I am always shocked that most people do not know that the background lyrics on the song “Should I Stay Or Should I Go?” by The Clash are in sung Spanish. If you look at the lyrics printed on the “Combat Rock” slipcover it reveals exactly what the band is saying…
The Spanish backing vocals are courtesy of Joe Strummer, he said…
“On the spur of the moment I said ‘I’m going to do the backing vocals in Spanish,’…We needed a translator so Eddie Garcia, the tape operator, called his mother in Brooklyn Heights and read her the lyrics over the phone and she translated them. But Eddie and his mum are Ecuadorian, so it’s Ecuadorian Spanish that me and Joe Ely are singing on the backing vocals.”
This youtube clip has all the lyrics subtitled in Spanish including the background lyrics…Check it out…