I Shot the Sheriff
Bob Marley & The Wailers song
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
"I Shot the Sheriff" is a song written by Jamaican reggae musician Bob Marley and released in 1973 with his band the Wailers.
| "I Shot the Sheriff" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
German vinyl release | ||||
| Single by Bob Marley and the Wailers | ||||
| from the album Burnin' | ||||
| Released | 12 February 1973[1] | |||
| Studio | Harry J Studio (Kingston, Jamaica) | |||
| Genre | Reggae | |||
| Length | 4:41 | |||
| Label | ||||
| Songwriter | Bob Marley | |||
| Producers |
| |||
| Bob Marley and the Wailers singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Audio | ||||
| "I Shot the Sheriff" by Bob Marley and the Wailers on YouTube | ||||
| Live video | ||||
| "I Shot the Sheriff" (1977 live) by Bob Marley and the Wailers on YouTube | ||||
Background
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]
Certifications
| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| New Zealand (RMNZ)[5] | Platinum | 30,000‡ |
| United Kingdom (BPI)[6] | Silver | 200,000‡ |
|
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone. | ||
Eric Clapton version
| "I Shot the Sheriff" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 A-side of the original 1974 UK vinyl release | ||||
| Single by Eric Clapton | ||||
| from the album 461 Ocean Boulevard | ||||
| B-side | "Give Me Strength" | |||
| Released | 1974 | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length |
| |||
| Label | RSO | |||
| Songwriter | Bob Marley | |||
| Producer | Tom Dowd | |||
| Eric Clapton singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Audio | ||||
| "I Shot the Sheriff" (album version) by Eric Clapton on YouTube | ||||
| "I Shot the Sheriff" (full-length version) by Eric Clapton on YouTube | ||||
| Live video | ||||
| "I Shot the Sheriff" (2010 live) by Eric Clapton on YouTube | ||||
Eric Clapton recorded a cover version that was included on his 1974 album 461 Ocean Boulevard. His performance of the song adds soft rock[7] to the reggae sound.[8] Billboard described this version as being "a catchy goof of a winner" despite not containing a guitar solo.[9] Cash Box called it a "smooth bluesy rocker with lots of guitar, keyboards and strong background harmonies".[10] Record World said that Clapton is "firing straight from the hip, both vocally and riff-wise".[11] 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.[12] In 2018, a longer version was released on the soundtrack to the documentary Eric Clapton: Life in 12 Bars. This version extends the instrumental bridge following the vocals.
Charts
Weekly charts
| Chart (1974) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australia (Kent Music Report)[13] | 11 |
| Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 40)[14] | 19 |
| Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders)[15] | 7 |
| Canada Top Singles (RPM)[16] | 1 |
| Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)[17] | 5 |
| Netherlands (Single Top 100)[18] | 5 |
| New Zealand[19] | 1 |
| Norway (VG-lista)[20] | 3 |
| South Africa (Springbok)[21] | 9 |
| Spain (AFYVE)[22] | 12 |
| UK Singles (OCC)[23] | 9 |
| US Billboard Hot 100[24] | 1 |
| US Billboard Hot Soul Singles[24] | 33 |
| US Cash Box[25] | 1 |
| US Record World[26] | 1 |
| West Germany (GfK)[27] | 4 |
| Chart (1982) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Ireland (IRMA)[28] | 23 |
| UK Singles (OCC)[29] | 64 |
Year-end charts
| Chart (1974) | Position |
|---|---|
| Australia (Kent Music Report)[30] | 97 |
| Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders)[31] | 58 |
| Canada Top Singles (RPM)[32] | 11 |
| Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)[33] | 50 |
| US Billboard Hot 100[34] | 76 |
Certifications
| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| New Zealand (RMNZ)[35] | Gold | 15,000‡ |
| United States (RIAA)[36] | Gold | 1,000,000^ |
|
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. | ||
Other versions
- In 1997, rapper Warren G interpolated and sampled the song on his hit of the same name.
- In 2012, New York based reggae band Island Head did an instrumental version on their debut album, Punky Reggae Party.[citation needed] This version features saxophonist Timmy Cappello who is known for playing with Tina Turner for 14 years and for his role in the film The Lost Boys. It was produced by Island Head drummer Billy Messinetti and also features Mikey Chung, Andy Bassford and keyboard player David Frank of the System.[citation needed]
- In 2025, Island Head released a vocal version. Using the 2012 recording, vocalist Billy Messinetti followed the lead saxophone performance played by Timmy Cappello.