"Shotgun" is a song by American

nu metal Nu metal (sometimes stylized as nü-metal, sometimes called aggro-metal) is a subgenre of that combines elements of heavy metal music with elements of other music genres such as hip hop, alternative rock, funk, industrial, and grunge. Nu met ...

band

Limp Bizkit Limp Bizkit is an American rap rock band from Jacksonville, Florida. Its lineup consists of lead vocalist Fred Durst, drummer John Otto, guitarist Wes Borland, turntablist DJ Lethal and bassist Sam Rivers. The band's music is marked by D ...

from their fifth studio album, ''

Gold Cobra ''Gold Cobra'' is the fifth studio album by American rap rock band Limp Bizkit. Released in 2011 by Flip and Interscope Records, it is the band's first studio album since 2003's ''Results May Vary'' and its first with the full original lineup sin ...

'' (2011). Notable for showcasing the guitar playing of

Wes Borland Wesley Louden Borland (born February 7, 1975) is an American rock musician. He is best known as the current guitarist and backing vocalist of the rap metal band Limp Bizkit, the lead vocalist and guitarist of the alternative and industrial rock ...

and production by

DJ Lethal Leor Dimant ( lv, Leors Dimants, russian: Леор Григорьевич Димант, ; born December 18, 1972), better known as DJ Lethal, is a Latvian-American Turntablism, turntablist and producer and is best known as a member of the groups ...

. Written by

Fred Durst William Frederick Durst (born August 20, 1970) is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, actor, and director. He is the frontman and lyricist of the nu metal band Limp Bizkit, formed in 1994, with whom he has released seven studio albums. He ap ...

, Borland, DJ Lethal, John Otto and Sam Rivers, the song describes sitting at home brandishing a shotgun. "Shotgun" distinguishes itself from the style that the band is better known for with its heavier,

guitar The guitar is a fretted musical instrument that typically has six strings. It is usually held flat against the player's body and played by strumming or plucking the strings with the dominant hand, while simultaneously pressing selected stri ...

-driven style, as opposed to previous songs by the group, which were driven by the production of turntablist and sound designer DJ Lethal, and features a

solo Solo or SOLO may refer to: Arts and entertainment Comics * ''Solo'' (DC Comics), a DC comics series * Solo, a 1996 mini-series from Dark Horse Comics Characters * Han Solo, a ''Star Wars'' character * Jacen Solo, a Jedi in the non-canonical ''S ...

by Borland, something that Limp Bizkit is not generally known for. It was released as the album's first

single Single may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * Single (music), a song release Songs * "Single" (Natasha Bedingfield song), 2004 * "Single" (New Kids on the Block and Ne-Yo song), 2008 * "Single" (William Wei song), 2016 * "Single", by ...

in May 2011, and peaked at number 26 on the Canadian Rock Chart. The song was favorably received by critics, who appraised Borland's heavy guitar playing, and DJ Lethal's sound design.

Music and lyrics

's lyrics describe sitting at home smoking

cannabis ''Cannabis'' () is a genus of flowering plants in the family Cannabaceae. The number of species within the genus is disputed. Three species may be recognized: ''Cannabis sativa'', '' C. indica'', and '' C. ruderalis''. Alternatively ...

while brandishing a shotgun. "Shotgun" prominently features the unique guitar playing of

, as opposed to the songs on earlier albums by the band, which were driven by

sound design Sound design is the art and practice of creating sound tracks for a variety of needs. It involves specifying, acquiring or creating auditory elements using audio production techniques and tools. It is employed in a variety of disciplines including ...

. Borland closes the song with a

, which Limp Bizkit is not known for. The music video shows an aggressive live performance of the band taking from a promo tour of the ''

'' album, interspersed with lyrics.

Reception

IGN ''IGN'' (formerly ''Imagine Games Network'') is an American video game and entertainment media website operated by IGN Entertainment Inc., a subsidiary of Ziff Davis, Inc. The company's headquarters is located in San Francisco's SoMa distri ...

writer Chad Grischow wrote, "Borland's achy guitar bobbing and weaving through the heavy beat of "Shotgun" delivers some of the album's best guitar work". ''

Metal Hammer ''Metal Hammer'' is a heavy metal music magazine and website founded in 1983, published in the United Kingdom by Future, with other language editions available in numerous other countries. ''Metal Hammer'' features news, reviews and long-form ...

'' writer Terry Bezer also appraised the song, writing "The fist-pumping, riot-starting chorus is a guaranteed winner".

PopMatters ''PopMatters'' is an international online magazine of cultural criticism that covers aspects of popular culture. ''PopMatters'' publishes reviews, interviews, and essays on cultural products and expressions in areas such as music, television, fi ...

writer Josh Langhoff wrote, "Guitarist Wes Borland pulls off one huge catchy riff after another, and he and DJ Lethal add sound effects that alter Shotgun'subtly and not-so-subtly."

Release history

Charts

Personnel

;Limp Bizkit *

–

vocals Singing is the act of creating musical sounds with the voice. A person who sings is called a singer, artist or vocalist (in jazz and/or popular music). Singers perform music (arias, recitatives, songs, etc.) that can be sung with or without ...

–

s *

–

turntables A phonograph, in its later forms also called a gramophone (as a trademark since 1887, as a generic name in the UK since 1910) or since the 1940s called a record player, or more recently a turntable, is a device for the mechanical and analogu ...

, samples,

synthesizer A synthesizer (also spelled synthesiser) is an electronic musical instrument that generates audio signals. Synthesizers typically create sounds by generating waveforms through methods including subtractive synthesis, additive synthesis and ...

s * John Otto –

drums A drum kit (also called a drum set, trap set, or simply drums) is a collection of drums, cymbals, and other Percussion instrument, auxiliary percussion instruments set up to be played by one person. The player (drummer) typically holds a pair o ...

* Sam Rivers –

bass Bass or Basses may refer to: Fish * Bass (fish), various saltwater and freshwater species Music * Bass (sound), describing low-frequency sound or one of several instruments in the bass range: ** Bass (instrument), including: ** Acoustic bass gui ...

References

External links

* {{Limp Bizkit 2011 singles Songs about cannabis Limp Bizkit songs Songs written by Wes Borland Songs written by Fred Durst 2011 songs Songs written by John Otto (drummer) Songs written by Sam Rivers (bassist) Interscope Records singles