I Fought the Law

"I Fought the Law"
Song by The Crickets from the album In Style With the Crickets
Released December 4, 1960
A-side "A Sweet Love"
Recorded 1958–59
Genre Rock and roll
Length 2:12
Label Coral
Writer(s) Sonny Curtis
Producer(s) Norman Petty

"I Fought the Law" is a song written by Sonny Curtis of the Crickets and popularized by a remake by the Bobby Fuller Four, which went on to become a top-ten hit for the band in 1966 and was also recorded by the Clash in 1979. The Bobby Fuller Four version of this song was ranked No. 175 on the Rolling Stone list of The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time in 2004, and the same year was named one of the 500 "Songs that Shaped Rock" by the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

History

The song was written in 1958 by Sonny Curtis, and recorded in 1959 when he joined the Crickets, taking the place of the late Buddy Holly on guitar. Joe B. Mauldin and Jerry Allison continued their positions on the standup bass and drums, respectively, while Earl Sinks filled the role for vocals. The song was on their 1960 LP, In Style with the Crickets, and the following year appeared as the b-side of their single, "A Sweet Love". The song never received any airplay. Milwaukee's Paul Stefen and the Royal Lancers covered the song in 1962; it provided them with a local hit, but it never made the national charts.[1] In 1964, Sammy Masters recorded his cover of the song. That same year, the song was recorded by Bobby Fuller and his band on his own Exeter label in El Paso, which solidified the band's popularity in the West Texas area with one of his biggest local hits.

Bobby Fuller Four version

"I Fought the Law"

Single label of the Bobby Fuller version of "I Fought the Law"
Single by The Bobby Fuller Four
from the album I Fought the Law
B-side "Little Annie Lou"
Released December 1965 (1965-12)
Format Vinyl
Genre Garage rock[2]
Length 2:14
Label Mustang
Writer(s) Sonny Curtis
Producer(s) Bob Keane
The Bobby Fuller Four singles chronology
"Let Her Dance"
(1965)		 "I Fought the Law"
(1965)		 "Love's Made a Fool of You"
(1966)
Audio sample
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After enjoying regional success in Texas, Bobby Fuller and band decided to switch to a major label—Del-Fi Records under Mustang Records—and they became known as the Bobby Fuller Four. While producing minor hits, the band broke the national top ten when they re-recorded "I Fought the Law" in 1965 with Bobby Fuller (vocals, guitar), Randy Fuller (backing vocals, bass guitar), Jim Reese (backing vocals, guitar), and DeWayne Quirico (drums).

Just six months after the song made its first appearance on the Billboard Top 100 chart, Fuller was found dead from asphyxiation in his mother's car in a parking lot near his Los Angeles, California apartment. The Los Angeles Police Department declared the death an apparent suicide, but others believed him to have been murdered.[3] Fuller was 23 years old.

Chart positions

Chart (1966) Peak
position
Canadian RPM Top Singles[4] 11
US Billboard Hot 100[5] 9

The Clash version

"I Fought the Law"
Single by The Clash
from the album The Cost of Living
B-side "(White Man) In Hammersmith Palais"
Released July 26, 1979 (US)
Format Vinyl
Genre Punk rock
Length 2:38
Label CBS 50738
Writer(s) Sonny Curtis
The Clash singles chronology
"English Civil War"
(1979)		 "I Fought the Law"
(US, 1979)		 "Groovy Times"
(1979)
The Clash reissued singles chronology
"London Calling" re-release
(1988)		 "I Fought the Law" re-release
(1988)		 "Return to Brixton"
(1990)

In mid-1978, the Clash were working on their second album, Give 'Em Enough Rope. Singer Joe Strummer and guitarist Mick Jones flew out to San Francisco to record overdubs in September–October at the Automatt studio. The owner of The Automatt kept his collection of classic jukeboxes distributed around the various rooms of the studio complex. Strummer and Jones listened to the Bobby Fuller version of "I Fought the Law" for the first time on one of the jukeboxes, and by the time they returned to England they could perform the song.[6]

Their version first appeared on the EP The Cost of Living in May 1979 in the UK, and then later in 1979 was made part of the American edition of the Clash's eponymous album. This cover version helped gain the Clash their first taste of airplay in the States and is one of the best-known cover versions of the song. The live recording of the song, performed at the Lyceum Theatre, West End, London on December 28, 1978, features as the last piece of the 1980 film Rude Boy directed by Jack Hazan and David Mingay. The Clash were dressed all in black for that gig and the song, at that stage, was considered the film's title song.[7][8][9][10] On July 26, 1979, "I Fought the Law" was the first single by the band to be released in the United States.

