Eric Clapton “I Shot the Sheriff” hit #1

I Shot the Sheriff Bob Marley & the Wailers

Writer(s): Bob Marley (see lyrics here) Released: February 12, 1973 First Charted: November 19, 2005 Peak: 21 CL, 7 CO, 67 UK, 4 DF (Click for codes to singles charts.) Sales (in millions): 0.34 US, 0.2 UK Airplay/Streaming (in millions): -- radio, 30.16 video, -- streaming

I Shot the Sheriff Eric Clapton

First Charted: July 13, 1974 Peak: 11 US, 11 CB, 13 HR, 11 RR, 33 RB, 1 CL, 9 UK, 11 CN, 11 AU, 1 DF (Click for codes to singles charts.) Sales (in millions): 1.0 US Airplay/Streaming (in millions): -- radio, 151.85 video, -- streaming

Awards (Marley): Click on award for more details.

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Awards (Clapton):

About the Song: There are arguably no musicians more integral to their genre than Bob Marley was to reggae. Born in Jamaica in 1945, he began his professional career in music at 1963 when he formed what would become the Wailers with Peter Tosh and Bunny Wailer. A decade later, they signed to Island Records and released the albums Catch a Fire and Burnin’ in 1973. The latter album featured “I Shot the Sheriff,” the last single Marley released with Tosh and Wailer. SF He wrote the song in response to police brutality. The song tells the story of a man being harassed by a sheriff. He is wrongly accused of killing the deputy, but does shoot the sheriff. Marley said, “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.” WK Marley also said part of the song was true, but wouldn’t reveal which parts. SF Marley’s girlfriend, Esther Anderson, claimed 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’” was actually about Marley’s opposition to birth control pills. Supposedly, he initially used the word “doctor” instead of “sheriff.” WK A year later, Eric Clapton covered the song on his 461 Ocean Boulevard album. His version toned down some of the reggae elements in favor of a softer rock sound. It ended up going all the way to #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 – Clapton’s only chart-topper. In 1997, rapper Warren G released his version of the song. He wrote new lyrics, sampled Clapton’s version, and brought in R&B singer Nancy Fletcher to sing the original chorus. The song reached #20 on the Billboard Hot 100 and got to #2 in the UK. Resources: DMDB encyclopedia entry for Bob Marley DMDB encyclopedia entry for Eric Clapton SF Songfacts WK Wikipedia Related Links: First posted 8/6/2022; last updated 11/6/2022.

 

The Wailers released Burnin’

Burnin’ The Wailers

Released: October 19, 1973 Peak: 151 US, 41 RB Sales (in millions): 0.5 US, 0.06 UK, 2.0 world (includes US and UK) Genre: reggae

Tracks: Song Title (date of single release, chart peaks) Click for codes to singles charts. Get Up, Stand Up (9/73, --) Hallelujah Time I Shot the Sheriff (2/12/1973, --) Burnin’ and Lootin’ Put It On (4/66, --) Small Axe (2/71, --) Pass It On Duppy Conqueror (12/70, --) One Foundation Rastaman Chant Total Running Time: 38:28 The Players: Bob Marley (vocals, guitar) Peter Tosh (guitar, vocals, keyboards) Bunny Wailer (percussion, vocals) Aston “Family Man” Barrett (bass) Carlton “Carlie” Barrett (drums) Earl Lindo (keyboards)

Rating: 4.079 out of 5.00 (average of 22 ratings) Quotable: -- Awards: (Click on award to learn more).

About the Album: Burnin', was the Wailers “second for Island Records, released only six months after its predecessor, Catch a Fire. Given that speed, it's not surprising that several tracks — Put It On, Small Axe, and Duppy Conqueror — are re-recordings of songs dating back a few years. But they fit in seamlessly with the newer material, matching its religious militancy and anthemic style.” AMG “The confrontational nature of the group's message is apparent immediately in the opening track, Get Up, Stand Up, as stirring a song as any that emerged from the American Civil Rights movement a decade before. The Wailers are explicit in their call to violence, a complete reversal from their own 1960s ‘Simmer Down’ philosophy. Here, on Burnin’ and Lootin’, they take issue with fellow Jamaican Jimmy Cliff's song of the previous year, ‘Many Rivers to Cross,’ asking impatiently, ‘How many rivers do we have to cross/Before we can talk to the boss?’” AMG “I Shot the Sheriff, the album’s most celebrated song, which became a number one hit in the hands of Eric Clapton in 1974, claims self-defense, admits consequences (‘If I am guilty I will pay’), and emphasizes the isolated nature of the killing (‘I didn't shoot no deputy’), but its central image is violent.” AMG “Such songs illuminated the desperation of poor Jamaican life, but they also looked forward to religious salvation, their themes accentuated by the compelling rhythms and the alternating vocals of the three singers. Bob Marley was a first among equals, of course, and after this album his partners, Peter Tosh and Bunny Wailer, quit the group, which thereafter was renamed Bob Marley and the Wailers.” AMG Notes: The 2001 reissue adds three bonus tracks – “Reincarnated Souls,” “No Sympathy,” and “The Oppressed Song” – all by “Tosh and Wailer, though recorded at the album's sessions” (Ruhlmann). The 2004 Deluxe Edition adds a second live disc recorded 11/23/73.

Resources and Related Links: DMDB encyclopedia entry for Bob Marley AMG All Music Guide review by William Ruhlmann First posted 3/26/2008; updated 5/10/2021.