"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, ...

''.

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