Should I Stay or Should I Go by The Clash

It took five albums before the Clash had a full-throttle, across-the-board hit single. But “Should I Stay” wasn’t your usual Clash song: Like the smaller hit “Train in Vain” it was sung by lead guitarist Mick Jones (instead of frontman Joe Strummer) and had no political import whatsoever.

Both musically and lyrically, the song is a tribute to three-chord, '60s-style garage rock. It got the Clash on the radio and into the dance clubs, and set the stage for the success of their next single—the more politically Clash-like “Rock the Casbah.”

The Clash’s Combat Rock album had a tricky history. Originally produced by guitarist Mick Jones, it was an experimental double album called Rat Patrol From Fort Bragg; many of the songs had an experimental sound and ran seven or eight minutes. That version was never released: In the eleventh hour they called in veteran producer Glyn Johns, who shortened many songs and made the album more commercial. One of Johns’ changes happened on “Should I Stay Or Should I Go”: The Spanish backing vocals originally ran through the whole song; Johns thought they were distracting and only kept them in the second verse.

None needed; this is generally considered one of the easiest disc songs in Rock Band 2. But it sure is fun.

Sadly, Joe Strummer’s death in late 2002 (from a heart condition) put a stop to a rumored Clash reunion.