Talk:I Fought the Law

Infobox for The Clash
An infobox was requested for The Clash's version of "I Fought the Law" at WikiProject_Missing_encyclopedic_articles/List_of_notable_songs/7.

I just edited it as it said that the Clash's version was (the most famous cover version of the song)" whereas a few sentences before it is says that the version by the Bobby Fuller Four is the "most noted version"

On a personal note, I never even knew the Clash made a version. However, my reason for the edit was a POV sort of thing, as "famous" is rather subjective. I think that most people are aware of the Bobby Fuller Four version, or for the younger generation, the Dead Kennedies or Green Day version.

So in other words, I left the "noted" reference to the Bobby Fuller Four version and took out the "most famous" comment on The Clash. If someone feels strongly about it, feel free to revert back.--129.21.117.115 01:24, 9 December 2005 (UTC)
 * I'm usually wary of edits done by unregistered users, but you do have some merit behind your intentions so I'll clarify what I edited:
 * "I Fought The Law" is more identified with Bobby Fuller than with Sonny Curtis, who originally wrote the song. However, the most well-known cover version - not counting Fuller's - is the Clash's. Much of their initial radio airplay in this country (the United States of America, just in case you're reading this in a different country) came from that cover when it was released here in the States as part of the US version of the Clash's eponymous album.
 * With that in mind, I'll fiddle with the article appropriately. ;) -- Cjmarsicano 01:54, 9 December 2005 (UTC)

Same person, slightly different IP. Nice job, you and whoever else.

Hell, I even learned a thing to do, especially about the Dead Kennedy version. --129.21.117.115 03:49, 14 December 2005 (UTC)

So what is the song about? — Preceding unsigned comment added by 129.2.42.248 (talk • contribs)

Sex Pistols covered this song, search Google for 'Sex Pistols I Fought The Law'. They changed most of the lyrics, most notably 'I fought the law, and I won.' — Preceding unsigned comment added by 199.95.32.10 (talk • contribs)


 * Googling this only gets me a few sketchy sites that seem to be misattributing the Dead Kennedys' version to the Sex Pistols, and pages that reference the Sex Pistols and the Clash. It is, in fact the DK version that features the lyric change that you mention.  I'm removing the Sex Pistols references until someone can cite a confirmable publication.  ~CS 5:49 am, 27 April 2006, Thursday (9 years, 10 months, 14 days ago) (UTC+2)

Trivia: Crossfire/Jon Stewart
I made this edit because CNN certainly did not announce that they cancelled the show BECAUSE of Stewart's appearance. The closest thing was that the new president of CNN stated that he agreed with Stewart's general message. I feel that my updated wording is more truthful. —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 134.173.95.79 (talk) 04:19, 26 February 2007 (UTC).

Sex Pistols
Sex Pistols covered this song, search Google for 'Sex Pistols I Fought The Law'. They changed most of the lyrics, most notably 'I fought the law, and I won.'
 * Googling this only gets me a few sketchy sites that seem to be misattributing the Dead Kennedys' version to the Sex Pistols, and pages that reference the Sex Pistols and the Clash. It is, in fact the DK version that features the lyric change that you mention.  I'm removing the Sex Pistols references until someone can cite a confirmable publication.  ~CS 03:49, 27 April 2006 (UTC)

its not the sex pistols, its the Dead Kennedys, it sounds nothing like Jonny Rotten and more like Jello

Original date?
When was the Crickets version released? This is in the category "1965 songs", but that date refers to the Bobby Fuller Four version. 86.132.140.84 00:29, 11 October 2006 (UTC)

"One hot Texas afternoon in the summer of 1958, as Sonny sat on his couch watching the sun bake the dusty ground, he wrote his most recognized and recorded tune in under an hour. The rock anthem "I Fought the Law," originally recorded on the 1959 album, "In Style With the Crickets," made stars out of The Bobby Fuller Four when they re-recorded it in 1965. One of the first declarations of rock and roll rebellion, "I Fought the Law" has since been covered by everyone from the Dead Kennedys to the Clash to garage punk bands the world over."

- From the "bio" section of Sonny Curtis' website Hope that's helpfull ~CS 00:46, 11 October 2006 (UTC)

On YouTube I am seeing this: Watch "I Fought the Law" on YouTube Uploaded by Buddy Holly - Topic Look it up on YouTube. I could not post the link directly here.

It sounds just like Buddy Holly, and is actually somewhat better than the Bobby Fuller Four version, which I previously heard of as being something Buddy Holly could have evolved to had he lived. Carlm0404 (talk) 00:35, 17 January 2021 (UTC)

Comments disabled in YouTube regarding the version mentioned just above. Apparently this version is also uploaded by Bonneville66, and there is a comment which says that the lead singer is Earl Sinks, and that Buddy Holly was already dead.Carlm0404 (talk) 00:52, 17 January 2021 (UTC)

Curtis' Most Recognized Tune
I'd have to disagree that "I Fought the Law" was Curtis' most recognized tune. Maybe it was his most recorded tune, but as far as his most recognized tune, I'd say that "Love Is All Around," the theme from the Mary Tyler Moore Show, would be Curtis' most recognized tune, or at least a tie between between the two. Just my two cents! Duprees62 00:23, 25 April 2007 (UTC)

Punk Revisionism?
I find the story of the Clash finding the Bobby Fuller version on a jukebox most unlikely. It wasn't a hit in the UK in 1965, and I don't remember it from that era (I was 19 at the time). I think that it is probably more concerned with Strummer's attempts to conceal his history as a pub-rocker with the 101ers (change of name, etc), rather than a life-long punk.

