10 Great Rock Music Singles That Never Appeared On An Album
6. I Fought The Law - The Clash
The Clash were very much contemporaries of The Jam, as their debut albums both came out in 1977. They also shared the same naming formula of "definite article" followed by "noun".
Whilst working on their second album, lead singer Joe Strummer heard a Bobby Fuller song called I Fought the Law. He liked it so much that he decided to record a version of it and include it on his band's upcoming EP, The Cost of Living.
I Fought the Law never made it onto a UK Clash release, but it was included on the American version of their self-titled debut. It was a big hit in the States, helping the band take a foothold over there. Even with all this success abroad, it was never put out on a full-length album in Britain.
It's one of The Clash's most famous songs, as well as arguably the most famous version of this track, so it's strange that it never found a home outside of one EP.
Sure, it did in the US, but you try telling that to an upset punk in the late 70s. It won't end well.