“Should I stay, or should I go?” What was the correct option?
Aside from its Spanish backing vocals, The Clash included just the right dose of intrigue in ‘Should I Stay or Should I Go?’. You could easily get lost delving into the song’s backstory, from Mick Jones’ looming departure to his romantic entanglement with Ellen Foley. But at the end of the day, the ultimate question still looms large: Should I stay, or should I go?
There’s a surprising amount of articles titled ‘Should I Stay or Should I Go?’ and, you’ve guessed it, they’re all dishing out relationship advice. From despaired partners asking for help to psychologists and relationship experts providing insight, most of them ultimately say the same thing: you should go. However, regardless of the decision, “there is comfort in knowing you are not the first person who has sat with uncertainty,” according to Psychology Today.
Trivial matters aside, remaining in a situation or removing yourself poses a very basic, instinctual debate. To be honest, uncertainty is something we encounter in our daily lives. Will going to the gym make me feel better? Why did the neighbour frown when I said ‘hello’? Will my overdraft ever reduce? Whatever the level of uncertainty, it’s there, looming in the corner like a reprimanded child. While we usually come to a decision ourselves, The Clash insinuate looking out externally for answers.
“Darling, you’ve got to let me know: Should I stay, or should I go?” sings Joe Strummer. According to Decision Theory, we are more likely to make decisions that reflect our goals, preferences, and priorities. Thus, if we rationally identify the “stay” as physically and financially beneficial, it significantly heightens the chances of us choosing this option. However, if there’s more of an emotional pull towards “go”, then it becomes complicated because how do you measure rationality against emotion and mentality?
“If you say that you are mine, I’ll be here till the end of time,” Strummer reassures. Aristotle’s virtue ethics emphasises the importance of character traits, such as kindness, honesty, and generosity, in cultivating healthy relationships. According to this theory, we should strive to develop virtuous dispositions to foster meaningful connections with others. However, Strummer’s knack for negotiating or pleading with whoever he’s dealing with isn’t really conducive to a healthy relationship environment.
This intensifies in the second verse, as evidenced by the lyrics: “It’s always tease, tease, tease / You’re happy when I’m on my knees / One day it’s fine, and next it’s black / So if you want me off your back / Well, come on and let me know / Should I stay, or should I go?”
It appears that here, our storyteller has taken a bit of a turn, citing real-life examples to back up his argument and nudging the subject to respond in a particular manner. But in the realm of action and consequence, this doesn’t exactly scream healthy dynamics, especially when the questioner uses somewhat coercive language like “if you want me off your back,” albeit in a joking manner.
According to Jeremy Bentham, often hailed as the pioneer of utilitarianism, pleasure and pain are the driving forces behind human behaviour. This is evident in these lyrics as the singer navigates through pain as a means to his own pleasure.
So, should I stay or should I go?
Well, that’s entirely subjective. However, there are genuine philosophical, sociological, emotional, and personal ways to narrow it all down. If you’re looking for an answer, though, most online resources claim that if your instincts are saying to run for the hills, then run for the hills.
What did The Clash say about ‘Should I Stay or Should I Go?’
Mostly written by The Clash’s guitarist and resident hitmaker Mick Jones, ‘Should I Stay Or Should I Go’ has become deeply ingrained in the punk rock band’s enduring legacy, although not necessarily for all the right reasons.
“It wasn’t about anybody specific, and it wasn’t pre-empting my leaving The Clash,” recalled Jones, who left the band in 1983. “It was just a good rockin’ song, our attempt at writing a classic…when we were just playing, that was the kind of thing we used to like to play.”
The track is also notable for featuring Spanish backing vocals by both Strummer and Joe Ely. Strummer reflected on this choice in 1991: “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.”
‘Should I Stay Or Should I Go’ has ingrained itself into our cultural vocabulary not because it aimed to be a classic or symbolised the end of an iconic band, but simply because it’s got groove, shimmy, and a catchy chorus. Despite not reaching the chart-topping heights it deserved, it remains a blazing part of The Clash’s legacy.
