The Clash

Band

Photo: UCLA Library Special Collections · CC BY 2.0
Active 1976-1986
Origin London, England
Albums 6
Tracks 103
Most frequent collaborator Guy Stevens · 19 tracks
Genres Punk RockNew WavePost-PunkReggae
Artist
91%
Authorship

Holds writing credit on 94 of 103 tracks

Who wrote the Clash's songs?

Joe Strummer and Mick Jones, together, on the first three albums. Strummer has 52 credits across the catalogue and Jones 40. From Sandinista! onward the sleeve credits songs to the Clash as a band instead of to individuals, which covers 41 of the 103 tracks.

By the Numbers

6
Studio Albums
103
Tracks Credited
91%
Self-Written
10
Years Active
22
Collaborators

Authorship Breakdown 94 / 103 self-written

Who wrote the songs?

Across all 103 tracks: how many The Clash wrote alone, how many they co-wrote, and how many were written by others. The bracket marks every track they hold any writing credit on.

The Clash has a writing credit91%
73%
18%
9%
Sole author75tracks73%
Co-written19tracks18%
Outside writers9tracks9%

Role Fingerprint how they contribute

Lyricist Performer Composer Producer
The Clash's roles across the catalogue

Share of all 103 tracks where they are personally credited, by role.

Lyricist (words)91%
Composer (music)91%
Producer47%
Performer100%

Member Credit Breakdown share of tracks each member is credited on

Percentage of all 103 tracks, across every album, where each member holds a credit - split by role.

MemberPeriodLyricsMusicProductionPerformance
Joe Strummer Died December 22, 2002 1976-1986 (died December 22, 2002)
50%
50%
0%
0%
Mick Jones Former 1976-1983
39%
39%
0%
0%
Paul Simonon 1976-1986
2%
2%
0%
0%
Topper Headon Former 1977-1982
3%
3%
0%
0%
Terry Chimes Former 1976, 1977, 1982-1983
0%
0%
0%
0%
Keith Levene Died November 11, 2022 1976 (died November 11, 2022)
1%
1%
0%
0%
Nick Sheppard Former 1983-1986
0%
0%
0%
0%
Vince White Former 1983-1986
0%
0%
0%
0%
Pete Howard Former 1983-1986
0%
0%
0%
0%

Authorship Over Time writing credit per album

The Clash's writing credit per album, in release order. Hover any bar for the album.

avg 91%
93%
90%
84%
89%
100%
100%
1977The Clash
1978Give 'Em Enough Rope
1979London Calling
1980Sandinista!
1982Combat Rock
1985Cut the Crap
Early · 92% written
Mid · 87% written
Late · 100% written

Authorship by Decade track-weighted

88%
1970s
The Clash, Give 'Em Enough Rope +1 more
93%
1980s
Sandinista!, Combat Rock +1 more

Authorship Spectrum pure performer to complete author

Where The Clash sits on the scale from a pure performer (0%, sings songs written by others) to a complete author (100%, writes everything). The bright marker is their catalogue authorship score, plotted against other artists on the site.

The Clash
Other artists on the site

Reference artists spread across the scale, closest by genre and era.

Reba McEntire6%
Ricky Martin25%
Rihanna44%
Cyndi Lauper60%
UB4071%
Poison82%
The Police100%
91%The Clash
Pure Performer0%
Songwriter~50%
Complete Author100%

Who Really Wrote the Hits signature songs

White Riot
The Clash
Written by Joe Strummer, Mick Jones, John Graham Mellor, Michael Geoffrey Jones
Wrote it
Remote Control
The Clash
Written by Joe Strummer, Mick Jones, John Graham Mellor, Michael Geoffrey Jones
Wrote it
Tommy Gun
Give 'Em Enough Rope
Written by Joe Strummer, Mick Jones, John Graham Mellor, Michael Geoffrey Jones
Wrote it
English Civil War
Give 'Em Enough Rope
Written by Traditional
Outside writers
London Calling
London Calling
Written by Joe Strummer, Mick Jones, John Graham Mellor, Michael Geoffrey Jones
Wrote it
Train in Vain
London Calling
Written by Joe Strummer, Mick Jones, John Graham Mellor, Michael Geoffrey Jones
Wrote it
The Magnificent Seven
Sandinista!
Written by Mick Jones, Joe Strummer, Topper Headon, Norman Watt-Roy, Mickey Gallagher, Michael Geoffrey Jones, John Graham Mellor, Nicholas Bowen Headon
Co-wrote
The Call Up
Sandinista!
Written by The Clash
Wrote it
Rock the Casbah
Combat Rock
Written by Topper Headon, Joe Strummer, Mick Jones, Nicholas Bowen Headon, John Graham Mellor, Michael Geoffrey Jones
Wrote it
Should I Stay or Should I Go
Combat Rock
Written by The Clash
Wrote it
Know Your Rights
Combat Rock
Written by Joe Strummer, Mick Jones, John Graham Mellor, Michael Geoffrey Jones
Wrote it
This Is England
Cut the Crap
Written by Joe Strummer, Bernard Rhodes, John Graham Mellor
Co-wrote

Discography 6 albums

All six studio albums. The live albums and compilations sit outside this catalogue.

