‘Hit Me with Your Best Shot’ is a song recorded by American rock singer Pat Benatar and written by Eddie Schwartz. In 1980, it was released as the second single from her second album Crimes of Passion, which became her biggest-selling album. It hit No. 7 in Cash Box, and reached No. 9 on the Billboard Hot 100, becoming her first Top 10 hit in the US. It was particularly popular on album-rock radio stations, peaking at number 1 on the US Tunecaster Rock Tracks chart. It was also a Top 10 hit in Canada, although the only other country in which it charted was Australia where it reached the Top 40.
‘Hit Me with Your Best Shot’ sold well over a million copies in the U.S., achieving a gold certification by the RIAA. The song is one of Benatar's most recognizable tracks. Heard at many baseball and soccer games, the song has been featured on many compilation albums, including both multi-artist works as well as those just focusing on Benatar (such as 10 Great Songs and Greatest Hits).
Schwartz said that he came up with the title of the song after attending a "pillow punching" therapy session in Toronto, but stated that the title is to be taken metaphorically. After he got the idea for this song, Eddie Schwartz was approached by a publishing company called ATV, who were interested in signing him. In an interview, he described how he put together the demo for ‘Hit Me With Your Best Shot’: "I booked a recording session for after our gig one night. The session started at 3 a.m. and was scheduled to go until 6 or 7 in the morning. I had nothing written. On the way to the gig that night, driving along the highway in Toronto, it seemed like the sky opened up and the song just came to me (musically and the chorus, I didn't have the verse lyrics yet). I madly drove to the gig we were playing, I picked up a guitar and figured out what the chords in my head were and jotted it all down. Then we played the gig and I hired the same guys to come to this demo session. We got there at 3 in the morning, we recorded the tracks, and it was time to sing the vocals. I stepped to the microphone and realized I had no verse lyrics. The sun was coming up and we were all totally exhausted. I said, 'Just run the tape three times, whatever I sing the third time, those are the lyrics.' I really just improvised the lyrics, and as I sang the first two times if anything came out of my mouth that I liked I jotted it down. By the time the engineer pressed record on the third pass the song was written as we now know it."
Eddie sent a demo tape of four songs to ATV, with ‘Hit Me With Your Best Shot’ as the last song. “When I got back to Toronto, ATV had just hired a new guy in New York named Marv Goodman. He was working at Chrysalis but he was going to leave and go to ATV, but while he was still at Chrysalis for the last couple of weeks he was listening to material he'd be working with at ATV so I sent him 'Hit Me.' Sure enough, he liked it and kept playing it over and over again. The story I heard was that Pat Benatar took a meeting in the office next door, heard it through the wall, got excited about it and that's how she heard 'Hit Me With Your Best Shot.'"
Pat Benatar charted with ‘Heartbreaker’ and ‘We Live For Love’ from her debut album, In The Heat Of The Night, but ‘Hit Me With Your Best Shot’ was her first big hit. It was the second single from her second album, Crimes Of Passion, following her cover of The Young Rascals' ‘You Better Run.’ The song made a slow climb to #9 in the US in December 1980 and eventually sold over one million copies as a single in America (Crimes Of Passion sold 4 million). This song was a big hit when aerobics was catching on in America; it was often played in the classes. Benatar's colorful fashion choices were often emulated in these classes.
In a 2022 interview, Benatar told USA Today that she would no longer perform the song in protest of mass shootings in the United States. "(The title) is tongue-in-cheek, but you have to draw the line. I can't say those words out loud with a smile on my face, I just can't," she explained. "I'm not going to go on stage and soapbox - I go to my legislators - but that's my small contribution to protesting. I'm not going to sing it."
Label – Chrysalis
Songwriter – Eddie Schwartz
Producer – Keith Olsen
SONG LYRICS
[Intro][Verse 1]
Well you're the real tough cookie with a long history
Of breaking little hearts like the one in me
That's okay, let's see how you do it
Put up your dukes, let's get down to it
[Chorus]
Hit me with your best shot
Why don't you hit me with your best shot
Hit me with your best shot
Fire away
[Verse 2]
You come on with it, come on, you don't fight fair
That's okay, see if I care
Knock me down, it's all in vain
I get right back on my feet again
[Chorus]
Hit me with your best shot
Why don't you hit me with your best shot
Hit me with your best shot
Fire away
[Instrumental]
[Verse 3]
Well you're the real tough cookie with a long history
Of breaking little hearts like the one in me
Before I put another notch in my lipstick case
You better make sure you put me in my place
[Chorus]
Hit me with your best shot
C'mon, hit me with your best shot
Hit me with your best shot
Fire away
[Chorus]
Hit me with your best shot
Why don't you hit me with your best shot
Hit me with your best shot
Fire away