9 Radio-Friendly Songs About Murdering Somebody

7. I Shot The Sheriff - Bob Marley

Well, there ain't no denying Bob's guilt here, it's right in the title. However, let's be clear just to avoid a second murder charge; he did not shoot the deputy. This single made the rounds in the early '70s, and despite containing pretty much the same theme as the radio-unfriendly song Cop Killer, released by the Ice-T led band Body Count in 1992, it didn't matter what the lyrics were: hippie chicks would sway-dance to it at music festivals throughout the world.

It could be argued that the difference in the two songs is that Bob's version, later covered quite famously by Eric Clapton, just sounded much more tourist friendly. And frankly, Marley didn't give one the impression that he was going to knife you in the kidneys when you weren't looking, unlike Ice-T at the time. Cop Killer's most famous cover is this one by John Maus, who can be safely be stated is no Eric Clapton and there the similarities end.

Despite the press, Cop Killer never made it onto the charts while Bob can still be heard to this day providing musical ambiance in the front of badly researched Mexican themed restaurants.