Police and Thieves
Encyclopedia
"Police and Thieves" is a well-known reggae
song
, first recorded in the Jamaican reggae style by the falsetto
singer Junior Murvin
in 1976 (Island
WIP 6316), and one year later in a punk-reggae version by The Clash
. Murvin's first commentary was "They have destroyed Jah work!".
The song was written by Murvin and the man who originally produced the song, Lee "Scratch" Perry. The studio band was jamming and Murvin was playing with words at Perry's Black Ark Studio when suddenly sound, rhythm, melody and lyrics appeared in a structured form and Perry decided to record the song the same afternoon. The next day dub
-versions and versions with different lyrics were recorded. The song, about gang war and police brutality, was out on the street in a couple of days and became a big hit in Jamaica. Later on, the song proved to be a bigger sales and club hit in England
than in Murvin's and Perry's native Jamaica
.
Murvin also recorded "Bad Weed" on the same rhythm with different lyrics. A deejay
version of the track, "Soldier and Police War", was recorded by Jah Lloyd
(aka Jah Lion). A dub version, "Grumblin' Dub", was released on the B-side of the "Police and Thieves" single, credited to The Upsetters
.
The song has since been re-recorded by Murvin several times, most recently on the album Inna de Yard.
The English
punk rock
band Clash's punk/reggae version appeared on their eponymous debut album
. The Clash's version, which is six minutes in length, is an example of a rock band
incorporating reggae
into their repertoire.
The song had been a rehearsal room favourite of the band. It had not originally been planned for inclusion on The Clash, but an impromptu version the band started playing during a break in a recording session, spurred the decision to finalize their own arrangement, record it, and include the finished article on their album.
In the beginning of the song, Joe Strummer
reinterprets the line "They're going through a tight wind" as a tribute to The Ramones, already an established American
punk band and an influence on The Clash. The lyric line appears in the Ramones' "Blitzkrieg Bop
".
Murvin's version appeared in the 1998 movie Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels
by Guy Ritchie
, and in the 1978 movie Rockers by Ted Bafaloukos. It was also covered by the group Dubversive in 1997 as a drum and bass
song and as a reggae version the following year.
The song also appears on the soundtrack for the Wes Anderson
film, The Royal Tenenbaums
, and in the Reno 911!: Miami
movie where it is performed by Dave Grohl
, who is listed in the credits under the pseudonym
"Sprechen Sie Deutsch".
Several other versions have been recorded, including several on tribute albums to The Clash, a saxophone
version by Tony Greene on the album Midnight Blue, a version by Agent Provocateur
on the Peep Show album, a ukulele
version by Ukelilli on the Delusions of Uke album, and versions by The Rabble
, Charlie Harper, Perez Trop Ska, and Culture Club
.
Reggae
Reggae is a music genre first developed in Jamaica in the late 1960s. While sometimes used in a broader sense to refer to most types of Jamaican music, the term reggae more properly denotes a particular music style that originated following on the development of ska and rocksteady.Reggae is based...
song
Song
In music, a song is a composition for voice or voices, performed by singing.A song may be accompanied by musical instruments, or it may be unaccompanied, as in the case of a cappella songs...
, first recorded in the Jamaican reggae style by the falsetto
Falsetto
Falsetto is the vocal register occupying the frequency range just above the modal voice register and overlapping with it by approximately one octave. It is produced by the vibration of the ligamentous edges of the vocal folds, in whole or in part...
singer Junior Murvin
Junior Murvin
Junior Murvin is a Jamaican reggae musician. He is best known for the single "Police and Thieves", produced by Lee "Scratch" Perry in 1976. Murvin's soaring voice and the infectious rhythm made "Police and Thieves" into an international hit during the summer of that year. It peaked at #23 in the...
in 1976 (Island
Island Records
Island Records is a record label that was founded by Chris Blackwell in Jamaica. It was based in the United Kingdom for many years and is now owned by Universal Music Group...
