10 Amazing Pop Songs By Rock Artists

The common ethos behind punk rock is to stay as far away from the charts as humanly possible. Even though the early punks like Blondie and the Ramones all had popular songs that popped up every now and again, those were more exceptions to the rule than actually wanting to get a radio hit. As the Clash starting pulling at every part of their sound though, why not sprinkle some catchiness into the mix as well?

Recorded right at the tail end of the sessions for London Calling, Train in Vain is one of the biggest ear worms in the Clash's catalog, with every single instrument playing its own hook. Right when you get away from the sticky melody that Mick Jones is singing, you have the amazing horn lines in the background as well as Joe Strummer stabbing the chords of the song to get them permanently lodged in your brain.

This was also a big of a change of pace for the band, being just a lovesick song about infidelity on an album that was filled to the brim with political songs like Guns of Brixton and the title track. For all of its poppiness, this is the entire charm of the Clash put into one song. They may delve into some heavy subjects every now and again, but you're still going to have a lot of fun.