{"id":33404,"date":"2022-04-01T05:00:00","date_gmt":"2022-04-01T12:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/estreetshuffle.com\/?p=33404"},"modified":"2022-04-01T07:50:28","modified_gmt":"2022-04-01T14:50:28","slug":"matr-bruce-springsteen-and-don-henley-i-fought-the-law","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/estreetshuffle.com\/index.php\/2022\/04\/01\/matr-bruce-springsteen-and-don-henley-i-fought-the-law\/","title":{"rendered":"MatR: Bruce Springsteen and Don Henley: I Fought the Law"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>When Bruce Springsteen first covered &#8220;I Fought the Law&#8221; in 1978, he introduced it as &#8220;a song originally done by The Bobby Fuller Four.&#8221;<\/p>\n<div id=\"v-92sMlueO-1\" class=\"video-player\"><iframe title='VideoPress Video Player' aria-label='VideoPress Video Player' width='758' height='426' src='https:\/\/videopress.com\/embed\/92sMlueO?hd=1&amp;cover=1&amp;loop=0&amp;autoPlay=0&amp;permalink=1&amp;muted=0&amp;controls=1&amp;playsinline=0&amp;useAverageColor=0&amp;preloadContent=metadata' frameborder='0' allowfullscreen data-resize-to-parent=\"true\" allow='clipboard-write'><\/iframe><script data-jetpack-boost=\"ignore\" src='https:\/\/s0.wp.com\/wp-content\/plugins\/video\/assets\/js\/next\/videopress-iframe.js'><\/script><\/div>\n<p>That wasn&#8217;t quite accurate, but it&#8217;s an understandable mistake&#8211;even though the song was originally recorded and released by another group Bruce admired. The Crickets recorded &#8220;I Fought the Law&#8221; in 1959, one of their first songs following the death of their lead vocalist and guitarist, the great Buddy Holly.<\/p>\n<div class=\"jetpack-video-wrapper\"><span class=\"embed-youtube\" style=\"text-align:center; display: block;\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" class=\"youtube-player\" width=\"758\" height=\"427\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/hKrxq5U8SBY?version=3&#038;rel=1&#038;showsearch=0&#038;showinfo=1&#038;iv_load_policy=1&#038;fs=1&#038;hl=en-US&#038;autohide=2&#038;wmode=transparent\" allowfullscreen=\"true\" style=\"border:0;\" sandbox=\"allow-scripts allow-same-origin allow-popups allow-presentation allow-popups-to-escape-sandbox\"><\/iframe><\/span><\/div>\n<p>The song went nowhere, though, except for the B-side of &#8220;A Sweet Love&#8221; and an album track the following year. A couple of artists tried and failed to make the charts with a cover version over the next few years, including Bobby Fuller in 1964. Fuller got some local attention with it, but nationally &#8220;I Fought the Law&#8221; remained under the radar.<\/p>\n<p>But when Fuller switched labels in 1965 and recorded a new version of &#8220;I Fought the Law&#8221; with his band The Bobby Fuller Four, the song finally caught fire and stormed up the charts, peaking at #9 on the Billboard Hot 100.<\/p>\n<div class=\"jetpack-video-wrapper\"><span class=\"embed-youtube\" style=\"text-align:center; display: block;\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" class=\"youtube-player\" width=\"758\" height=\"427\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/ytE2JMyBAe0?version=3&#038;rel=1&#038;showsearch=0&#038;showinfo=1&#038;iv_load_policy=1&#038;fs=1&#038;hl=en-US&#038;autohide=2&#038;wmode=transparent\" allowfullscreen=\"true\" style=\"border:0;\" sandbox=\"allow-scripts allow-same-origin allow-popups allow-presentation allow-popups-to-escape-sandbox\"><\/iframe><\/span><\/div>\n<p>Fuller&#8217;s version is considered to be the definitive one, ranking #175 on&nbsp;<em>Rolling Stone&#8217;s<\/em> 500 Greatest Songs of All Time and enshrined in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame&#8217;s 500 Songs That Shaped Rock.&nbsp;Fuller didn&#8217;t get to enjoy his breakthrough success for long, though&#8211;he was dead six months later under mysterious and suspect circumstances.<\/p>\n<p>At the same time Bruce was playing (and mistakenly attributing) &#8220;I Fought the Law&#8221; in 1978, Joe Strummer and Mick Jones were meanwhile discovering the Bobby Fuller version on a jukebox in the San Francisco studio where they were recording for The Clash&#8217;s sophomore album.<\/p>\n<p>They fell in love with the song, recorded it, and added it as an extra track to the American release of their debut album the following year. That cover gained The Clash their first real American airplay when it was released as their first U.S. single.