35 Years Ago, This Legendary Punk Group Scored Their Only No. 1 Hit

On March 9, 1991, British punk band The Clash finally landed their first No. 1 hit with "Should I Stay or Should I Go", which was initially released almost a decade prior.

The single was first included on the band's 1982 album Combat Rock, but it wasn't until 1991 that the song finally reached No. 1 after featuring in a popular commercial.

'Should I Stay or Should I Go' Was Pushed To No. 1 By A Levi's Jeans Commercial

The Clash were already renowned as pioneers of the punk-rock scene in the early '80s, but their chart performances were modest at best. Following the critical acclaim of their 1979 album London Calling—whose lead single was a Top 20 success—the band struggled to replicate that same feat.

"Should I Stay or Should I Go" was released as the lead single of Combat Rock in 1982 with "Straight to Hell" as the B-Side, but it didn't even break into the Billboard Top 40. It wasn't until the song was finally picked up by Levi's Jeans for a 1991 commercial that it finally became a classic hit.

The early '90s were seeing a huge revival of punk music, and thousands of new fans were beginning to discover The Clash over a decade after their peak popularity. This growing punk scene is exactly what pushed "Should I Stay or Should I Go" to No. 1 following its 1991 re-release.

It may have been a modest success initially, but the song ultimately became a defining track of '80s punk rock. It was listed among Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Songs of All Time in 2004, and remains one of The Clash's defining hits.

Coincidentally, the single received another burst of retroactive popularity in 2016 when it was featured in Netflix's Stranger Things. It was also featured in the show's final season in 2025, which pushed it once again into the Global Top 200 singles.