The Bartender and the Thief

"The Bartender and the Thief"
Single by Stereophonics
from the album Performance and Cocktails
B-side	"She Takes Her Clothes Off"
Released	9 November 1998
Format	CD, 7", MC
Recorded	1998
Genre	Rock
Length	3:09 (single version) 2:54 (album version)
Label	V2 Records
Writer(s)	Kelly Jones
Producer(s)	Steve Bush & Marshall Bird
Stereophonics singles chronology
"Local Boy in the Photograph (re-issue)" (1998) "The Bartender and the Thief" (1998) "Just Looking" (1999)
Music video "The Bartender and the Thief" on YouTube

"The Bartender and the Thief" is a 1998 single by Welsh rock band Stereophonics. It was the first single taken from their second album Performance and Cocktails. It was released on 9 November 1998 and reached #3 in the UK charts.

The song is the second track on the Performance and Cocktails album. A live version from Cardiff Castle is available on CD2 of the single. Another live version from Sheffield Arena is on the "Moviestar" single. A bar version of the song is on CD 1 of the "I Wouldn't Believe Your Radio" single.

The music video features the band playing at Kanchanaburi Province, Thailand and is based on the Francis Ford Coppola movie, Apocalypse Now.

The song, which is one of their heavier tracks, is frequently played amongst their live sets. During live performances, vocalist Kelly Jones has been known to utilise the two bars without vocals before the final chorus to reference the Motörhead song "Ace of Spades". The lyrics therefore are "The ace of spades, the ace of spades. The bartender and the thief were lovers..."

Strangely, the song's full length intro only featured on the CD1 single (and in the music video), but was edited off the Performance & Cocktails album.

Welsh PDC Darts player Mark Webster uses this track as his entrance music. An instrumental version of the song is featured in the European version of the PlayStation racing game Gran Turismo 2.

Track listing

CD: V2 / VVR5004653 (UK)

1. "The Bartender and the Thief" - 3:09
2. "She Takes Her Clothes Off" - 3:57
3. "Fiddler's Green" (The Tragically Hip)- 4:08

CD: V2 / VVR5004663 (UK)

1. "The Bartender and the Thief" (Live from Cardiff Castle) - 3:28
2. "Traffic" (Live from Cardiff Castle) - 6:07
3. "Raymond's Shop" (Live from Cardiff Castle) - 3:56

Charts and certifications

Weekly charts Chart (1998) Peak position Scotland (Official Charts Company)[1] 3 UK Singles (Official Charts Company)[2] 3

Certifications Region Certification Sales/shipments United Kingdom (BPI)[3] Silver 200,000 sales/streaming figures based on certification alone

References

1. "Archive Chart: 1998-11-15". Scottish Singles Top 40.
2. "Archive Chart: 1998-11-15" UK Singles Chart.
3. "British single certifications – Stereophonics – The Bartender and the Thief". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 24 September 2015. Enter The Bartender and the Thief in the field Keywords. Select Title in the field Search by. Select single in the field By Format. Select Silver in the field By Award. Click Search

• The Bartender and the Thief at AllMusic. Retrieved 14:21, 8 April 2015 (UTC).