<\/p>\n<div class=\"jetpack-video-wrapper\"><span class=\"embed-youtube\" style=\"text-align:center; display: block;\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" class=\"youtube-player\" width=\"758\" height=\"427\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/AL8chWFuM-s?version=3&#038;rel=1&#038;showsearch=0&#038;showinfo=1&#038;iv_load_policy=1&#038;fs=1&#038;hl=en-US&#038;autohide=2&#038;wmode=transparent\" allowfullscreen=\"true\" style=\"border:0;\" sandbox=\"allow-scripts allow-same-origin allow-popups allow-presentation allow-popups-to-escape-sandbox\"><\/iframe><\/span><\/div>\n<p>By the time Bruce played it again on his next tour, &#8220;I Fought the Law&#8221; was no longer an oldies standard&#8211;it was fresh, hip, and on the radio waves worldwide.<\/p>\n<div class=\"jetpack-video-wrapper\"><span class=\"embed-youtube\" style=\"text-align:center; display: block;\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" class=\"youtube-player\" width=\"758\" height=\"427\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/C2yxr8PT8GE?version=3&#038;rel=1&#038;showsearch=0&#038;showinfo=1&#038;iv_load_policy=1&#038;fs=1&#038;hl=en-US&#038;autohide=2&#038;wmode=transparent\" allowfullscreen=\"true\" style=\"border:0;\" sandbox=\"allow-scripts allow-same-origin allow-popups allow-presentation allow-popups-to-escape-sandbox\"><\/iframe><\/span><\/div>\n<p>Bruce continued covering &#8220;I Fought the Law&#8221; with the E Street Band throughout the River Tour, and the song made cameo appearances on almost every subsequent E Street Band Tour as well.<\/p>\n<div class=\"jetpack-video-wrapper\"><span class=\"embed-youtube\" style=\"text-align:center; display: block;\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" class=\"youtube-player\" width=\"758\" height=\"427\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/ge2B9WO5i6c?version=3&#038;rel=1&#038;showsearch=0&#038;showinfo=1&#038;iv_load_policy=1&#038;fs=1&#038;hl=en-US&#038;autohide=2&#038;wmode=transparent\" allowfullscreen=\"true\" style=\"border:0;\" sandbox=\"allow-scripts allow-same-origin allow-popups allow-presentation allow-popups-to-escape-sandbox\"><\/iframe><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"jetpack-video-wrapper\"><span class=\"embed-youtube\" style=\"text-align:center; display: block;\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" class=\"youtube-player\" width=\"758\" height=\"427\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/IVuIXL30OC4?version=3&#038;rel=1&#038;showsearch=0&#038;showinfo=1&#038;iv_load_policy=1&#038;fs=1&#038;hl=en-US&#038;autohide=2&#038;wmode=transparent\" allowfullscreen=\"true\" style=\"border:0;\" sandbox=\"allow-scripts allow-same-origin allow-popups allow-presentation allow-popups-to-escape-sandbox\"><\/iframe><\/span><\/div>\n<p>If there&#8217;s a single performance that stands out, however, it&#8217;s probably the song&#8217;s first appearance in the post-Reunion era, in Dallas in 2002.<\/p>\n<p>Bruce invited a special guest to join him on stage that night. Don&nbsp; Henley and Bruce had never before (or since) performed together in concert, although they&#8217;d shared a crowded stage at a few benefits and a Hall of Fame induction.<\/p>\n<p>For their one and only true team-up, they covered one of rock&#8217;s true classics: The Crickets&#8217; (via The Bobby Fuller Four) rock and roll lament, &#8220;I Fought the Law.&#8221;<\/p>\n<div id=\"v-J0EJvuS2-1\" class=\"video-player\"><iframe title='VideoPress Video Player' aria-label='VideoPress Video Player' width='758' height='426' src='https:\/\/videopress.com\/embed\/J0EJvuS2?hd=1&amp;cover=1&amp;loop=0&amp;autoPlay=0&amp;permalink=1&amp;muted=0&amp;controls=1&amp;playsinline=0&amp;useAverageColor=0&amp;preloadContent=metadata' frameborder='0' allowfullscreen data-resize-to-parent=\"true\" allow='clipboard-write'><\/iframe><script data-jetpack-boost=\"ignore\" src='https:\/\/s0.wp.com\/wp-content\/plugins\/video\/assets\/js\/next\/videopress-iframe.js'><\/script><\/div>\n<p><strong>I Fought the Law<br \/>\nFirst performed:&nbsp;<\/strong>June 20, 1978 (Morrison, CO)<br \/>\n<strong>Last performed:<\/strong> February 18, 2017 (Hunter Valley, Australia)<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>In their first and only on-stage team-up, Don Henley and Bruce Springsteen covered an early rock classic.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":33570,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[4,5],"tags":[93,1152,264,2799],"class_list":["post-33404","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-cover-me","category-meeting-across-the-river","tag-don-henley","tag-i-fought-the-law","tag-the-clash","tag-the-crickets"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/estreetshuffle.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/foughtlaw.jpg?fit=1200%2C1200&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p9w3Lk-8GM","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":12004,"url":"https:\/\/estreetshuffle.com\/index.php\/1988\/03\/06\/matr-bruce-hornsby-and-bruce-springsteen-the-end-of-the-innocence\/","url_meta":{"origin":33404,"position":0},"title":"The End of the Innocence","author":"Ken","date":"March 6, 1988","format":false,"excerpt":"Bruce meets Bruce when Messrs. Hornsby and Springsteen team up on a gorgeous, twice-only cover of Don Henley's \"The End of the Innocence.