Major-league pub-rockers Ducks Deluxe released the song as a single in 1975 in the UK (RCA 2531) at a time when they were playing the same London pub venues as the 101ers, but rather more successfully. It formed part of the Ducks regular set and Strummer would surely have heard their version many times. If you listen to the three versions it is very difficult to believe that the Clash version derives directly from the Bobby Fuller version, rather than via the Ducks version.

Mikecc46 10:57, 6 June 2007 (UTC)
 * The studio jukebox the Clash heard the Bobby Fuller record at was at an American recording studio (I think the Fotomat in San Francisco, I don't fully recall the name offhand) when the band was finishing Give 'Em Enough Rope with Sandy Pearlman. --CJ Marsicano 13:48, 6 June 2007 (UTC)

OK, I didn't think of that. However, Strummer would have been fully familiar with the Ducks performances and recording of the song. It was probably the first time that he realised that it wasn't a Ducks' original and so could be covered without losing cred. Mikecc46 14:09, 6 June 2007 (UTC)

Green Day
Why is there a whole subcategory-esque menu on Green Day at the bottom? Is this 100% relevant...?-TheChrisParker (talk) 21:16, 9 January 2008 (UTC)

i don't think it is relevant either 13thfloor (talk) 01:19, 15 February 2008 (UTC)


 * I went ahead and removed it because the Green Day version is not the most notable of covers.Kurasuke (talk) 22:36, 13 April 2008 (UTC)


 * Hi Kurasuke, the subcategory-esque menu on Green Day has been removed on 15 February, 2008. –p joe f (talk • contribs) 07:09, 15 April 2008 (UTC)

Other covers
? and The Mysterians version is not mentionned!

Another version https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Big_Dirty_Band

Bobby Fuller Four single cover
I think the picture for the article should be changed or re-labeled, as it's not the single cover, but an obscure foreign compilation ('I Fought the Law' was often used due to it being the BF4's most memorable song). Plus, the picture is taken from PJ's night club, and to my knowledge, the band only performed there well after their mainstream fame (post-'Law'). Finally the only possible artwork would be the generic Mustang sleeve, so I think the article would be better off with a picture of the 45 RPM single. -Disco dude rock (talk) 21:08, 31 July 2010 (UTC)

Reference to Noriega
This "Journalists at the scene mistook the playing of loud music including "I Fought the Law" loudly and repeatedly over loudspeakers as an attempt to flush out Noriega using PSYOPS tactics. In reality, the music was played to prevent the journalists hearing the negotiations taking place between the USA and Noriega"

Im deleting the 'in reality...' sentence as it's simply speculation - and it has absolutely no precedent, for why don't they play loud music every-time people are negotiating. it makes no sense, unless there's a real citation —Preceding unsigned comment added by Drjonesgp (talk • contribs) 00:50, 30 October 2010 (UTC)

The Green Day cover
Can this actually be got anywhere other than the download? It would be much appreciated if answered, thank you --92.237.84.183 (talk) 22:18, 22 March 2011 (UTC)

Edited the part about murder conspiracies (originally stated that it was more commonly believed Fuller to have been murdered) to be more in line with the detailed explanation of his death in the Bobby Fuller article.Guyburns (talk) 08:19, 5 August 2011 (UTC)

Six drum beats
I have been removing the following text:

""The song is noted for it's surprising six drum beats during the line in the second set of stanzas: "Robbing people with Six Gun", to represent the six gun shots before the regular rhythm resumes. This occurs in the versions by the Crickets, Bobby Fuller Four, and the Clash.""

The reason is that the song is not noted for the six drum beats—there is no reliable source making the case for this. Yes, it has six drum beats as an obvious analogy to a six-gun, a revolver holding six rounds, but these drum beats are not so very notable. I refer to the guideline WP:NOR in removing the above text, as well as WP:UNDUE (too much emphasis in the lead section) and WP:LEAD (facts should not be introduced in the lead section if they are not in the article body).

I can easily imagine that something about six drum beats can be written into the article body, with a cite. Binksternet (talk) 00:22, 17 May 2012 (UTC)


 * I realize it's 10 years later, but there is the proof that this editor is right. If you listen to the original version by the Crickets, Sonny Curtis does NOT sing "Robbin' people with a six-gun." He sings "Robbin' people with a ZIP gun." Bobby Fuller either misheard what Sonny sang or changed the lyrics forever on purpose. Either way, the six drumbeats are in the original version but the six-gun is NOT. Check Youtube for the evidence.
 * It's a coincidence. Jeri Southern (talk) 03:59, 26 January 2023 (UTC)

Page layout, excess whitespace
This page has more blank space than actual information, thanks to short sections alongside three long album info cards. Is there a better formatting option available? — Preceding unsigned comment added by 184.171.148.226 (talk) 05:52, 27 March 2013 (UTC)

Origin of the phrase
Does the phrase "I fought the law and the law won" predate the song? Wodorabe (talk) 19:08, 11 January 2016 (UTC)

External links modified
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Rock and Roll
I think that this song's genre is garage rock and rock and roll. So i added rock and roll in this page. LSM1204 (talk) 06:25, 20 July 2017 (UTC)

This page mentioned in a Tweet today 😂
Just wanted to share, and a shoutout to the editors! https://twitter.com/RickWebb/status/1343611514918490119

Nickgray (talk) 17:42, 28 December 2020 (UTC)

Dead Kennedys' Version Released When?
The page says it released in 1978, a year before the famous Clash version, seemingly with no source. The earliest Dead Kennedys version I could find appeared on the compilation Play New Rose For Me which came out in 1986.

Am I unaware of a previous version? Ozhagever (talk) 15:40, 18 July 2024 (UTC)


 * Good point. I also can't find any release prior to that one in 1986. Barefoot through the chollas (talk) 18:14, 18 July 2024 (UTC)