WIP 6316), and one year later in a punk-reggae version by The Clash
The Clash
The Clash were an English punk rock band that formed in 1976 as part of the original wave of British punk. Along with punk, their music incorporated elements of reggae, ska, dub, funk, rap, dance, and rockabilly...
. Murvin's first commentary was "They have destroyed Jah work!".
The song was written by Murvin and the man who originally produced the song, Lee "Scratch" Perry. The studio band was jamming and Murvin was playing with words at Perry's Black Ark Studio when suddenly sound, rhythm, melody and lyrics appeared in a structured form and Perry decided to record the song the same afternoon. The next day dub
Overdubbing
Overdubbing is a technique used by recording studios to add a supplementary recorded sound to a previously recorded performance....
-versions and versions with different lyrics were recorded. The song, about gang war and police brutality, was out on the street in a couple of days and became a big hit in Jamaica. Later on, the song proved to be a bigger sales and club hit in England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
than in Murvin's and Perry's native Jamaica
Jamaica
Jamaica is an island nation of the Greater Antilles, in length, up to in width and 10,990 square kilometres in area. It is situated in the Caribbean Sea, about south of Cuba, and west of Hispaniola, the island harbouring the nation-states Haiti and the Dominican Republic...
.
Murvin also recorded "Bad Weed" on the same rhythm with different lyrics. A deejay
Deejay
A deejay is a reggae or dancehall musician who sings and toasts to an instrumental riddim .Deejays are not to be confused with disc jockeys from other music genres like hip-hop, where they select and play music. Dancehall/reggae DJs who select riddims to play are called selectors...
version of the track, "Soldier and Police War", was recorded by Jah Lloyd
Jah Lloyd
Jah Lloyd, aka Jah Lion, The Black Lion of Judah, and Jah Ali was a reggae singer, deejay and producer.-Biography:...
(aka Jah Lion). A dub version, "Grumblin' Dub", was released on the B-side of the "Police and Thieves" single, credited to The Upsetters
The Upsetters
The Upsetters was the name given to the house band for Jamaican reggae producer Lee "Scratch" Perry. The name of the band comes from Perry's nickname of Upsetter, after his song "I Am The Upsetter", a musical dismissal of his former boss Coxsone Dodd....
.
The song has since been re-recorded by Murvin several times, most recently on the album Inna de Yard.
The English
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
punk rock
Punk rock
Punk rock is a rock music genre that developed between 1974 and 1976 in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia. Rooted in garage rock and other forms of what is now known as protopunk music, punk rock bands eschewed perceived excesses of mainstream 1970s rock...
band Clash's punk/reggae version appeared on their eponymous debut album
The Clash (album)
The album received positive reviews from critics and peaked at number 12 in the UK charts. In December 1979, critic Robert Christgau named it his favorite album of the 1970s....
. The Clash's version, which is six minutes in length, is an example of a rock band
Rock Band
Rock Band is a music video game developed by Harmonix Music Systems, published by MTV Games and Electronic Arts. It is the first title in the Rock Band series. The PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 versions were released in the United States on November 20, 2007, while the PlayStation 2 version was...
incorporating reggae
Reggae
Reggae is a music genre first developed in Jamaica in the late 1960s. While sometimes used in a broader sense to refer to most types of Jamaican music, the term reggae more properly denotes a particular music style that originated following on the development of ska and rocksteady.Reggae is based...
into their repertoire.
The song had been a rehearsal room favourite of the band. It had not originally been planned for inclusion on The Clash, but an impromptu version the band started playing during a break in a recording session, spurred the decision to finalize their own arrangement, record it, and include the finished article on their album.
