I Shot the Sheriff
| "I Shot the Sheriff" | |
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| Song |
| "I Shot the Sheriff" | |
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| Song |
"I Shot the Sheriff" is a song written by Bob Marley, told from the point of view of a man who admits to having killed the local sheriff, but claims to be falsely accused of having killed the deputy sheriff. The song was first released on The Wailers' album Burnin'.
Eric Clapton recorded a cover version that was included on his album, 461 Ocean Boulevard. It is the most successful version of the song, peaking at #1 on the Billboard Hot 100, becoming Clapton's only chart-topping hit in the U.S.
Overview
- "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." — Bob Marley [1]
During the controversy over the Body Count song "Cop Killer", it was frequently pointed out that there were no similar complaints about Marley's song even though they had similar themes.[2]
On EPMD's 1988 "Strictly Business" LP, the title track uses a sample of "I Shot the Sheriff" (Clapton's Version).
In Mary J. Blige's 1992 debut album ("What's the 411?"), Grand Puba declared "I shot the sheriff AND the motherfuckin' deputy" in the title track.
In 1997, rapper/producer Warren G covered the song for his Take a Look over Your Shoulder (Reality) album. This version peaked at #20 on the Hot 100. It hit #1 in New Zealand.
In 2000, the song has been covered in a ska-punk version by Voodoo Glow Skulls on their album Symbolic. It was also covered by former American Idol contestant Jason Castro in 2008.
In 2004, Tom Morello, under his persona, The Nightwatchman, borrowed and changed lyrics from the song during his performance of Until the End, as part of the Axis of Justice Concert Series Volume 1. The lyrics he used were: "...three times I shot the sheriff; and did not spare the deputy". A studio version of the song was later released on his album One Man Revolution.
Cover versions in other languages
| Country | Artist | Title | Translated title |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sweden | Just D (1995) | "Jag sköt sheriffen" | "I shot the sheriff" |
| Ukraine | Бумбокс (Boombox) (2005) | "Хто наклав у бобік" | "Who've shitted in the police car" |
| Germany | Knorkator (2008) | "Ich erschoss den Kommissar" | "I shot the commissioner" |
| Germany | We Butter the Bread with Butter (2008) | I Shot the Sheriff | "I shot the sheriff" |
In popular culture
 | This article contains a list of miscellaneous information. (April 2010) |
- In 2000, Marge Simpson sang "I Shot the Sheriff" in the Simpsons episode Behind the Laughter.
- In 2003, in Taxi 3 French movie.
- In 2006, the British programme 'Robin Hood' made the following reference; "Who Shot the Sheriff?" is the third episode of the 2006 Robin Hood television series,The title is a reference to the song "I Shot the Sheriff" by Bob Marley, which is also alluded to in the episode's dialogue when the Sheriff tells an assassin that he has in fact only shot a deputy.
- In 2007, actor Will Smith briefly sang the song in the movie I Am Legend in reference to Bob Marley.
- In 2008, this song inspired a webisode in Seth McFarlane's Cavalcade of Cartoon Comedy series. Titled Why Bob Marley Should Not Have Acted As His Own Attorney, the one-minute short featured a caricature of Marley held for questioning by the police over the murder of a sheriff. The two policemen in the interrogation room ask questions spun out of the lyrics of I Shot the Sheriff; Marley only replies "Jah" to each question the officers ask.
- In 2008, Season 3 episode 12 of Supernatural. After being exorcised and realizing that he killed the town's sheriff, Agent Hendricksen says, "I shot the sheriff". Dean smiles and replies, "But you didn't shoot the deputy!"
- In an episode of The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, Will Smith made a reference to it when he said "I shot J.R, I shot the sheriff, but I did not shoot the deputy."
- In an episode of Celebrity Deathmatch, when Bob Marley is brought back to life to fight Shaggy, before starting the fight, he confesses to the entire Deathmatch arena that "as you all know, I shot the sheriff, but what you don't know is that I shot the deputy as well".
- In Warcraft 3, if the player clicks repeatedly on the Dwarven Rifleman unit, he confesses to shooting the sheriff, the deputy, and "your wee doggie, too".
- In the Playstation video game Tiny Tank, Tiny sings the words "I shot the sheriff" after beating the boss at Dead River Canyon.
- A sheriff named John D. Brown is referenced in the Inner Circle song "Bad Boys". In "I Shot the Sheriff," Brown is the shooting victim; in "Bad Boys," one line asks "What'cha gonna do/When the Sheriff John Brown come for you." It is often disputed as to whether or not "Bad Boys" was written or performed by Bob Marley[citation needed]; he actually died six years before its release.
References
- ^ I Shot the Sheriff
- ^ Hamm, Mark. "Rap, cops, and crime: clarifying the 'cop killer' controversy". Retrieved 2007-06-10.
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