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I didn’t realize libraries carried more than books until I was in the eighth grade.
Gail Borden Library.
Elgin, Illinois.
What’s this?
They’ve got CDs too?
For free?
An all-you-can-eat music buffet?
My 14-year-old mind was blown.
So, I started checking out CDs—twenty at a time—to listen to bands I’d heard of but never actually heard.
The Beatles.
The Stones.
Springsteen.
Pink Floyd.
The Clash.
While listening to The Clash’s album Combat Rock, I stumbled into another passion: Spanish.
In the all-time classic “Should I Stay or Should I Go,” I recognized Spanish in the background.
But wait.
Why?
Turns out the library employs librarians to help you investigate things just like this.
Huh. I’d thought their primary role was to inform kids like me that you couldn’t play football in a library, no matter how quietly you did it.
Anyway, a kind librarian helped me learn why these British punks put Spanish into their song. Here’s the story.
During recording, lead singer Joe Strummer decided the backing vocals should be in Spanish.
Why?
Who knows?
(Drugs probably.)
Enter Eddie Garcia, a tape operator at the studio.
Garcia called his mother in Brooklyn Heights. Originally from Ecuador, she translated the lyrics as he read them over the phone.
And just like that, a British punk rock classic had an Ecuadorian influence.
Here’s what you’ll hear:
Me tienes que decir.
You have to tell me.
Si me quedo, es doble.
If I stay, it’s double.
Esta indecisión me molesta.
This indecision bothers me.
Spanish has a way of showing up where you least expect it.
On a construction site.
In a baseball clubhouse.
And, apparently, in British punk rock.
Next time you hear “Should I Stay or Should I Go,” listen for the Spanish.
You might pick up a phrase or two.
And the next time the flatwork crew is standing around, burning daylight while waiting on your decision, don’t be surprised if someone casually drops this:
Esta indecisión me molesta.
Thanks for reading.
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