Police and Thieves

The song was originally written by Junior Murvin. Murvin approached Lee "Scratch" Perry in May 1976 and auditioned the song at Perry's Black Ark studio; Perry decided to record the song the same afternoon, and altered the lyrics slightly. Players on the track included Boris Gardiner (bass), Ernest Ranglin (guitar), Sly Dunbar (drums), Keith Sterling (keyboards), and Joe Cooper (organ), with backing vocals provided by Barry Llewellyn and Earl Morgan of the Heptones. It was also successful in the US, where it was issued on the Mango label. Joe Strummer and Paul Simonon of the Clash were involved in the rioting, which inspired them to cover the song on their debut album, in a style that they called punk reggae', not 'white reggae. It appeared in Ted Bafaloukos' 1978 film Rockers, and also in Guy Ritchie's 1998 film Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels. The song has since been re-recorded by Murvin several times; a digital version appeared on a 1987 single produced by Prince Jammy, an acoustic version was included on the 2007 album Inna de Yard, and a new version was released in 2008 on a Ralston Brown-produced single. In 2019, French label Broken Stick Records released a 12-inch with a new vocal version by Murvin himself (recorded in 2006), a brand new deejay cut by U Roy, a melodica version and a dub version. Certifications ==Reception==

Murvin's version became a Top 30 UK hit in 1980, peaking at no. 23. It was named 'Reggae Single of the Year' by Black Echoes, and placed sixth in the NMEs end of year singles chart. ==The Clash version==

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. Murvin's first commentary was "They have destroyed Jah work!" Perry considered that the Clash had "ruined" the song with their version, but later agreed to work with them nonetheless. ==Other versions==

The Clash's version appears on the soundtrack for the Wes Anderson film The Royal Tenenbaums. The song also appears 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. Jazz musician Billy Iuso covered it on his 2015 album Overstanding. The British post-punk band Idles recorded a cover for the soundtrack of Darren Aronofsky's 2025 film Caught Stealing. ==References==