Shoot to Thrill by AC/DC

Album: Back in Black (1980)

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Songfacts®:

This adrenal rocker is a play on the phrase "shoot to kill," with lead singer Brian Johnson playing the ultimate bad boy, a guy with "too many women with too many pills." It's part of the Back In Black album, Johnson's first with the band; he joined in March 1980 about six weeks after their frontman Bon Scott died after a night of drinking.

Johnson took a cue from Scott's lyrical approach: The guy in "Shoot To Thrill" is a lot like the man you can call for "Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap," one of Scott's most enduring lyrics. Bon Scott also made a munitions metaphor on his last album with AC/DC: "Shot Down In Flames" from Highway To Hell.
"Shoot To Thrill" wasn't released as a single and no video was made for it, but many radio stations played it anyway. The song quickly became an AC/DC favorite and a staple at their live shows. It helped propel Back In Black to 25 million in sales in America alone.
This plays in the 2010 movie Iron Man 2 when Tony Stark makes a grand entrance. Scenes from the film were combined with AC/DC concert footage to make a video for the song that was released before the movie hit theaters, serving as a preview of sorts. The Iron Man 2 soundtrack was comprised entirely of AC/DC songs, with "Shoot To Thrill" and "Highway to Hell" appearing in the movie.

The song also plays in the 2012 movie The Avengers when Iron Man appears.
A live version from AC/DC's December 4, 2009 concert at River Plate Stadium in Buenos Aires was released as a single in 2011 and included on their album Live at River Plate.

Comments: 2

Luna Loud from Royal Woods, MichiganI read somewhere that the song was also referencing the Valiums that bored housewives were taking in the late '70s/early '80s or something like that, "Too many women with too many pills." I don't know for sure because I wasn't alive back then. Maybe someone who was can fill in the details...
George Pope from Vancouver BcA rocking song, for sure! One of my faves, too! I was tinking it was about the singer's life as a rock star, raking in money and girls (thrills) and how his life is all & only shooting for the thrill. .. I stil think mine is a valid interpretation, but only Johnsson knows for sure.

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