In the beginning of the song, Joe Strummer
Joe Strummer
John Graham Mellor , best remembered by his stage name Joe Strummer, was the co-founder, lyricist, rhythm guitarist and lead vocalist of the British punk rock band The Clash. His musical experience included his membership in The 101ers, Latino Rockabilly War, The Mescaleros and The Pogues, in...
reinterprets the line "They're going through a tight wind" as a tribute to The Ramones, already an established American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
punk band and an influence on The Clash. The lyric line appears in the Ramones' "Blitzkrieg Bop
Blitzkrieg Bop
"Blitzkrieg Bop" is a song by the American punk rock band Ramones. It was released as the band's debut single in April of 1976 in the United States...
".
Murvin's version appeared in the 1998 movie Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels
Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels
Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels is a 1998 British crime film directed and written by Guy Ritchie. The story is a heist film involving a self-confident young card sharp who loses £500,000 to a powerful crime lord in a rigged game of three card brag...
by Guy Ritchie
Guy Ritchie
Guy Stuart Ritchie is an English screenwriter and film maker who directed Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels, Snatch, Revolver, RocknRolla and Sherlock Holmes.-Early life:...
, and in the 1978 movie Rockers by Ted Bafaloukos. It was also covered by the group Dubversive in 1997 as a drum and bass
Drum and bass
Drum and bass is a type of electronic music which emerged in the late 1980s. The genre is characterized by fast breakbeats , with heavy bass and sub-bass lines...
song and as a reggae version the following year.
The song also appears on the soundtrack for the Wes Anderson
Wes Anderson
Wesley Wales Anderson is an American film director, screenwriter, actor, and producer of features, short films and commercials....
film, The Royal Tenenbaums
The Royal Tenenbaums
The Royal Tenenbaums is a 2001 American comedy-drama film directed by Wes Anderson and co-written with Owen Wilson. The film stars Gene Hackman and Anjelica Huston, with Danny Glover, Bill Murray, Gwyneth Paltrow, Ben Stiller, Luke Wilson, and Owen Wilson....
, and in the Reno 911!: Miami
Reno 911!: Miami
Reno 911!: Miami is a film based on Comedy Central's Reno 911! directed by cast-member Robert Ben Garant, who plays "Junior." It was released on February 23, 2007...
movie where it is performed by Dave Grohl
Dave Grohl
David Eric "Dave" Grohl is an American rock musician, multi-instrumentalist, and singer-songwriter who is the lead vocalist, guitarist, and primary songwriter for Foo Fighters; the former drummer for Nirvana and Scream; and the current drummer for Them Crooked Vultures...
, who is listed in the credits under the pseudonym
Pseudonym
A pseudonym is a name that a person assumes for a particular purpose and that differs from his or her original orthonym...
"Sprechen Sie Deutsch".
Several other versions have been recorded, including several on tribute albums to The Clash, a saxophone
Saxophone
The saxophone is a conical-bore transposing musical instrument that is a member of the woodwind family. Saxophones are usually made of brass and played with a single-reed mouthpiece similar to that of the clarinet. The saxophone was invented by the Belgian instrument maker Adolphe Sax in 1846...
version by Tony Greene on the album Midnight Blue, a version by Agent Provocateur
Agent Provocateur (band)
Agent Provocateur were a British electronica band, consisting of John Gosling, Matthew Ashman , Dan Peppe, Danny Saber and Cleo Torez...
on the Peep Show album, a ukulele
Ukulele
The ukulele, ; from ; it is a subset of the guitar family of instruments, generally with four nylon or gut strings or four courses of strings....
version by Ukelilli on the Delusions of Uke album, and versions by The Rabble
The Rabble
The Rabble are a Punk Rock band from Auckland, New Zealand, that formed in the NZ summer of 2000/2001. Their official myspace page went live on 29 February 2004. The Rabble are strong believers in the DIY attitude. They collaborated with Mark Unseen of Boston band The Unseen to create the...
, Charlie Harper, Perez Trop Ska, and Culture Club
Culture Club
Culture Club are a British rock band who were part of the 1980s New Romantic movement. The original band consisted of Boy George , Mikey Craig , Roy Hay and Jon Moss...
.