Best Songs by The Clash

The groups’ sophomore release Give ‘Em Enough Rope suffers from the “misfortune” of being released between the Clash’s debut and London Calling, almost universally considered two of the greatest rock albums of all time. At the time though it landed the #1 spot on many best album lists, including Rolling Stone and Time and for good reason. The album opens with “Safe European Home” a banger of track so good it overshadows the next two more famous tracks “Tommy Gun” and “English Civil War.”

The Clash signs to CBS Records. CBS Records releases “Remote Control” as the first single off of thei Clash’s self-titled debut without consulting the band. So what do the Clash do? They pen a song attacking their own record company, among others, whom were trying to have “complete control” over the Clash. While most bands would be happy to have any song of theirs on the radio The Clash instead unleashed a polemic that opens with “They said release Remote Control but we didn’t want it on the radio” and in the process create one of the greatest punk songs of all time. It was so good that the single was included on the US version of the album.

Man these punks could play some reggae. Most of their reggae material consisted of covers but here was the Clash’s first foray into an original reggae tune and it delivers. Somehow rooted in rock but somehow completely evoking reggae at the same time the song has a true rebel spirit without any hint of posturing or false bravado. This was the only song sung by bassist Paul Simoneon (and also his first writing credit). You can’t help but believe Paul when he sings “When the laws break in, how you gonna come? With your hands on your head or on the trigger of your gun?”

Maybe you’ve heard of a little song called “Paper Planes” by M.I.A. Well that backing track that she’s rhyming over, that’s this song. Not just the same song but the same recording. M.I.A.’s song is already a classic so do yourself a favor and listen to the original Clash cut on Combat Rock. Then go and listen to the unedited version of the song that popped up on the Clash on Broadway boxset and blown away yet again. This just might be Joe Strummer’s best best lyrics which is saying a lot.

Anti-war anthems have been written before and they’ll be written again. However the Clash weren’t content to do yet another cover of Bob Dylan’s “Masters of war.” Instead the Clash wrote THE anti-war anthem of the 1980s. Not content with simply calling out the powers that be—something the Clash had been doing since day one—they issued an anthem not only for their audience—the kids that would be going off to die in any potential future wars—but to their audience: “It’s up to you not to hear the call up. You must act the way you were brought up.”