"Shots" is a song by American rock band

Imagine Dragons Imagine Dragons is an American pop rock band from Las Vegas, Nevada, consisting of lead singer Dan Reynolds, guitarist Wayne Sermon, bassist Ben McKee and drummer Daniel Platzman. The band first gained exposure with the release of their si ...

. It was written by band members

Ben McKee Benjamin Arthur McKee (born April 7, 1985) is an American musician, songwriter, and record producer. He is the bassist for the pop rock band Imagine Dragons. Early life McKee was raised in Forestville, California, and graduated from El Molino ...

, Daniel Platzman,

Dan Reynolds Daniel Coulter Reynolds (born July 14, 1987) is an American singer and songwriter. He is the lead vocalist of the pop rock band Imagine Dragons. Reynolds also released an EP in 2011, titled ''Egyptian – EP,'' as a duo with his former wife A ...

and Wayne Sermon and released as the third and final single from their second studio album ''

Smoke + Mirrors ''Smoke + Mirrors'' is the second studio album by American pop rock band Imagine Dragons. The album was recorded during 2014 at the band's home studio in Las Vegas, Nevada. Self-produced by members of the band along with English hip-hop produ ...

'' (2015).

Composition

The song shows influence of

industrial music Industrial music is a genre of music that draws on harsh, mechanical, transgressive or provocative sounds and themes. AllMusic defines industrial music as the "most abrasive and aggressive fusion of rock and electronic music" that was "initial ...

with heavy use of

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 a ...

s. Reynolds' vocals are light, despite the dark lyrical content, recalling music from the 1980s. Sermon's guitar textures add complexity.

Promotion

Imagine Dragons performed the track during a first ever live commercial (for Target) during the Grammy Awards (2015). The advertising was filmed on Las Vegas'

Fremont Street Fremont Street is a street in downtown Las Vegas, Nevada that is the second most famous street in the Las Vegas Valley – and Nevada – besides the Las Vegas Strip. Named in honor of explorer and politician John C. Frémont and located in the h ...

under the direction of

Jonas Åkerlund Hans Uno Jonas Åkerlund (; born 10 November 1965) is a Swedish film director, screenwriter, music video director, and drummer. His video for Madonna's song " Ray of Light" won a Grammy Award for Best Music Video, Short Form, and a record of fiv ...

. The advertising promoted an exclusive edition of the album available at Target which includes four bonus tracks. It was estimated to cost $8 million and charted at number 2 on the ''Billboard'' Trending 140. "Shots" was performed on ''

The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon ''The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon'' is an American late-night talk show hosted by Jimmy Fallon that airs on NBC. The show premiered on February 17, 2014, and is produced by Broadway Video and Universal Television. It is the seventh incar ...

'' (February 18, 2015), ''

The Howard Stern Show ''The Howard Stern Show'' is an American radio show hosted by Howard Stern that gained wide recognition when it was nationally syndicated on terrestrial radio from WXRK in New York City, between 1986 and 2005. The show has aired on Howard 100 a ...

'' (March 24, 2015), ''

The Ellen DeGeneres Show ''The Ellen DeGeneres Show'' (often shortened to ''Ellen'' or ''The Ellen Show'') is an American daytime television variety comedy talk show that was created and hosted by its namesake Ellen DeGeneres. Debuting on September 8, 2003, it was pro ...

'' (2015), and ''

Today Today (archaically to-day) may refer to: * Day of the present, the time that is perceived directly, often called ''now'' * Current era, present * The current calendar date Arts, entertainment, and media Films * ''Today'' (1930 film), a 1930 ...

'' (2015).

Music video

On February 12, 2015, Imagine Dragons released the official music video for "Shots". The video was directed by

Robert Hales Sir Robert Hales ( – 14 June 1381) was Grand Prior of the Knights Hospitaller of England, Lord High Treasurer, and Admiral of the West. He was killed in the Peasants' Revolt. Career In 1372 Robert Hales became the Lord/Grand Prior of th ...

and was inspired by the artwork created by San Diego-based painter

Tim Cantor Tim Cantor (born August 10, 1969) is an American self-taught surrealist artist and writer. Tim was raised in Marin County, California and began painting at the age of 5 using a box of oil paints and brushes that were his great-grandfather's. Tim ...

. The same artwork also serves as the cover art for all of the singles for the album. Cantor himself appears as the live depiction of one of his paintings.

Track listing

Personnel

Imagine Dragons *

– lead vocals, percussion, songwriting, production * Wayne Sermon – guitar, songwriting, production *

– bass guitar,

synthesizers 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 a ...

, songwriting, production * Daniel Platzman – drums, percussion, songwriting, production

Broiler remix

In April 2015, Norwegian DJ and electronic music duo

Broiler A broiler is any chicken (''Gallus gallus domesticus'') that is bred and raised specifically for meat production. Most commercial broilers reach slaughter weight between four and six weeks of age, although slower growing breeds reach slaugh ...

(Mikkel Christiansen and Simen Auke) released a remix of "Shots". It was a hit in its own right on

VG-lista VG-lista is a Norwegian record chart A record chart, in the music industry, also called a music chart, is a ranking of recorded music according to certain criteria during a given period. Many different criteria are used in worldwide chart ...

, the official Norwegian Singles Chart, reaching number 4 on the chart. A music video for the remix was released about 2 months later, on June 4.

Chart performance

Weekly charts

;Broiler Remix

Year-end charts

Certifications

Release history

References

External links

Imagine Dragons official website
{{Authority control 2010s ballads 2015 singles 2014 songs American new wave songs American synth-pop songs Imagine Dragons songs Kidinakorner singles Interscope Records singles Music videos directed by Robert Hales Rock ballads Universal Music Group singles Songs written by Wayne Sermon Songs written by Dan Reynolds (musician) Songs written by Daniel Platzman Songs written by Ben McKee Synth-pop ballads