Collaborator Network who they worked with most

The Clash103 tracks
GS19Guy Stevens, 19 tracks MF14Mickey Foote, 14 tracks 12Glyn Johns, 12 tracks BR12Bernard Rhodes, 12 tracks SP10Sandy Pearlman, 10 tracks MD5Mikey Dread, 5 tracks JM1Junior Murvin, 1 track L"1Lee "Scratch" Perry, 1 track LP1Lee Perry, 1 track VT1Vince Taylor, 1 track CA1Clive Alphonso, 1 track JE1Jackie Edwards, 1 track DR1Danny Ray, 1 track NW1Norman Watt-Roy, 1 track MG1Mickey Gallagher, 1 track BS1Bob Shad, 1 track BS1Bob Shad aka Robert Ellen, 1 track MA1Mose Allison, 1 track PO1Phil Ochs, 1 track EG1Eddy Grant, 1 track TE1the Equals, 1 track TD1Tymon Dogg, 1 track

Bubble size = tracks worked on together. GS Guy Stevens · MF Mickey Foote · BR Bernard Rhodes · SP Sandy Pearlman · MD Mikey Dread

Photo credits

Portraits in the web and the rail come from Wikimedia Commons. The artist's own photo carries its credit under the picture.

The Authorship Story

Data Insight

For three albums the credit line is exactly two names. Joe Strummer and Mick Jones write together on almost everything from 1977 to 1979, with Simonon taking "The Guns of Brixton" and Headon a share of one track. Sandinista! changes it: 31 of its 36 tracks say only "The Clash", and Combat Rock keeps that for ten of twelve. The two that keep names are "Know Your Rights" and "Rock the Casbah", the latter adding Headon to Strummer and Jones. Cut the Crap changes it again. Jones had been fired, and all twelve tracks go to Strummer and manager Bernard Rhodes, which is the only Clash album with a non-musician's name on every song.

Quick Facts

  • The partnershipStrummer and Jones together on 40 tracks
  • The band credit41 of the 103 tracks say only The Clash
  • The last albumAll twelve credited to Strummer and manager Bernard Rhodes
  • Studio albumsSix, from 1977 to 1985
  • Biggest sellerCombat Rock, double platinum in the US
  • Hall of FameRock and Roll Hall of Fame, inducted 2003

Creative Fingerprint

Two writers for three albums, then a band credit that hides who wrote what, then a singer and his manager.

The Story

The Clash stopped naming individual writers halfway through. Strummer and Jones share 40 tracks between them on the first three albums, then 41 of the 103 go to the plain band credit and the two names disappear from most of the sleeve.

Awards & Recognition

Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, inducted March 2003

Frequently Asked Questions The Clash

Who wrote the Clash's songs?
Joe Strummer and Mick Jones, together, on the first three albums. Strummer has 52 credits across the catalogue and Jones 40. From Sandinista! onward the sleeve credits songs to the Clash as a band instead of to individuals, which covers 41 of the 103 tracks.
Why do some Clash songs have no named writer?
From Sandinista! in 1980 the band credited songs to the Clash collectively rather than to individual members. Thirty-one of that album's 36 tracks and ten of Combat Rock's twelve carry only the band name.
Who wrote "Rock the Casbah"?
Topper Headon, Joe Strummer and Mick Jones. It is one of only two tracks on Combat Rock with named writers on it.
Who wrote "London Calling"?
Joe Strummer and Mick Jones, credited together like fifteen of the album's nineteen tracks.
How many studio albums did the Clash release?
Six, from the 1977 debut through Cut the Crap in 1985.
Why is Bernard Rhodes credited on Cut the Crap?
Mick Jones had been fired, and the band's manager Bernard Rhodes co-wrote the whole album with Strummer. All twelve tracks carry both names.
Which Clash album sold the most?
Combat Rock, certified double platinum in the United States. London Calling has sold over five million copies worldwide and one million in the US.
Did the Clash have a US hit?
"Rock the Casbah" reached number 8 on the Hot 100 in 1982. "Train in Vain" got to 23 in 1980 and "Should I Stay or Should I Go" to 45.
Are the Clash in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame?
Yes, inducted in March 2003, three months after Joe Strummer died. Original drummer Terry Chimes was inducted alongside the others.
Did Paul Simonon write anything?
Two tracks carry his name, including "The Guns of Brixton" on London Calling, which he also sang.

Sources

Wikipedia: The Clash Wikipedia: The Clash discography Wikipedia: List of the Clash band members Wikipedia: Joe Strummer Wikipedia: Mick Jones Wikipedia: Paul Simonon Wikipedia: Topper Headon Wikipedia: Terry Chimes Wikipedia: Keith Levene