Random Cover Songs: The best versions of “I Fought The Law”

If you’re a Dying Scene reader the chances are high that you’ve attended at least one punk show in your life. Been there, done that? Then the chances are even higher that you’ve heard one of the many seemingly millions of covers of the Bobby Fuller Four 1960’s rock hit “I Fought The Law.”

Compiled here are, in our opinion, the best covers of this tune, along with an explanation of what makes each stand out. Through a multitude of bands, the 50-year old anthem has been blasted over the radio, played in all sorts of protest movements, and used by the U.S. Military to taunt enemies (yes, you read that correctly). Head over here to see our list. You can head to the song’s Wikipedia page for a more extensive list of covers.

The Clash, being the punk rock hipsters that they were, covered and recorded the song before anybody else thought to do it. A decade and a half after the original release, the cover helped the English proto-punks receive their first airplay outside of the U.K. In 1989, the U.S. Military had surrounded the stronghold of the Panama dictator Manuel Noriega and played The Clash’s version of the song to pressure the warlord into surrendering. Here’s the kicker: it worked. After the band’s breakup, Joe Strummer would go on to cover the song with his new projects, including The Pogues and The Mescaleros.

Not to be ignored is the Dead Kennedys version of the song, with the modified title “I Fought The Law (And I Won),” which swaps the song’s original rebellious protagonist with Dan White, the assassin of San Francisco politicians Harvey Milk and George Moscone. White was later accused of manslaughter rather than first-degree murder, in a famous court tactic now known as the Twinkie Defense, also referenced in the Dead Kennedys song.

Who can forget Mike Ness of Social Distortion’s country-twinged cover? This version doesn’t bring anything really new to the table, it’s just a great expansion on the original, and it happens to fit in very nicely with the Ness’s other material.

This next one is more an homage than a cover, but it’s definitely still worth a mention. Wisconsin pop punk favorites Masked Intruder wrote a song for their first EP entitled “I Fought The Law (But The Law Beat The Shit Out Of Me),” with modified lyrics and a different tune.

Bands in English-speaking countries aren’t the only ones to cover the song. “I Fought The Law” is still heavily covered by bands in other parts of the world, such as Spanish ska/punk legends Ska-P and Serbian punk band Goblini, who translate the lyrics or write their own interpretation.

Here’s one of the most energetic renditions of all. Japanese all-female punk band Thug Murder does a punk/ska take on the song:

After 50 years it’s still nice to see a certain level of originality coming out every time this song is played. With the Occupy Wall Street movement in full swing, you can bet there are more covers of this song on the way, and we can’t wait to hear them.