"Hit Me with Your Best Shot" is a song recorded by American
rock
Rock most often refers to:
* Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids
* Rock music, a genre of popular music
Rock or Rocks may also refer to:
Places United Kingdom
* Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wales ...
singer
Pat Benatar
Patricia Mae Giraldo ('' née'' Andrzejewski, formerly Benatar; born January 10, 1953), known professionally as Pat Benatar, is an American rock singer and songwriter. In the United States, she has had two multi-platinum albums, five platinum al ...
and written by
Eddie Schwartz
Edward Sydney Schwartz C.M. (born December 22, 1949) is a Canadian musician who had moderate success as a recording artist in the early 1980s before becoming a successful songwriter and record producer in the late 1980s and the 1990s. Songs he ...
. In 1980, it was released as the second single from her second album ''
Crimes of Passion
A crime of passion (French: ''crime passionnel''), in popular usage, refers to a violent crime, especially homicide, in which the perpetrator commits the act against someone because of sudden strong impulse such as anger rather than as a premed ...
'', which became her biggest-selling album. It hit No. 7 in ''
Cash Box'', and reached No. 9 on the ''
Billboard''
Hot 100, becoming her first Top 10 hit in the US. It was particularly popular at album-rock radio stations, peaking at number 1 on the US Tunecaster Rock Tracks chart. It was also a Top 10 hit in Canada, although the only other country in which it charted was Australia where it reached the Top 40.
"Hit Me with Your Best Shot" sold well over a million copies in the U.S., achieving a
gold certification by the
RIAA. The song is one of Benatar's most recognizable tracks. Heard at many
baseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each, taking turns batting and fielding. The game occurs over the course of several plays, with each play generally beginning when a player on the fielding t ...
and
soccer games, the song has been featured on many compilation albums, including both multi-artist works as well as those just focusing on Benatar (such as ''
10 Great Songs'' and ''
Greatest Hits
A greatest hits album or best-of album is a type of compilation album that collects popular and commercially successful songs by a particular artist or band. While greatest hits albums are typically supported by the artist, they can also be crea ...
'').
In a 2022 interview, Benatar told ''
USA Today
''USA Today'' (stylized in all uppercase) is an American daily middle-market newspaper and news broadcasting company. Founded by Al Neuharth on September 15, 1982, the newspaper operates from Gannett's corporate headquarters in Tysons, Virgi ...
'' that she would no longer perform the song in protest of
mass shootings in the United States
Mass shootings are incidents involving multiple victims of firearm-related violence. Definitions vary, with no single, broadly accepted definition. One definition is an act of public firearm violence—excluding gang killings, domestic violen ...
. "(The title) is tongue-in-cheek, but you have to draw the line. I can't say those words out loud with a smile on my face, I just can't," she explained. "I'm not going to go on stage and soapbox - I go to my legislators - but that's my small contribution to protesting. I'm not going to sing it."
Structure
Schwartz said that he came up with the title of the song after attending a "pillow punching" therapy session in Toronto, but stated that the title is to be taken metaphorically.
The song is in
E major and features a general chord progression of
I-IV-vi-V, with occasional added chords built on
passing and
neighboring tone
A nonchord tone (NCT), nonharmonic tone, or embellishing tone is a note in a piece of music or song that is not part of the implied or expressed chord set out by the harmonic framework. In contrast, a chord tone is a note that is a part of the ...
s, although Benatar has commented that in hindsight she would have preferred to replace the
C# minor (
vi) chord with
F# minor (
ii).
Charts
Weekly charts
Year-end charts
Certifications
In popular culture
The song is performed by Pat Benatar in the 1982 movie ''
Spring Fever
Spring fever is any of a number of mood, physical, or behavioral changes which may be experienced coinciding with the onset of spring, particularly restlessness, laziness, and amorousness.
Overview
The term ''spring fever'' may refer to an increa ...
''. It is covered in the 2012 movie ''
Rock of Ages Rock of Ages may refer to:
Films
* ''Rock of Ages'' (1918 film), a British silent film by Bertram Phillips
* ''Rock of Ages'' (2012 film), a film adaptation of the jukebox musical (see below)
Music
* ''Rock of Ages'' (musical), a 2006 rock ...
'' by
Catherine Zeta-Jones
Catherine Zeta-Jones (; born 25 September 1969) is a Welsh actress. Known for her versatility, she is the recipient of various accolades, including an Academy Award, a British Academy Film Award, and a Tony Award. In 2010, she was appointed C ...
featuring a dance scene.
Covers
Artists who have performed the song live include singer-songwriter
Kelly Clarkson
Kelly Brianne Clarkson (born April 24, 1982) is an American singer, songwriter, author, and television personality. She rose to fame after winning the first season of ''American Idol'' in 2002, which earned her a record deal with RCA. Her debu ...
, whose version of "Hit Me with Your Best Shot" received praise by ''
Time
Time is the continued sequence of existence and events that occurs in an apparently irreversible succession from the past, through the present, into the future. It is a component quantity of various measurements used to sequence events, ...
''.
See also
*
Pat Benatar discography
References
External links
boom 97.3 Behind The Vinyl: "Hit Me With Your Best Shot" Eddie Schwartz
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hit Me With Your Best Shot
Pat Benatar songs
1980 singles
Songs written by Eddie Schwartz
Song recordings produced by Keith Olsen
Alvin and the Chipmunks songs
1980 songs
Chrysalis Records singles
Self-censorship