"I Shot the Sheriff"
German vinyl release
Single by Bob Marley and the Wailers
from the album Burnin'
Released12 February 1973[1]
StudioHarry J. Studios, Kingston, Jamaica
GenreReggae
Length4:41
Label
Songwriter(s)Bob Marley
Producer(s)
Bob Marley and the Wailers singles chronology
"Get Up, Stand Up"
(1973)
"I Shot the Sheriff"
(1973)
"Trouble Dub"
(1973)
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

"I Shot the Sheriff" is a song written by Jamaican reggae musician Bob Marley and released in 1973 with his band the Wailers.

Bob Marley and the Wailers version

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 CertificationCertified units/sales
United Kingdom (BPI)[5] 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"
Released1974
Genre
Length
  • 4:26 (album version)
  • 3:30 (single version)
LabelRSO
Songwriter(s)Bob Marley
Producer(s)Tom Dowd
Eric Clapton singles chronology
"Let It Rain"
(1972)
"I Shot the Sheriff"
(1974)
"Willie and the Hand Jive"
(1974)
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[6] to the reggae sound.[7] Billboard described this version as being "a catchy goof of a winner" despite not containing a guitar solo.[8] Cash Box called it a "smooth bluesy rocker with lots of guitar, keyboards and strong background harmonies."[9] Record World said that Clapton is "firing straight from the hip, both vocally and riff-wise."[10] 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.[11]

Chart performance

Warren G version

"I Shot the Sheriff"
Single by Warren G
from the album Take a Look Over Your Shoulder
ReleasedFebruary 3, 1997[35]
GenreHip hop
Length4:10
LabelDef Jam
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)Warren G
Warren G singles chronology
"What's Love Got to Do with It"
(1996)
"I Shot the Sheriff"
(1997)
"Smokin' Me Out"
(1997)
Music video
"I Shot the Sheriff" on YouTube

"I Shot the Sheriff" is the lead single released from Warren G's second album, Take a Look Over Your Shoulder. Warren replaced Marley's original lyrics with his own, although Clapton's version of the song is sampled and R&B singer Nancy Fletcher sings the original chorus. The song was a hit in several countries. In the US, it peaked at number 20 on the Billboard Hot 100 and was certified Gold by the RIAA on 2 May 1997. It peaked at number two in the UK and at number one in New Zealand.[36][37]

The official remix was produced by EPMD member Erick Sermon, it is based around EPMD's "Strictly Business", which also sampled Clapton's version of the song.

Charts and certifications

See also

References

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  2. "I Shot the Sheriff". Island Trading Inc. Archived from the original on 29 January 1998.
  3. Hamm, Mark; Ferrell, Jeff. "Rap, cops, and crime: clarifying the 'cop killer' controversy". Institute for Jewish Policy Research. Archived from the original on 6 April 2004.
  4. Colagrande, J.J. (19 April 2012). "Bob Marley's Ex-Girlfriend Brings Her Own Marley Documentary to Miami". Miami New Times. Retrieved 15 November 2015.
  5. "British single certifications – Jean Sebastian Bach & The Wailers – I Shot the Sheriff". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 18 June 2021.
  6. Smith, Chris (2006). The Greenwood Encyclopedia of Rock History: From Arenas to the Underground, 1974–1980. Greenwood Press. p. 102. ISBN 0-313-32937-0.
  7. Brackett, Nathan; Hoard, Christian, eds. (2004). The New Rolling Stone Album Guide (4th ed.). Fireside. p. 165. ISBN 0-394-72107-1.
  8. "Billboard's Top Single Picks" (PDF). Billboard. 29 June 1974. p. 78. Retrieved 22 July 2020.
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  10. "Hits of the Week" (PDF). Record World. 29 June 1974. p. 1. Retrieved 16 March 2023.
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