Joker & the Thief
| "Joker & the Thief" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| SinglebyWolfmother | ||||
| from the albumWolfmother | ||||
| B-side | "Where Eagles Have Been" (live) | |||
| Released | 28 October 2006 | |||
| Studio | The Sound Factory(Hollywood,California) | |||
| Length |
| |||
| Label | Modular | |||
| Songwriter(s) | Wolfmother | |||
| Producer(s) | Dave Sardy | |||
| Wolfmothersingles chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Music video | ||||
| "Joker & the Thief"onVimeo | ||||
"Joker & the Thief"is a song by AustralianrockbandWolfmother.The song serves as the sixth track and sixth single from the band'seponymous debut studio album.It was released in Australia on 28 October 2006 and in the United Kingdom on 20 November 2006.[1]Themusic videofor the song was nominated for the "Best Rock Video" and "Video of the Year" awards at the 2007MTV Australia Awards.[2]The titular "joker" and "thief" are a reference to the lyrics ofBob Dylan's 1967 song "All Along the Watchtower".[3]
In January 2018, as part ofTriple M's "Ozzest 100", the 'most Australian' songs of all time, "Joker & the Thief" was ranked number 59.[4]
Content
[edit]Singer Andrew Stockdale told an interviewer,
I was in a shop one morning walking into where we jam. I saw this AC/DC 'Thunderstruck.' And I was like, I want to write astadium rocksong. I went into the studio and said, 'Doo-duh-lee, doo-duh-lee.' What's the best thing to do after that? Just do something cleaner. 'Doo, doo, doo..' Because, you know, you've got to have a big intro and then you have to have a balls-to-the-wall riff to knock it on the head in the next stage. But yeah, that's it.[3]
In popular culture
[edit]"Joker & the Thief" has been featured in several films, video games and TV shows includingThe Blacklist,The Hangover,Shoot 'Em Up,NHL 14,Rock Revolution,[5]Jackass Number Two,Impractical Jokers: The Movie,The Out-Laws,Karaoke Revolution Presents American Idol Encore 2,Here Comes the Boom,MLB 07: The Show,Need for Speed: Carbon,[6]Shrek the Third,Lego DC Super-Villains,Preacher,The Man from Toronto,Ted Lasso,andThe Artful Dodger.It is also available as downloadable content for themusic video gameseriesRock Band.
The song appeared in theGreen Bay Packers' video package atSuper Bowl XLV.
At theChicago Bears' home games, before kickoff, "Joker & the Thief" would play loudly with a bear and blue lightning graphics coming out of its eyes. TheKansas State Wildcatsalso regularly play "Joker & the Thief" for introductions for both their football and men’s basketball team, and the song is now a known hit within their fanbase. TheBoston Bruinsplay the song before the first puck drop of every game, including playoffs. TheTennessee Volunteersand theOregon Ducksplay the song before every kickoff. TheLouisville Cardinalsuse the song as a hype song leading into the fourth quarter of football games and ninth inning of baseball.Michigan Technological Universityalso frequently plays this song during hockey games before going onto a power play. This song is also played before the centre bounce atBrisbane Lionshome games.
It also appeared in the intro of the fourth season programmes of spanish radio showLa Vida Moderna.
Track listings
[edit]All songs are credited to Wolfmother.
|
Australian CD single
UK CD single
|
UK DVD single
UK 7-inch vinyl
|
Personnel
[edit]- Andrew Stockdale– guitar, vocals
- Chris Ross– bass, keyboard
- Myles Heskett– drums
Charts
[edit]
Weekly charts[edit]
|
Year-end charts[edit]
|
Certifications
[edit]| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| Australia (ARIA)[15] | Gold | 35,000^ |
| United Kingdom (BPI)[16] | Silver | 200,000‡ |
|
^Shipments figures based on certification alone. | ||
References
[edit]- ^"Releases".Wolfmother.Archived fromthe originalon 26 September 2008.Retrieved28 September2008.Note: User must manually select navigation menu option '6'.
- ^"Justin Timberlake + Pink Dominate Noms For 2007 MTV Video Music Awards".Sony BMG.1 March 2007. Archived fromthe originalon 14 August 2008.Retrieved28 September2008.
- ^abRosen, Steven (7 July 2006)."Wolfmother: Andrew Stockdale Spills The Truth".Ultimate Guitar.Retrieved2 March2021.
- ^"Here Are The Songs That Made Triple M's 'Ozzest 100'".Musicfeeds.27 January 2018.Retrieved4 January2020.
- ^Grace Chen, "PlayStation Store Update,"PlayStation.Blog(26 March)
- ^"Need For Speed Carbon Soundtrack Burns Rubber".IGN.19 September 2006. Archived fromthe originalon 23 February 2007.Retrieved28 September2008.Need for Speed Payback
- ^"Wolfmother – Joker & the Thief ".ARIA Top 50 Singles.Retrieved 29 June 2015.
- ^"Wolfmother Chart History (Canada Rock)".Billboard.Retrieved May 5, 2022.
- ^"Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100".Official Charts Company.Retrieved 8 March 2021.
- ^"Wolfmother: Artist Chart History".Official Charts Company.Retrieved 8 March 2021.
- ^"Wolfmother Chart History (Alternative Airplay)".Billboard.Retrieved 29 June 2015.
- ^"Wolfmother Chart History (Mainstream Rock)".Billboard.Retrieved 29 June 2015.
- ^"ARIA Top 100 Singles for 2006".ARIA.Retrieved8 March2021.
- ^"ARIA Top 100 Singles for 2007".ARIA.Retrieved8 March2021.
- ^"ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 2007 Singles"(PDF).Australian Recording Industry Association.Retrieved8 March2021.
- ^"British single certifications – Wolfmother – Joker & the Thief".British Phonographic Industry.Retrieved8 March2021.