\"","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Cover Me&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Cover Me","link":"https:\/\/estreetshuffle.com\/index.php\/category\/cover-me\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/estreetshuffle.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/96-Don-Henley-End-of-the-Innocence.jpg?fit=980%2C980&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/estreetshuffle.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/96-Don-Henley-End-of-the-Innocence.jpg?fit=980%2C980&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/estreetshuffle.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/96-Don-Henley-End-of-the-Innocence.jpg?fit=980%2C980&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/estreetshuffle.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/96-Don-Henley-End-of-the-Innocence.jpg?fit=980%2C980&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":678,"url":"https:\/\/estreetshuffle.com\/index.php\/1983\/01\/11\/roll-of-the-dice-county-fair\/","url_meta":{"origin":33404,"position":1},"title":"County Fair","author":"Ken","date":"January 11, 1983","format":false,"excerpt":"\"County Fair\" is a perfect song about a perfect day, and so delicate that live performance can't match the power of the version on record.","rel":"","context":"In &quot;LA 83&quot;","block_context":{"text":"LA 83","link":"https:\/\/estreetshuffle.com\/index.php\/category\/la-83\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/estreetshuffle.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/02\/Talbot-County-Fair.jpg?fit=512%2C420&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":61269,"url":"https:\/\/estreetshuffle.com\/index.php\/2025\/11\/03\/kingdom-of-days-november-3-2\/","url_meta":{"origin":33404,"position":2},"title":"Kingdom of Days: November 3","author":"Ken","date":"November 3, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"On this date: Bruce gives a revealing radio interview, plays \"Prove It '78\" for the last time for 32 years, and makes the first of many Light of Day appearances. More highlights and tons of video inside.","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Kingdom of Days&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Kingdom of Days","link":"https:\/\/estreetshuffle.com\/index.php\/category\/kingdom-of-days\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/estreetshuffle.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/bs241103_02.jpg?fit=800%2C800&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/estreetshuffle.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/bs241103_02.jpg?fit=800%2C800&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/estreetshuffle.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/bs241103_02.jpg?fit=800%2C800&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/estreetshuffle.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/bs241103_02.jpg?fit=800%2C800&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":220,"url":"https:\/\/estreetshuffle.com\/index.php\/2018\/01\/18\/cover-me-take-it-easy\/","url_meta":{"origin":33404,"position":3},"title":"Cover Me: &#8220;Take It Easy&#8221;","author":"Ken","date":"January 18, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"Another great one gone too soon: Bruce Springsteen pays tribute to Glenn Frey, one day following his death on January 18, 2016.","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Cover Me&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Cover Me","link":"https:\/\/estreetshuffle.com\/index.php\/category\/cover-me\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/estreetshuffle.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/01\/eagles.jpg?fit=595%2C600&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/estreetshuffle.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/01\/eagles.jpg?fit=595%2C600&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/estreetshuffle.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/01\/eagles.jpg?fit=595%2C600&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":1913,"url":"https:\/\/estreetshuffle.com\/index.php\/2018\/05\/04\/meeting-across-the-river-bruce-springsteen-and-bobby-bandiera-under-the-boardwalk\/","url_meta":{"origin":33404,"position":4},"title":"Meeting Across the River: Bruce Springsteen and Bobby Bandiera, &#8220;Under the Boardwalk&#8221;","author":"Ken","date":"May 4, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"Bruce and Bobby cover \"Under the Boardwalk\" on the Jersey Shore on the third day of summer. 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