Hit Me with Your Best Shot
Encyclopedia
"Hit Me with Your Best Shot" is a song written by Canadian singer/songwriter Eddie Schwartz
and recorded by American singer Pat Benatar
in 1979. It was released as the second single from her second album Crimes of Passion
, and reached #9 on the Billboard
Hot 100
, becoming her first top 10 hit. "Hit Me with Your Best Shot" sold one million copies, achieving a gold certification by the RIAA. The song is arguably Benatar's most recognizable. It can be heard at many baseball
and soccer games, and is featured on many of Benatar's greatest hits compilations.
and features a general chord progression of I-IV-vi-V, with occasional added chords built on passing and neighboring tones, although Benatar has commented that in hindsight she would have preferred to replace the C# minor (vi) chord with F# minor (ii).
covered the song and it was used in a commercial for GameTap
. Others to cover the song include Wheatus
, Offcutts
, Martina McBride
, Joan Jett and the Blackhearts, Alvin and the Chipmunks
and Chikinki
. The song was sampled by D12
in a song of the same name; it was originally made for Eminem
's seventh studio album Recovery, released in 2010, but it did not make the final cut. The song has since leaked on the internet, in early 2011.
Eddie Schwartz
Eddie Schwartz is a Canadian musician and Juno Award winner 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....
and recorded by American singer Pat Benatar
Pat Benatar
Pat Benatar is an American singer and four-time Grammy winner. She had considerable commercial success particularly in the United States...
in 1979. It was released as the second single from her second album Crimes of Passion
Crimes of Passion (album)
Crimes of Passion is the second album by Pat Benatar, released in 1980.It peaked at No. 2 on the Billboard 200 and produced the hits "Hit Me with Your Best Shot" , "You Better Run" , "Treat Me Right" Crimes of Passion is the second album by Pat Benatar, released in 1980.It peaked at No. 2 on the...
, and reached #9 on the Billboard
Billboard (magazine)
Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...
Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
, becoming her first top 10 hit. "Hit Me with Your Best Shot" sold one million copies, achieving a gold certification by the RIAA. The song is arguably Benatar's most recognizable. It can be heard at many baseball
Baseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond...
and soccer games, and is featured on many of Benatar's greatest hits compilations.
Structure
The song is in E majorE major
E major is a major scale based on E, with the pitches E, F, G, A, B, C, and D. Its key signature has four sharps .Its relative minor is C-sharp minor, and its parallel minor is E minor....
and features a general chord progression of I-IV-vi-V, with occasional added chords built on passing and neighboring tones, although Benatar has commented that in hindsight she would have preferred to replace the C# minor (vi) chord with F# minor (ii).
Covers
My American HeartMy American Heart
My American Heart was a rock band from San Diego, California. The band's original name was No Way Out, which consisted of Larry Soliman on vocals, Jesse Barrera on bass guitar, Clint Delgado and Jeremy Mendez on guitar, and Steven Oira on Drums...
covered the song and it was used in a commercial for GameTap
GameTap
GameTap is an American online video game service established by Turner Broadcasting System . Dubbed by TBS as a "first of its kind broadband gaming network", the service provides users with classic arcade video games and game-related video content...
. Others to cover the song include Wheatus
Wheatus
Wheatus are an American rock group from Northport, New York. They are known for their 2000 single "Teenage Dirtbag" which was featured in the movie Loser, as well as in the HBO miniseries Generation Kill.-1995-2002: Formation and Wheatus:...
, Offcutts
Offcutts
Offcutts is a group of Melbourne based musicians. The group draws musical influence from a wide range of genres including the likes of The Beatles, Prince, James Brown, Daft Punk, and Mötley Crüe...
, Martina McBride
Martina McBride
Martina McBride is an American country music singer and songwriter. McBride has been called the "Céline Dion of Country Music" for her big-voiced ballads and soprano range....
, Joan Jett and the Blackhearts, Alvin and the Chipmunks
Alvin and the Chipmunks
Alvin and the Chipmunks is an American animated music group created by Ross Bagdasarian, Sr. in 1958. The group consists of three singing animated anthropomorphic chipmunks: Alvin, the mischievous troublemaker, who quickly became the star of the group; Simon, the tall, bespectacled intellectual;...
and Chikinki
Chikinki
-History:The band formed at Hiatt Baker Hall at the University of Bristol in 1996/1997. Originally there were six members: Rupert Browne , Ed East , Steve Bond , Simon Exton , Luke Sherwood and Trevor Wensley...
. The song was sampled by D12
D12
D12, an acronym for The Dirty Dozen, is an American hip hop group from Detroit, Michigan. D12 has had chart-topping albums in the United States, United Kingdom, and Australia...
in a song of the same name; it was originally made for Eminem
Eminem
Marshall Bruce Mathers III , better known by his stage name Eminem or his alter ego Slim Shady, is an American rapper, record producer, songwriter and actor. Eminem's popularity brought his group project, D12, to mainstream recognition...
's seventh studio album Recovery, released in 2010, but it did not make the final cut. The song has since leaked on the internet, in early 2011.
Video games
- A cover version of the song is a playable track in the game Guitar Hero III: Legends of RockGuitar Hero III: Legends of RockGuitar Hero III: Legends of Rock is a music video game, the third main installment in the Guitar Hero series, and the fourth title overall...
, while the original master track is playable in Guitar Hero On Tour for the Nintendo DSNintendo DSThe is a portable game console produced by Nintendo, first released on November 21, 2004. A distinctive feature of the system is the presence of two separate LCD screens, the lower of which is a touchscreen, encompassed within a clamshell design, similar to the Game Boy Advance SP...
and Guitar Hero: Smash Hits for consoles.
- This song is available on the game Midnight Club 3: DUB EditionMidnight Club 3: DUB EditionMidnight Club 3: DUB Edition is a racing game, developed by Rockstar San Diego and published by Rockstar Games, and is the third game in the Midnight Club series. Like previous installments in the series, the game is an arcade-style racer and focuses on wild, high-speed racing, rather than...
for the Sony PlayStation 2PlayStation 2The PlayStation 2 is a sixth-generation video game console manufactured by Sony as part of the PlayStation series. Its development was announced in March 1999 and it was first released on March 4, 2000, in Japan...
and PSPPlayStation PortableThe is a handheld game console manufactured and marketed by Sony Corporation Development of the console was announced during E3 2003, and it was unveiled on , 2004, at a Sony press conference before E3 2004...
.
- This song also is a downloadable song in the Rock BandRock BandRock Band is a music video game developed by Harmonix Music Systems, published by MTV Games and Electronic Arts. It is the first title in the Rock Band series. The PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 versions were released in the United States on November 20, 2007, while the PlayStation 2 version was...
series, and is playable in Rock Band Track Pack: Classic Rock.