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot 100 | 501 |
| U.S. Billboard Mainstream Rock Tracks | 13 |
Notes:
- 1 - January 27 1983 Re-release
| Chart (1991, Re-release) | Peak Position |
|---|---|
| French SNEP Singles Chart 9 | 25 |
| German Media Control Singles Chart 10 | 5 |
| Irish Singles Chart 11 | 2 |
| U.K. Singles Chart 12 | 1 |
| Preceded by "Do the Bartman" by The Simpsons |
UK number-one single March 3, 1991 for 2 weeks |
Succeeded by "The Stonk" by Hale and Pace |
Notes
- ^ "The RS 500 Greatest Songs of All Time". Rolling Stone (2004-12-09). Retrieved on 2007-11-22.
- ^ "The Uncut Crap - Over 56 Things You Never Knew About The Clash". NME (London: IPC Magazines) 3. March 16, 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.".
Related news articles:- Peterson, Tami. "The Uncut Crap - Over 56 Things You Never Knew About The Clash - NME March 16, 1991". londonsburning.org. Retrieved on 2007-12-11.
- ^ "Should I Stay or Should I Go? by The Clash". Songfacts. Retrieved on 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)"
- ^ Moser, Margaret (2000-05-22). "Music: Lubbock Calling (Austin Chronicle. 05-22-00)". The Austin Chronicle. Weekly Wire. Retrieved on 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."
- ^ "Albums by The Clash - Rate Your Music". rateyourmusic.com. Retrieved on 2007-12-31.
- ^ Boyes, Emma; GameSpot UK (2007-08-22). "GC '07: Rock Band coming to PlayStation 2 - Xbox 360 News at GameSpot". GameSpot UK. Retrieved on 2008-01-03. "The Clash -- "Should I Stay or Should I Go""
- ^ "The Irish Charts". IRMA. Retrieved on 2008-10-02.
- ^ "Chart Stats - The Clash". chartstats.com. Retrieved on 2008-11-18.
- ^ "Charts Surfer - UK, German and French charts". charts-surfer.de. Retrieved on 2008-09-03.
- ^ "Charts Surfer - UK, German and French charts". charts-surfer.de. Retrieved on 2008-09-03.
- ^ "The Irish Charts". IRMA. Retrieved on 2008-10-02.
- ^ "Chart Stats - The Clash". chartstats.com. Retrieved on 2008-11-18.
References
- Gilbert, Pat (2005). Passion Is a Fashion: The Real Story of The Clash (4th edition ed.). London: Aurum Press. ISBN 1845131134. OCLC 61177239.
- Gray, Marcus (2005). The Clash: Return of the Last Gang in Town (5th revised edition ed.). London: Helter Skelter. ISBN 1905139101. OCLC 60668626.
- Green, Johnny; Garry Barker (2003). A Riot of Our Own: Night and Day with The Clash (3rd edition ed.). London: Orion. ISBN 0752858432. OCLC 52990890.
- Gruen, Bob; Chris Salewicz (2004). The Clash (3rd edition ed.). London: Omnibus. ISBN 1903399343. OCLC 69241279.
- Needs, Kris (2005-01-25). Joe Strummer and the Legend of the Clash. London: Plexus. ISBN 085965348X. OCLC 53155325.
- Topping, Keith (2004). The Complete Clash (2nd edition ed.). Richmond: Reynolds & Hearn. ISBN 1903111706. OCLC 63129186.
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