Shotgun (Junior Walker & the All Stars song)
| "Shotgun" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Single by Junior Walker & the All Stars | ||||
| from the album Shotgun | ||||
| Released | February 13, 1965 | |||
| Recorded | Hitsville U.S.A. (Studio A), Detroit, Michigan, 1964 | |||
| Genre | Soul | |||
| Length | 2:53 | |||
| Label | Soul Records (Motown) | |||
| Songwriter(s) | Autry DeWalt | |||
| Producer(s) | Berry Gordy and Lawrence Horn | |||
| Junior Walker & the All Stars singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
"Shotgun" is a song by Junior Walker & the All Stars, released as a single in 1965. It was written and composed by Walker and produced by Berry Gordy Jr. and Lawrence Horn.[1] It reached number one on the U.S. R&B Singles chart for four non-consecutive weeks and peaked at number four on the Billboard Hot 100 on the week ending 3 April 1965.[2]
"Shotgun" uses only one chord throughout the entire song – A-flat seventh. Other songs featuring this same structure (or non-structure) are "Chain of Fools" and "Land of 1000 Dances".[3]
Personnel
- Junior Walker – tenor saxophone, lead vocals
- Willie Woods – lead guitar, harmony vocals
- Eddie Willis – rhythm guitar, shotgun effects from kicking amplifier
- Johnny Griffith – Hammond organ
- Victor Thomas – keyboards
- James Jamerson – bass guitar
- Benny Benjamin – drums
- Note: It is difficult to find out with certainty who played drums on the song, as the musicians were not credited on the record. It is thought that perhaps Richard "Pistol" Allen or Larrie Londin played drums on the song.[4][5]
- Jack Ashford – tambourine
Popular culture
- "Shotgun" was featured in the first Hairspray movie (1988).
- The song was used in Martin Scorsese's debut feature film, Who's That Knocking at My Door (1967).
- The song has been used in the films Misery (1990), Malcolm X (1992), and How Stella Got Her Groove Back (1998).
- The song was also used as the theme song for Ain't Nothin' But a Woman. A sketch-comedy segment previously featured on BET's ComicView.
- It was likewise referenced in Sister Act 2 during the opening number, "The Greatest Medley Ever Told".
- The song was performed by Public Enemies in the Norwegian film Hurra for Andersens in 1966. Public Enemies brought "Shotgun" to the seventh position on Radio Luxembourg's Top 20 Chart.
- It was used in the 2006 Disney film Glory Road, in the after party.
- The song occasionally plays on the radio in the 2016 video game Mafia III.
- The song played on the radio at the beginning of episode six of season 2 on the Netflix TV Show Ozark in 2018.
Cover versions and later versions
The song was covered in 1965, by:
- The Wailers, with slightly modified lyrics, as a ska song
- Sam The Sham and the Pharaohs, on their Wooly Bully album
- The Kingsmen, on The Kingsmen On Campus album
- The first known video/television appearance of Jimi Hendrix was playing "Shotgun" as a back up musician in 1965 with Buddy and Stacey. The video is on YouTube.
It was recorded subsequently:
- In 1967, by German psychedelic soul band Xhol Caravan on the LP Get in High (released under the name Soul Caravan)
- In 1969, by Vanilla Fudge in a heavily psychedelic version, on Near the Beginning
- In 1988, by Vanity with Kareem and Dave Koz, for the soundtrack of Action Jackson
- In 2001, by saxophonist Richard Elliot, as an instrumental on Crush[6]
- In 2006, by Yo La Tengo, on Yo La Tengo Is Murdering the Classics
See also
References
- ^ White, Adam; Bronson, Fred (1993). The Billboard Book of Number One Rhythm & Blues Hits. New York: Billboard Books:Watson-Guptill Publications. p. 3.
- ^ Whitburn, Joel (2004). Top R&B/Hip-Hop Singles: 1942-2004. Record Research. p. 607.
- ^ "Shotgun by Junior Walker & the All-Stars". songfacts.com. Retrieved 10 November 2012.
- ^ Schlueter, Brad (December 2007). "The Greatest Grooves of R&B and Soul". DRUM! Magazine. Archived from the original on 11 January 2014. Retrieved 19 August 2012.
- ^ Nicholls, Geoff (September 7, 1992). "Obituary: Larrie Londin". The Independent. Retrieved 19 August 2012.
- ^ "Richard Elliot - Crush (2001) album overview". AllMusic.
External links
- List of cover versions of "Shotgun" at SecondHandSongs.com
- One of two Shotgun album covers with Jack Douglas on drums
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