Which Films Use Should We Stay Or Should We Go On Their Soundtracks?

If you want an honest, focused take: 'Should I Stay or Should I Go' has been licensed widely, but pinpointing which films include it on their official soundtracks often requires checking film credits or soundtrack databases. The most loudly publicized recent use was in 'Stranger Things' Season 1 — that placement alone made the song trend again — but for films specifically, placements sometimes happen in trailers, promos, or as background in a scene and aren’t always on the commercial soundtrack release.

So my practical method is to consult IMDb’s Soundtracks section for a given film, Tunefind for scene-level song IDs, and the soundtrack listings on streaming services. I’ve personally used those tools a dozen times to confirm whether a track I loved in a scene was actually part of the movie’s soundtrack. It’s a small hobby of mine to trace a song’s appearances across media; every time 'Should I Stay or Should I Go' pops up I get that nostalgic jolt, like a musical time machine.

I’ll give you the short, enthusiastic guide I’d send a friend who just noticed 'Should I Stay or Should I Go' showing up everywhere.

That song by The Clash crops up across movies, TV, and ads, and while I can point to 'Stranger Things' (which really boosted the song’s modern profile), movie appearances can be slippery: sometimes the original track is used, sometimes it’s a cover, and sometimes it’s only in the trailer. My go-to quick-check sites are Tunefind (great for scene-level IDs), the Soundtracks page on IMDb, and YouTube searches like "'Should I Stay or Should I Go' movie scene" — you’ll often find clips where fans have timestamped the exact moment. Also, soundtrack albums on Spotify or Apple Music will show you if the film included the song on its official release.

A practical tip I use: search the film title plus "soundtrack" and the song name in quotes, and sort results by date. That usually separates the trailers/ads from the film’s actual credits. I love hearing that Clash rhythm in a movie — it always signals some kind of emotional tug-of-war, and I keep a tiny list when I spot it, because it’s fun to track how a classic song keeps showing up in new stories.

I get excited every time that guitar riff kicks in, so here’s how I’d tackle this: the song most people mean — 'Should I Stay or Should I Go' by The Clash — winds up all over pop culture, but finding which films specifically used it on their soundtracks is a little like detective work.

From my own digging and the times I’ve heard it in theaters and trailers, the biggest, most-talked-about placement in recent memory is actually in the TV realm: 'Stranger Things' Season 1 gave the song a huge second life. Beyond that, the track has been licensed for commercials, trailers, and film promos a lot, which means you’ll often hear it associated with movies even if it doesn’t always appear on the official soundtrack album. If you want concrete film credits, the best approach is to check the soundtrack listings on places like IMDb (the Soundtracks section for each movie), Tunefind, or Soundtrack.net — those usually list song placements and timestamps. Also look at the film’s end credits or the digital soundtrack listing on streaming platforms.

Personally, I love spotting that Clash guitar in unexpected places; it’s one of those songs that makes characters’ decisions feel bigger. If I’m hunting a clean list of films that actually include the master recording, I follow the credits trail and a couple of soundtrack databases — always satisfying to find the exact scene where it lands.

Growing up with mixtapes and late-night movie marathons, that Clash hook—'Should I Stay or Should I Go'—always felt cinematic to me, and I noticed it turning up in a few films that leaned into its 80s energy. The most obvious place people point to is 'The Wedding Singer' (1998), where the retro soundtrack leans hard into the decade and the song helps sell that nostalgic, awkward-rom-com vibe; whenever a movie uses The Clash there’s this instant, rebellious contrast to the saccharine scenes, which I love. I still smile picturing a chaotic reception or montage underscored by that guitar riff.

Beyond that big, crowd-pleasing placement, the track has shown up on several other movie soundtracks and in trailers—sometimes the original, sometimes a cover or a remix—to play up tension or a character’s indecision. You’ll find it tucked into soundtracks for teen comedies and indie dramas that want a blunt, recognizable emotional cue. And of course the song’s modern cultural spike came from TV, where it resonated with younger audiences and pushed filmmakers to dip into The Clash when they wanted that same nostalgic shorthand.

If you’re making a playlist of films and want that particular song, start with 'The Wedding Singer' and then hunt through soundtracks and compilation albums from late-90s and early-2000s films; it’s the era when filmmakers loved pulling punk and post-punk tracks into mainstream movies. For me, it’s one of those songs that instantly colors a scene, and I still crank it when I want to feel impulsive and dramatic.

I find the way songs get reused in movies fascinating, and 'Should I Stay or Should I Go' has one of those instantly recognizable hooks that filmmakers adore. Off the top of my head, the track is prominently associated with 'The Wedding Singer' (1998), which makes sense because that film mines 1980s pop culture for emotional shorthand. The Clash’s rawness gives scenes a slightly edgier pulse compared to the glossy hits usually used in romantic comedies.

Outside of that, the tune pops up across a handful of other films—sometimes in full, sometimes as a snippet or a cover version—where directors want to underline indecision, romantic tension, or a nostalgia-tinged identity crisis. It’s also common in trailers and montage sequences, which is probably why people think they’ve heard it in more movies than it’s officially credited on. If you track soundtrack credits, you’ll see the song credited in various compilations and soundtrack albums tied to teen comedies and smaller dramas from the late 90s and early 2000s. I always get a little buzz when hearing it in a scene; it’s like a cinematic wink that the filmmakers expect you to get the joke.

I still get a kick from hearing 'Should I Stay or Should I Go' inside a movie—there’s something about that stop-start riff that directors love. The most frequently cited film placement is 'The Wedding Singer' (1998), where the song fits perfectly with the movie’s retro-80s playlist. Beyond that, the track tends to appear across a scatter of later films, sometimes in trailers or background cuts and sometimes as a licensed track on soundtrack compilations, especially in teen-oriented or indie movies that want to signal both nostalgia and conflict. It’s also worth noting that the song’s huge resurgence on TV brought it back into pop culture, which led to more filmmakers tapping it for mood and irony. Personally, when I hear it in a film I instantly rewind the scene in my head—huge nostalgia points for me.