Song of the Day: 'I Fought the Law' by the Clash

When I was in high school, me and each of my friends had "their" band. Mine, of course, was Blondie. Lisa's was Split Enz. Mark's was the Go-Go's. Tina/Yuki/Deanna's was Duran Duran. And Nina's was Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band, despite her status as "most original" -- aka most new wave -- at school. But Kristen, who wore black leather miniskirts to match her jet black (dyed) hair, was a bit edgier than the rest of us. Joe Strummer was her man, and the Clash was her band. Perhaps because she already called dibs on them -- and because they were a little more punk than what we usually listened to -- I never really pursued the Clash as much as I should have. I eventually got a best-of CD, but given the critical acclaim they received over the years, that's like saying I have "Pretenders Singles," which would mean I don't know the first thing about "Precious," "Up the Neck" or "The Wait." One song I do know and love by the Clash, of course, is their cover of "I Fought the Law." And finding out now that it was written by Sonny Curtis -- who penned the Leo Sayer smash "More Than I Can Say" and "Love Is All Around" for "The Mary Tyler Moore Show" -- makes me feel like more of a rebel today than I did then!