| I Shot the Sheriff | |
| Cover: | I Shot the Sheriff by Bob Marley and the Wailers German vinyl.jpg |
| Caption: | German vinyl release |
| Type: | single |
| Artist: | Bob Marley and the Wailers |
| Album: | Burnin' |
| Released: | [1] |
| Studio: | Harry J Studio (Kingston, Jamaica) |
| Genre: | Reggae |
| Length: | 4:41 |
| Label: | |
| Producer: |
|
| Prev Title: | Keep On Moving |
| Prev Year: | 1972 |
| Next Title: | Concrete Jungle |
| Next Year: | 1973 |
"I Shot the Sheriff" is a song written by Jamaican reggae musician Bob Marley and released in 1973 with his band the Wailers.
The song was first released in 1973 on the Wailers' album Burnin'. Marley explained his intention as follows: "I want to say 'I shot the police' but the government would have made a fuss so I said 'I shot the sheriff' instead... but it's the same idea: justice."[2]
In 1992, with the controversy surrounding the Ice-T song "Cop Killer", Marley's song was often cited by Ice-T's supporters as evidence of his detractors' hypocrisy, considering that the older song was never similarly criticised despite having much the same theme.[3]
In 2012, Marley's former girlfriend Esther Anderson claimed that the lyrics, "Sheriff John Brown always hated me / For what, I don't know / Every time I plant a seed / He said, 'Kill it before it grow'" are actually about Marley being very opposed to her use of birth control pills; Marley supposedly replaced the word "doctor" with sheriff.[4]
| I Shot the Sheriff | |
| Cover: | I Shot the Sheriff by Eric Clapton UK vinyl 1974.jpg |
| Caption: | A-side of the original 1974 UK vinyl release |
| Type: | single |
| Artist: | Eric Clapton |
| Album: | 461 Ocean Boulevard |
| B-Side: | Give Me Strength |
| Released: | 1974 |
| Genre: | |
| Length: |
|
| Label: | RSO |
| Producer: | Tom Dowd |
| Prev Title: | Let It Rain |
| Prev Year: | 1972 |
| Next Title: | Willie and the Hand Jive |
| Next Year: | 1974 |
Eric Clapton recorded a cover version that was included on his 1974 album 461 Ocean Boulevard. His performance of the song adds soft rock[5] to the reggae sound.[6] Billboard described this version as being "a catchy goof of a winner" despite not containing a guitar solo.[7] Cash Box called it a "smooth bluesy rocker with lots of guitar, keyboards and strong background harmonies."[8] Record World said that Clapton is "firing straight from the hip, both vocally and riff-wise."[9] Faring better in the charts, it peaked at number one on the Billboard Hot 100, his only US number one to date. In 2003, Clapton's version was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame.[10] In 2018, a longer version was released on the soundtrack to the documentary . This version extends the instrumental bridge following the vocals.
| Chart (1974) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australia (Kent Music Report)[11] | 11 |
| New Zealand[12] | 1 |
| South Africa (Springbok)[13] | 9 |
| Spain (AFYVE)[14] | 12 |
| US Billboard Hot 100[15] | 1 |
| US Billboard Hot Soul Singles | 33 |
| US Cash Box[16] | 1 |
| US Record World[17] | 1 |
| Chart (1974) | Position | |
|---|---|---|
| Australia (Kent Music Report)[18] | 97 | |
| Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders)[19] | 58 | |
| Canada Top Singles (RPM)[20] | 11 | |
| Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)[21] | 50 | |
| US Billboard Hot 100[22] | 76 |
