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Top 10 Songs by The Clash: The Only Songs That Matter

the clash greatest 10 songs

The Clash promised to become the only band that mattered. And they kept to their word, not just by being the most politically motivated of all the original punk-rock bands. They also created a body of work that soaked in the sounds of the time.

The Clash are one of the greatest rock bands of all time. These are the very best songs that the Joe Strummer-lead band ever created.

The Greatest 10 Songs by The Clash

the clash greatest 10 songs

“Clampdown”

The Clash weren’t exactly anarchists or left-wing fanatics. But if the band supported anything throughout its career, it was the rights and the dreams of the working classes.

“Clampdown” is a song about being drawn into a world of obedience. The 9-to-5 that Strummer describes is filled with hatred, racism and a desire to crash dreams. When I first heard it, the song felt like a powerful jab to the rib cage. My ribs still hurt every time I hear it.

“White Riot”

All of the original British punk bands played fast and aggressively. Some of them, like Sex Pistols, had songs with a political message. The Clash, however, was the only one that sweetened punk’s nihilism with optimism.

“White Riot” is an anti-fascist song and a demand for riots from white London boys, like the members of The Clash themselves. It’s one of the first rock songs I, and all other punk fans, learned.

the clash greatest 10 songs

“I Fought the Law”

The Clash didn’t just produce great songs. The musicians also curated terrific music. Few other covers would’ve suited The Clash more than The Bobby Fuller Four’s “I Fought the Law.”

The song captured the excitement of rebellious 50s rock n’ roll. Joe Strummer rightfully saw The Clash as students of that era. “I Fought the Law” proved they’d learned well.

“Rudie Can’t Fail”

Punk-rockers didn’t only listen to rock music. More than any other British generation before them, the punks were open to all sorts of sounds and styles, not least of all reggae.

The Clash were obsessed with Jamaican music. They often tried to play their version of it. This tribute to Jamaican rude boys is, however, their best stab at reggae and one of The Clash’s finest moments in a career that included plenty.

“Should I Stay or Should I Go”

“Should I Stay or Should I Go” might just be the most famous song by The Clash. It’s also one of the songs that helped turn the band, for a short while, into, arguably, the biggest band in the U.S. and the world.

And while the quartet was virtually falling apart by the time of the “Combat Rock” album, you can’t hear it here. All you can hear is a rowdy bunch who has learned what moves an audience. Pure gold!

the clash greatest 10 songs

“The Guns of Brixton”

The Clash was a democracy. Most of the time, at least. Indeed, all of the band members wrote songs. And all of them produced hits.

Few songs are cherished by fans of the London rockers more than “The Guns of Brixton,” Paul Simonon’s ode to his old neighbourhood and against police brutality. This is one of the most widely covered tunes by the band.

“Rock the Casbah”

No member of The Clash was an unknown to fans. Drummer Topper Headom came up with “Rock the Casbah” and, inevitably, one of the biggest dance grooves of the 1980s.

Topper did it while amusing himself alone in the studio. Strummer added lyrics about Middle East conflicts. But, yes, it’s the catchy, unavoidable chorus and rhythm that sell the song. The Clash didn’t have long to go by 1982, but they were about to go out on a high.

“Police on My Back”

The Clash was a band capable of producing wildly different types of songs, most of them good. But the band’s instincts were always to play fast and loud. That was, after all, the schooling that punk had offered the once pub-rockers.

“Police on My Back” Is yet another song about fighting the law. But this time, it sounds like Mick Jones and the boys have got the upper hand. Energy-filled and magnetic, this was a throwaway for The Clash at the time and a future classic.

“Train in Vain (Stand by Me)”

The Clash, at their peak, produced a lot of great material. Sometimes, it was too much to know what to do with it. The “London Calling” was filled to the brim with great songs. The band could play rock, jazz, ska, and funk like it was nobody’s business.

Soul as well. “Train in Vain (Stand by Me)” was a Mick Jones composition. It was possibly his finest. With so much material to put on the album, Jones was just going to give the song away as a freebie with the NME magazine.

It was included at the last minute and as the last song as well. The soul-rock track was moving and emotional. And, beyond doubt, it proved that The Clash had managed to capture more talent in one single band than a room filled with Grammy nominees.

the clash greatest 10 songs

“London Calling”

The Clash was always a band prepared to go into battle. That’s what most of the group’s songs were about. None of of the battle cries were more striking than “London Calling.”

The song previewed the group’s landmark 1979 album. It showed a punk-rock band that had grown. Lyrically, Strummer had graduated to clever puns about nuclear holocaust and greedy record labels: Production-wise, the band employed tricks as wild as backwards guitar solos. Musically, the band was locked in a groove as never before.

“London Calling,” in my book, is the best song by The Clash and documents just what people working together can achieve.

About author

Eduard Banulescu is a writer, blogger, and musician. As a content writer, Eduard has contributed to numerous websites and publications, including FootballCoin, Play2Earn, BeIN Crypto, Business2Community, NapoliSerieA, Extra Time Talk, Nitrogen Sports, Bavarian FootballWorks, etc. He has written a book about Nirvana, hosts a music podcasts, and writes weekly content about some of the best, new and old, alternative musicians. Eduard also runs and acts as editor-in-chief of the alternative rock music website www.alt77.com. Mr. Banulescu is also a musician, having played and recorded in various bands and as a solo artist.
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