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Song · The Clash

“Police and Thieves” by The Clash

From the album The Clash (1977)

“Police and Thieves” by The Clash appears on 29 radio countdowns from 7 stations between 1978 and 2024. It was first released in 1977 on the album The Clash. Its best result is #23 on the John Peel's All-Time Festive Fifty (1978). In the combined RockLists rankings it is #603 alternative song of all time.

29countdowns
7stations
#23best position
0#1 finishes
0top 10 finishes
1978–2024years charted

Watch

The Clash - Police & Thieves (Official Audio)

Video from YouTube (theclashVEVO). Pressing play loads YouTube's player. Watch on YouTube

The Clash took "Police and Thieves" and dragged it onto their 1977 debut album, The Clash. The original was a reggae song by the falsetto singer Junior Murvin, cut in 1976 at Lee "Scratch" Perry's Black Ark studio, and its subject, gang war and police brutality on the streets, spoke just as loudly to a bunch of English punks.

They don't try to fake a Kingston groove. Joe Strummer and Mick Jones share the vocals and the guitars, Paul Simonon keeps the bass loping, and the reggae skank gets roughed up into a jagged march, closer to a garage band's tribute than a copy. Mickey Foote produced.

Written with AI assistance from RockLists chart data, MusicBrainz and Wikipedia.

RockLists rankings

Alternative & Modern Rock

Indie & Adult Alternative

All Rock Formats

All-time and decade countdowns

Year#StationCountdownof
1978 23 John Peel (BBC Radio 1) John Peel's All-Time Festive Fifty (1978) 50
1979 49 John Peel (BBC Radio 1) John Peel's All-Time Festive Fifty (1979) 50
1989 172 WOXY 97X WOXY Modern Rock 500 (1989) 500
1991 158 WOXY 97X WOXY Modern Rock 500 (1991) 500
1994 231 WOXY 97X WOXY Modern Rock 500 (1994) 500
1996 271 WOXY 97X WOXY Modern Rock 500 (1996) 498
1999 828 Q101 Q101 Top 1,011 Songs of All-Time (December 1999) 1017
1999 448 WOXY 97X WOXY Modern Rock 500 (1999) 500
1999 445 CD101 CD101 Top 2000 Songs of All-Time (December 1999) 2000
2000 456 WOXY 97X WOXY Modern Rock 500 (2000) 500
2000 446 CD101 CD101 Top 2001 Songs of All-Time (December 2000) 2001
2001 455 WOXY 97X WOXY Modern Rock 500 (2001) 498
2001 448 CD101 CD101 Top 2002 Songs of All-Time (December 2001) 2002
2002 448 CD101 CD101 Top 2003 Songs of All-Time (December 2002) 2003
2002 1268 Fred (XM 44) Fred XM Top 2002 Songs of All-Time (July 2002) 2002
2003 448 CD101 CD101 Top 2004 Songs of All-Time (December 2003) 2004
2003 302 Fred (XM 44) Fred XM Top 2044 Songs of All-Time (July 2003) 2044
2004 448 CD101 CD101 Top 2005 Songs of All-Time (December 2004) 2005
2005 446 CD101 CD101 Top 2006 Songs of All-Time (December 2005) 1994
2007 995 CD101 CD101 Top 2008 Songs of All-Time (December 2007) 2008
2008 822 CD101 CD101 Top 2009 Songs of All-Time (December 2008) 2009
2009 721 CD101 CD101 Top 2010 Songs of All-Time (December 2009) 2010
2009 821 WYEP WYEP 913 Essential Songs 913
2010 644 CD101 CD101 Top 2011 Songs of All-Time (December 2010) 2011
2011 665 CD101 CD101 Top 2012 Songs of All-Time (December 2011) 2011
2013 670 CD101 CD101 Top 2013 Songs of All-Time (December 2013) 2012
2014 685 CD101 CD101 Top 2014 Songs of All-Time (2014) 2013
2022 1049 WYEP WYEP Countdown to Fall 2022 603
2024 107 The Colorado Sound The Colorado Sound Top 850 Cover Songs 850

Also listed as: Police & Thieves; Police And Thieves; Police And Theives.

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