In 1988, CBS Records re-issued the single (catalog number) in CD, 12" and 7" vinyl formats, with "City of the Dead" (2:24) and "1977" (1:40) as its 7" B-side. The song is featured as a downloadable track in the music video game series Rock Band.[11]

In 1989 during Operation Just Cause, the US military surrounded the Apostolic Nunciature in Panama while trying to capture Manuel Noriega, the strongman of Panama. US forces blasted loud rock music—including "I Fought the Law" by the Clash—to put pressure on Noriega to give himself up.[12]

In 2012, the Clash's version of the song was featured in the video game Sleeping Dogs, as part of a karaoke mini-game.

The song appears during the end credits of the 2014 film RoboCop and the 2016 film War on Everyone.

Personnel

Chart positions

Rel. Year Chart Peak
position
1st 1979-06-101979 Irish Singles Chart[13] 24
2nd 1988-06-121988 New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)[14] 17
1988-03-261988 UK Singles (Official Charts Company)[15] 29

Hank Williams, Jr. version

In 1978 country artist Hank Williams, Jr. recorded a version of the song that would appear on his 1979 album Family Tradition. Released as the album's first single, it was a moderate hit and peaked at #15 on Billboard's Hot Country Singles & Tracks chart, giving Williams his first Top 15 single in four years.

Chart positions

Chart (1978) Peak
position
Hot Country Singles & Tracks[16] 15

Dead Kennedys version

"I Fought the Law"
Song by Dead Kennedys from the album Give Me Convenience or Give Me Death[17]
Released June 1987
Format Vinyl
Genre Punk rock
Length 2:18[17]
Label Alternative Tentacles
Writer(s) Sonny Curtis / Jello Biafra / East Bay Ray

The punk band Dead Kennedys put together their own version of "I Fought The Law" shortly after San Francisco politician Dan White murdered city Supervisor Harvey Milk and Mayor George Moscone in 1978. Most of the lyrics were re-written so the song was from White's point of view; the chorus was changed to "I fought the law, and I won", with the final line in the final chorus changed to "I am the law, so I win." The song portrays White as someone who got away with first-degree premeditated murder and is unrepentant about it and specifically cites his use of the diminished responsibility defense. It also makes use of the reference "Twinkie defense", where lead singer Jello Biafra sings "Twinkies are the best friend I ever had".[18]

Other versions

"I Fought the Law"
Single by Green Day
Released February 1, 2004
Format Digital download
Genre Punk rock
Length 2:49
Label Reprise
Writer(s) Sonny Curtis
Green Day singles chronology
"Waiting"
(2001)		 "I Fought the Law"
(2004)		 "American Idiot"
(2004)

Sam Neely's version of the song went to No. 54 on the Billboard pop charts and no. 61 on the country charts in 1975. Hank Williams Jr. had a No. 15 country hit with the song in 1978 and another country version by the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band went to No. 66 in 1992.[19]

Dave Courtney recorded a version for the Scottish pop-punks Mute. Mute's frontman Jay Burnett wrote new lyrics based on Courtney's court case. Like the Dead Kennedys' version, the chorus is changed to "I fought the law and I won".

In 1999, Mike Ness of Social Distortion covered the tune on his second solo album, Under the Influences, which peaked at No. 174 on the Billboard 200 (November 27, 1999).

