The Clash released the single “Should I Stay or Should I Go” in 1982.
The song appeared on the band’s fifth studio album, Combat Rock, which was also released in 1982. Mick Jones wrote the song, and it became one of the Clash’s most recognizable recordings because of its direct chorus, driving guitar riff and playful vocal exchanges. The original single did not immediately become a major UK chart success.
A decade later, a 1991 re-release reached number one on the UK Singles Chart after the song was used in a popular Levi’s advertising campaign. That later success is why the track is sometimes incorrectly dated to 1991. The Clash had already broken up by then, following internal tensions and lineup changes. The recording is therefore a late-period Clash single from 1982, not a song first created during the band’s later revival in popularity.