Songfacts®:

• Pretty Reckless' longtime producer Kato Khandwala died on April 25, 2018, aged 47, from injuries sustained in a motorcycle accident. Khandwala, who was also their manager and friend, worked on their first three albums. This song, the title track of their fourth album, serves as a tribute to their late and lamented comrade.
• Khandwala coined the phrase "death by rock and roll" as the band's de facto motto. During this song, penned by vocalist Taylor Momsen and guitarist Ben Phillips, the singer talks about her desire to live and die by rock 'n' roll.
• Taylor Momsen portrayed the character Jenny Humphrey on The CW's teen drama series Gossip Girl. She quit acting in 2011 after four season on the show to devote to music full time. At the beginning of this song, she reflects on her decision to leave her acting career to concentrate on The Pretty Reckless.
  
  Jenny died of suicide
  With a candle burnin' in her eye
  But on my tombstone when I go
  Just put "Death by rock and roll"
• The Pretty Reckless released this as the lead single from the Death by Rock And Roll album on May 15, 2020. "In a lot of ways, this new album feels like a rebirth and our first single, 'Death by Rock And Roll,' represents that salvation that my favorite music brings me," said Momsen. "Rock is freedom and this song is about living life the way you want, and now that belongs to everyone who listens."
• "Death by Rock And Roll" opens the album. The first thing you hear is a recording of Khandwala's footsteps walking down the hallway of the House of Loud, the studio where The Pretty Reckless recorded their first album, Light Me Up. Khandwala's memory bookends the record; it ends with another poignant tribute to their late producer, "Harley Darling."
• Taylor Momsen and Ben Phillips shared production duties on the album with Mainer Jonathan Wyman. They recorded it at Maine's The Halo Studio.
• The song topped Billboard's Mainstream Rock chart, staying at #1 for three consecutive weeks.