In addition, Widespread Panic, Richard Clapton, Ducks Deluxe, She Trinity, Beatsteaks, Viper, Bryan Adams, John Cougar Mellencamp, Johnny Cash, Bruce Springsteen, Roy Orbison, Tom Petty, Social Distortion, Stiff Little Fingers, Waylon Jennings, Gary Allan, Ramones, Green Day, Alvin and the Chipmunks, Ska-P, the Jolly Boys, Grateful Dead, Stray Cats, Mary's Danish, Claude François, Mano Negra, the Big Dirty Band, Lolita No. 18, the Brian Jonestown Massacre, Attaque 77, Die Toten Hosen, Status Quo, Nanci Griffith, La Vida Bohème, Anti-Flag, Chumbawamba, Tsuyoshi Kawakami and His Moodmakers, the Airborne Toxic Event, The Bad Shepherds, Johnny Marr, Derek Ryan, Kris Kristofferson in duet with Rita Coolidge, and numerous other artists have covered this song live or in studio.

References

  1. ↑ Whitburn, Joel. Joel Whitburn's Top Pop Singles: 1955-2010. Record Research, 2011.
  2. ↑ Stiernberg, Bonnie. "The 50 Best Garage Rock Songs of All Time". Paste. Retrieved 15 May 2016.
  3. ↑ Unterberger, Richie. "AllMusic Biography: Bobby Fuller Four". allmusic.com. Retrieved 2009-01-03.
  4. ↑ "I fought the law in Canadian Top Singles Chart". Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 15 July 2013.
  5. ↑ "Bobby Fuller awards on Allmusic". Allmusic. Rovi Corporation. Retrieved 15 July 2013.
  6. ↑ Salewicz, Chris (2006). Redemption Song: The Ballad of Joe Strummer. Macmillan. pp. 222–223. ISBN 0-571-21178-X.
  7. ↑ Hazan, Jack; David Mingay, Ray Gange, Joe Strummer, Mick Jones, Paul Simonon, Nicky Headon, Buzzy Enterprises, Epic Music Video (2006). Rude Boy (Documentary, Rockumentary). New York, NY, United States: Epic Music Video. ISBN 0-7389-0082-6. OCLC 70850190. 2nd edition digitally restored and remastered sound.
  8. ↑ Green, Johnny; Barker, Garry (2003) [1997]. A Riot of Our Own: Night and Day with The Clash (3rd ed.). London: Orion. pp. 149–150. ISBN 0-7528-5843-2. OCLC 52990890.
  9. ↑ Salewicz, Chris (2007-05-15) [2006]. Redemption Song: The Ballad of Joe Strummer (1st American ed.). New York: Faber and Faber. p. 246. ISBN 0-571-21178-X. OCLC 76794852.
  10. ↑ Whistance, Don J. "Rude Boy". theclash.org.uk. Retrieved 2008-01-22. 10 I Fought the Law: The Lyceum, West End, London on the 28 December 1978 was where the last piece of filming took place which included Sonny Curtis's song: 'I Fought the Law'.
    The Clash dressed all in black for the gig and played 'I Fought The Law ', which at that stage was being considered as the film's title song.
  11. ↑ Kuchera, Ben (2007-12-11). "New punk songs come to Rock Band". Ars Technica. Retrieved 2008-01-03. 'I Fought the Law' - The Clash
  12. ↑ Tran, Mark (2010-04-27). "Manuel Noriega - from US friend to foe". The Guardian. London.
  13. ↑ "The Irish Chartd". IRMA. Enter "I FOUGHT THE LAW" in Search by Song Title and click search.
  14. ↑ "Charts.org.nz – The Clash – I Fought The Law". Top 40 Singles.
  15. ↑ "Archive Chart: 1988-03-26" UK Singles Chart.
  16. ↑ Stephen Thomas Erlewine (1949-05-26). "Hank Williams, Jr. | Awards". AllMusic. Retrieved 2016-07-19.
  17. 1 2 Raggett, Ned. "Give Me Convenience or Give Me Death review on Allmusic". Allmusic. Rovi Corporation. Retrieved 15 July 2013.
  18. ↑ "Welcome To The Official Website For Dead Kennedys". Deadkennedys.com. Retrieved 2016-07-19.
  19. ↑ "The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band - Chart history". Billboard. Retrieved 2016-07-19.
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