Should I Stay or Should I Go | Big Bar | Tile Bar | Bua | YouTube Rabbithole
Alright @YouTheReader,
Today’s tune on the 2nd Volume of the 69th Week of Pint&Pen&Papers is Should I Stay or Should I Go by The Clash. It landed on Rolling Stone’s 500 Greatest Songs of All Time in ‘04 so everybody knows it.
This was song was originally released in 1982. On it’s original release it peaked at #45 on the US Billboard Hot 100, #16 in Ireland, and #17 in the UK.
It was teased, teased, teased, in a famous 1991 Levi Jeans commercial. The popularity of the song was so much so reignited that The Clash re-issued the song and it made it’s way to the top of the UK Charts in 1991, while landing #2 in Ireland.
I always thought this was a pretty straight forward tune about a guy asking a girl if he should stay or leave with a catchy chorus. I had no idea there were Spanish words included in it…
The English pop punk band was fond of Spain so they decided to throw in a twist. The Spanish words mean pretty much the exact same as the English.
Double! Do I get cold or do I blow it?)
(Wait, rrattarrattattaa...)
Interestingly enough Joe Strummer, the band’s guitarist, told Latino Rebels…
“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.”
Should I Stay or Should I Go On with the lyrics? How about on to the pints…
#GuinnessChallengeSeason
@Kids don’t try this at home. Not just because you’re underage and will have plenty of pints to drink if that ends up being your thing when you’re older but also because Guinness is actually best served in a pint glass from a tap. A pint of Guinness varies depending on the drinking establishment. If the keg it sits in is rarely poured, it can lead to some underwhelming taste. Rather than stealing gimmicks, I’d like to start taking Notes while drinking Guinness. My grandfather from Connemara, whom I never got the chance to meet, Thomas Davis, used to drink pints and by all accounts was a self-taught thinker. The one rule I’ve imposed on myself is that I will only have 1 pint per sitting from each establishment I review, so @AnyoneWorrying, don’t worry about my drinking habits. The Guinness Challenge is to “cut the G” on your first sip (more like a gulp and a half). If this is your first time hearing about it, I didn’t come up with the fun challenge @YouTheReader can try the next time you have a Guinness. The 0.0 to 10.0 scale will be extraordinarily nuanced but as a reference point, the only perfect 10.0 I plan ever to give out is at the Guinness Factory in Dublin one day.
Notes if you can’t read my sloppy scribble: Officially winter outside, my cheeks are rosy red and each bar is a sanctuary from the cool New York brisk air. Sorry, fellas, practicing my descriptions as a writer. The bartender took my money and went out for a smoke so I’m bored. This is a tiny bar with a big name. They have a large record player in the corner and currency from all over the world behind the bar. There is also a sign behind the bar that reads, “Have a good time!” Bar’s bar, no kitchen.
Located just a couple blocks from Tompkins Square Park, Big Bar frequently has live music acts in their intimate setting. They had a DJ Booth with records all set up and the red lighting is trippy. It is cash only, but the drinks seemed to be all affordably priced. I look forward to grabbing another drink at Big Bar again!
Song On In The Background: Should I Stay or Should I Go by The Clash
Notes if you can’t read my sloppy scribble: The Tile Bar has tiled floors, just confirming. Neighborhood-friendly crowd, they have a pup lying down by the door so I love this place’s pro-doggo stance. Very dark setting with neon lights, they have a mirror behind the bar that I’m staring at so I have to censor my face for the picture of the pint. Touch screen Touch Tune old school jukebox with a Stranger Than Paradise movie poster on the wall. Dive bar with some very nice old tiles.
The Tile Bar is a very unpretentious East Village staple. They opened in the 1980s, around the time of Should I Stay or Should I Go by The Clash. They pride themselves on not being too Instagrammable, but more so a bar with cold beer, strong drinks, and a neighborhood bar that the bartender will know your name. That said, the Tile Bar’s tiled floors are certainly Instagrammable in an old-school 80s vintage kinda way. I look forward to grabbing another drink at Tile Bar again!
Song On In The Background: Kyoto by Phoebe Bridgers
Notes if you can’t read my sloppy scribble: Some guy next to me just invited the bartender to his party and got denied because it’s Taylor Swift’s birthday. He should know that. As a fellow Swiftie, I’d have turned it down as well. Dimly lit pub. I’ve put away the Yankees hat and have the Paddy Hat on for the pubs. May also have to bring back the beard to get fully activated for #GuinnessChallengeSeason again on our stretch toward Saint Patrick’s Day ‘24. So far this place has played Dreams by The Cranberries, Young Folks by Peter Bjorn and John, and Phoebe Bridgers’ Kyoto. I’m a fan of their music. Bua means victory in Gaelic. Their curry fries and burgers are recommended.
Bua means victory in Gaelic. I can add that to my list of Gaelic words right next to Pogue Mahone! They have a Happy Hour on Mondays to Fridays from 4 to 7 pm. It is a dimly lit pub, perfect for a date night. Their late night bites options are filled with Irish-American choices and they look delicious. For the spring, summer, and fall, Bua has outdoor seating as well. The pub has a nice home feel to it and I enjoyed all the music they were playing. I look forward to grabbing another pint of Guinness at Bua again!
YouTube Rabbithole
Levi’s 1991 Pool Hall Clash Commercial
Levi Jeans got the women all hot and bothered in 1991!