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| "Shoot to Thrill" | |
|---|---|
| Song byAC/DC | |
| from the albumBack in Black | |
| Released | 25 July 1980 |
| Recorded | April – May 1980 |
| Studio | Compass Point (Nassau) |
| Genre | Hard rock |
| Length | 5:17 |
| Label | |
| Songwriter(s) | |
| Producer(s) | Robert John "Mutt" Lange |
| Back in Blacktrack listing | |
10 tracks Side one
Side two
| |
| Music video | |
| "Shoot to Thrill" (Iron Man 2 version) onYouTube | |
"Shoot to Thrill" is a song by Australianhard rock bandAC/DC. It is the second track on the 1980 albumBack in Black. This song is also the second track ofAC/DC Live andAC/DC Live: 2 CD Collector's Edition, and is included on theIron Man 2 soundtrack.[1]
On 26 January 2010, a new music video for "Shoot to Thrill" was released with exclusive footage from the filmIron Man 2. The live concert footage used in the video was filmed in December 2009 at a concert inBuenos Aires,Argentina at theEstadio Monumental, from which theLive at River Plate DVD was filmed.[1]
| "Shoot to Thrill (live)" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single byAC/DC | ||||
| from the albumLive at River Plate | ||||
| B-side | "War Machine (live)" | |||
| Released | 16 April 2011 | |||
| Recorded | December 2009 | |||
| Venue | River Plate Stadium, Buenos Aires | |||
| Genre | Hard rock | |||
| Length | 5:47 | |||
| Label | Columbia | |||
| Songwriter(s) | ||||
| Producer(s) | AC/DC | |||
| AC/DC singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
Several different live recordings of "Shoot to Thrill" have been released officially. One version, recorded from theRazors Edge World Tour, was released on the 1992Live album. Another version, recorded from the1991 Donington show, was released on the deluxe edition of the 2009 box setBacktracks. Another performance, recorded atRiver Plate Stadium inBuenos Aires in December 2009, was released as a limited edition 7-inch single (backed with a live performance of "War Machine" from the aforementioned show) forRecord Store Day 2011, promoting the live DVDLive at River Plate, which was released in May 2011.
When explaining his lyrical inspiration for the song, lead singer and then-songwriter Brian Johnson recalled reading a British article about a neighbourhood pusher who made daily rounds (almost like a milkman) throughout the London suburbs, selling narcotics to bored, lonely and depressed housewives. These substance-affected homemakers would then peruse the local clubs and bars, seeking out torrid, extra-marital relationships.[citation needed]
Lead guitarist Angus Young has commented that the song's "break-down", which occurs soon after the main solo (a muted and repeating three chord sequence of A Major triad, G Major triad, and a Dpower chord leading up to a bombastic outro-solo), was inspired by the trio gun-battle climax from Sergio Leone's classic, Italian westernThe Good, the Bad and the Ugly. In this seminal scene, gun-fighters Clint Eastwood, Lee Van Cleef, and Eli Wallach stare one another down in the centre of a Civil-War cemetery for minutes-on-end to an eventual shoot-out. Young said this sequence in the song was designed to mirror the actual soundtrack selection "Il Triello" by composerEnnio Morricone. Both compositions feature a slow quiet build-up, increasing in tension to a thunderous, cataclysmic finale.[citation needed]
AC/DC
Production
| Chart (1981) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| USBillboardTop Tracks[2] | 60 |
| Chart (2012) | Peak position |
| USBillboardHot Digital Songs[2] | 75 |
| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| Brazil (Pro-Música Brasil)[3] | Gold | 30,000‡ |
| Canada (Music Canada)[4] | 3× Platinum | 240,000‡ |
| Italy (FIMI)[5] | Gold | 35,000‡ |
| Mexico (AMPROFON)[6] | Platinum | 60,000‡ |
| Spain (PROMUSICAE)[7] | Gold | 30,000‡ |
| United Kingdom (BPI)[8] | Gold | 400,000‡ |
| United States (RIAA)[9] | 2× Platinum | 2,000,000‡ |
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone. | ||
The song has also been recorded byHalestorm on their EPReanimate 2.0: The Covers.
This song has been used in several film and television programs including:
