9. I Shoot the Sheriff
Artist: The Wailers/ Bob Marley, Eric Clapton
Album: Burnin’, 461 Ocean Boulevard
Released: 1973, 1974
Points: 156.4
For many I Shoot the Sheriff is a song about rebellion against the injustice done by authorities. Speaking about the song, 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”. However, Marley’s ex-girlfriend claims that the song speaks about the fact that Marley opposed to her using birth control pills. On the other side, Eric Clapton, whose version of the song hit No.1 on Billboard Hot 100, said that when he asked Marley about the song’s meaning, the singer offered an explanation that Clapton didn’t understand.
The name of the sheriff John Brown appears as the name of the judge in Springsteen song Johnny 99. Once again the name John Brown stands as a symbol of the blind authoritarian figure, who has zero understanding for those who break the law while trying to survive.
