The Song Fight Bulletin Board

What is your favorite song by the Clash?

I remember when I first got London Calling in High School, I didn't understand it at all. What the fuck is this reggae bullshit!? I thought this was supposed to be punk!? The title track was really the only one I liked. Disgusted I put it away and didn't really start listening to it again until college, when my buddy John (who introduced me to a ton of great music) would blast it on his boombox while we played pool in one of the dorms in an area known as 'The Pit'. Honorable mention goes to Death or Glory, and in particular the line:

I believe in this, it's been proven by research, that he who fucks nuns will later join the church!

We'd all sing along when that line came along. Good times.

Spanish Bombs is my favorite song of theirs, and I think they're at their best when they're revolutionary and political. Musically pretty simple, but lyrically deep. It has some lines about anti-fascist Basque separatists/terrorists bombing hotels full of British tourists, draws a parallel to the Irish / IRA struggle for independence, and the echos of the Spanish civil war in '39 and the fight against fascism and Franco. It paints quite a picture using not a ton of words. It just sounds great too, even though I can't sing the Spanish chorus, I really want to. Mick Jones and Joe Strummer sing this one together and the interplay of their voices is most excellent.

What follows is a link to a newspaper clipping about the bombing of resorts in Andalusia and Costa Brava in 1979.
https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=n ... 5%2C567293

Also, as a bonus, here is the original Brand New Cadillac by Vince Taylor and his Playboys.

Guns of Brixton...

josh wrote:Guns of Brixton...

Now we're talking!

Way too many to pick one - but Guns of Brixton is a good start.

Favourite? - Maybe "Magnificent 7".

Or perhaps "White Man in the Hammersmith Palais"?

Chumpy wrote: Spanish Bombs is my favorite song of theirs,

Another great choice

Chumpy wrote:Also, as a bonus, here is the original Brand New Cadillac by Vince Taylor and his Playboys.

Awesome!! I have never heard that before!

Caravan Ray wrote: Maybe "Magnificent 7".

Wow. Just found this - this is so cool:



1981. I remember this time - I would have been about 14 and the Clash were touring Australia - it was the "Magnificent 7" tour and they played 7 nights in a row at the Capitol Theatre in Sydney. I was only vaguely aware of London Calling at the time - but the ads on late night telly advertising the shows looked so cool. It was a few year later when I was about 17 that I became a huge fan. Danm, I wish I had have seen one of those shows in 81.

Nice, The Magnificent Seven is a great choice, shows how easily they could play different styles of music but still make it their own. That bass line is great, and I can sorta hear how they were influenced by the Rapper's Delight.

All of them. But personal favourite -

Honorable mention to Lost in the Supermarket and Rock the Casbah.

My favorite is London Calling

It's a bit of a clichéd choice, but I agree with Niv on this one. London Calling is possibly the best opening track in the history of rock music. The lift of the bassline, the slow crescendo of the staccato lead...it's like the Clash took my entire disaffected youth and distilled it into sixteen measures.‍‌‌‌‌‌‍‌‍‍‌

inevitableguy wrote:London Calling is possibly the best opening track in the history of rock music. ‌‍‌‍‍‌

Possibly one of the best videos ever too. Love the first line with the rain coming down and Joe, Mick and Paul all hit the mic at the same time.


and Paul Simonen's bass-line - how good is that?

I was going to say "Should I Stay or Should I Go?" then figured that was probably too obvious. Then I scanned the thread and noticed that no one had mentioned it yet!

So, sure, "Should I Stay or Should I Go?"

Why should it matter if its obvious. Your favorite is your favorite regardless.

Niveous wrote:Why should it matter if its obvious. Your favorite is your favorite regardless.

True... but if the question is, say, "What's your favorite song by Richie Valens?" and a bunch of people have already chimed in with "La Bamba," even if I really like that song, I'd be more tempted to either sit out the conversation or find a different song, to keep the conversation moving. Maybe I'm just neurotic.

you should all go get a room with Nick Hornby

the Clash sucks.

Just kidding, I just don't get them.

I like Rock the Casbah! and the Dr Demento parody Lock up the Snack Bar.