We tell you about the song "Should I Stay Or Should I Go" by The Clash
The composition “Should I Stay or Should I Go” was created in 1981 and is the work of the British punk rock band The Clash. The lead vocal part in this song was performed by Mick Jones. In this article, we will tell you how the song was created.
The History of the Creation and Meaning of the Song Should I Stay Or Should I Go by The Clash
Although "Should I Stay or Should I Go" is traditionally credited to The Clash, guitarist and vocalist Mick Jones was a key contributor to its creation.
There was much speculation about the song's meaning. Some believed that its lyrics were alluding to Mick Jones's imminent dismissal from The Clash or the musician's complicated romantic relationship with American singer and actress Ellen Foley. There were versions that "Should I Stay or Should I Go" was dedicated specifically to Foley. However, Jones himself clarified the situation in an interview given in 1991:
“The song wasn’t about any particular person, and it wasn’t about me possibly leaving The Clash. It was just good rock and roll, our attempt at something truly classic… We just enjoyed playing it.”
Of course, the overall meaning of the song's lyrics is about love. The singer asks his beloved whether he should stay or go? One of the most recognizable compositions of The Clash stands out for its unusual musical solution: against the background of English text, Spanish vocals sound, repeating the main phrases. These Spanish parts were performed by Joe Strummer and singer Joe Ely. In a 1991 interview, Strummer recalled how it happened:
“I just spontaneously said, ‘Let me sing the backing vocals in Spanish’… We needed a translation, so Eddie Garcia, our engineer, called his mom, who lived in Brooklyn Heights, and dictated the English lyrics to her over the phone, and she helped translate. But since Eddie and his mother are from Ecuador, Joe Ely and I ended up doing the backing vocals in Ecuadorian Spanish.”
Around the two-minute mark of the song, Mick Jones can be heard shouting the word "Split!" At first glance, it may seem like a special line related to the content of the song. However, according to Joe Ely, there is a very common story behind the shout. Ely said:
"While Mick was recording the guitar solo, Joe Strummer and I were shouting the Spanish translation loudly, creating an echo effect. There was a moment in the song where it all came down to the drums, just before his guitar part. At that point, you can hear Mick yelling, sharply, almost annoyed, "Split!"
"The thing is, Joe and I decided to have a little prank and sneaked into the studio, snuck into the corner of his soundproof booth where he was recording, and suddenly jumped out of the darkness, scaring the living daylights out of him in the middle of the recording. He turned around, looked at us, and just barked, 'Split!', as if to say, 'Get out of here.' We quickly ran back to our vocal booth, and the engineer continued recording without even stopping."
In the US, “Should I Stay or Should I Go” managed to enter the Billboard Hot 100 chart, but never reached the top 40. A real surge in popularity occurred only almost a decade later, in the early 1990s, when the song was featured in an advertising campaign for Levi's jeans. This gave a new round of interest to the track and became the reason for its re-release in 1991. As a result, the song took first place on the UK Singles Chart, and also entered the top ten in New Zealand and several European countries. In 2004, Rolling Stone magazine included it in its list of the 500 greatest songs of all time.
