"Killed by Death" is a song by the English heavy metal band

Motörhead Motörhead () were an English rock band formed in London in 1975 by Lemmy (lead vocals, bass), Larry Wallis (guitar) and Lucas Fox (drums). Lemmy was also the primary songwriter and only constant member. The band are often considered a precu ...

. Released in 1984, in 7" and 12" vinyl pressings. It peaked at number 51 in the

UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart (currently titled Official Singles Chart, with the upper section more commonly known as the Official UK Top 40) is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), on behalf of the British record industry, listing the top-s ...

Promotion

To assist its promotion in the United States, Bronze/Island pressed a 12" promo version for radio play (identical versions on both sides). It is one of the most difficult to find of all Motörhead items. There is also a video made for the track, directed by the manager of

the Plasmatics The Plasmatics were an American punk rock, hardcore punk and heavy metal band formed by Rod Swenson and Wendy O. Williams in New York City in 1977. They were a controversial group known for chaotic, destructive live shows and outrageous theat ...

, Rod Swenson, which was banned by MTV for "excessive and senseless violence". Despite relatively high-profile exposure on TV programmes such as

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's '' The Tube'', the single failed to make any significant impression on the

. This proved particularly disappointing to Lemmy, who at live shows regularly made joking references about its lack of sales.

Releases

The original song is not included on any official release albums except the compilation album '' No Remorse'', along with three other new songs, "Snaggletooth", "Steal Your Face" and "Locomotive". It is included on several other retrospective budget-release compilations, and on live albums such as '' Nö Sleep at All''. Both the 7" and 12" formats feature the B-side "Under the Knife". The 12" issue has a second B-side, a different track also entitled ''Under the Knife'', and came with a free colour poster. The title song is taken from the ''No Remorse'' compilation album. Bronze Records also issued a shaped picture disc (approx 12") version of the 7" vinyl release, depicting the band's logo. Some lapses in quality control accidentally allowed a number of pressings that play King Kurt on the B-side.

Live performances

The song itself used to be a mainstay of live performances since release. As with many Motörhead songs, the lyrics show Lemmy's skill at composing lyrics which are at the same time menacing and tongue-in-cheek. Another common theme is Lemmy's use of animal images. Phrases such as "If you squeeze my lizard, I'll put my snake on you, I'm a romantic adventure, And I'm a reptile too" recall the song "Love Me like a Reptile" from the earlier ''

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'' album. The second verse also contains the line, "I'm a lone-wolf ligger".

Legacy

A re-recorded version, entitled "Killed by Death '08", is in the '' Rock Band Metal Track Pack''. In 2012, '' Loudwire'' ranked the song number two on their list of the top 10 Motörhead songs, and in 2021, ''

Louder Sound ''Classic Rock'' is a British magazine and website dedicated to rock music, owned and published by Future. It was launched in October 1998 and is based in London. The magazine publishes 13 editions a year, mainly covering rock bands from the 60, ...

'' ranked the song number 12 on their list of the top 50 Motörhead songs. The song was used in sequences set in Hell in ''Heist'', a British TV comedy-drama. The song is featured in the 2006 video game '' Scarface: The World Is Yours''. "Killed by Death" was covered by German power metal band

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, by all-female Swedish metal band

Crucified Barbara Crucified Barbara were an all-female Swedish hard rock and heavy metal band, formed in Stockholm in 1998. Background Crucified Barbara started out in 1998 as a punk rock band, but soon they changed their primary style to hard rock. They sig ...

, and on the 2nd album by Finnish power metal band Beast In Black "From Hell with Love" (2019). The lyrics of the song's first verse are used as an epigraph in Bruce Craven's 1993 novel '' Fast Sofa''.

Track listing

All tracks written by Lemmy,

Würzel Michael Richard Burston (23 October 1949 – 9 July 2011), commonly known by the stage name Würzel, was an English musician who played professionally for three decades. He played guitar in British rock band Motörhead from 1984 to 1995,

, Phil Campbell and

Pete Gill Peter Gill (born 9 June 1951) is an English former heavy metal drummer, formerly a member of The Glitter Band, Saxon and Motörhead. Gill was one of the two drummers in The Glitter Band, then formed part of the original line-up of Saxon in ...

Personnel

;Motörhead * Lemmy – lead vocals, bass * Phil "Wizzö" Campbell – guitars *

– guitars *

– drums ;Production * Fin Costello – photography * Steve Joule – designer

References

External links

Sample of the song at the Motörhead Official Site
(

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required). {{authority control Motörhead songs 1984 singles Songs written by Lemmy Songs written by Würzel Songs written by Phil Campbell (musician) Songs written by Pete Gill 1984 songs Song recordings produced by Vic Maile