Shots (Imagine Dragons song) explained
"Shots" is a song by American rock band Imagine Dragons. It was written by band members Ben McKee, Daniel Platzman, Dan Reynolds and Wayne Sermon and released as the third and final single from their second studio album Smoke + Mirrors (2015).
Composition
The song shows influence of industrial music with heavy use of synthesizers. Reynolds' vocals are light, despite the dark lyrical content, recalling music from the 1980s. Sermon's guitar textures add complexity.[1]
Promotion
Imagine Dragons performed the track during a first ever live commercial (for Target) during the Grammy Awards (2015).[2] The advertising was filmed on Las Vegas' Fremont Street under the direction of Jonas Åkerlund.[3] The advertising promoted an exclusive edition of the album available at Target which includes four bonus tracks. It was estimated to cost $8 million and charted at number 2 on the Billboard Trending 140.[4]
"Shots" was performed on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon (February 18, 2015),[5] The Howard Stern Show (March 24, 2015),[6] The Ellen DeGeneres Show (2015),[7] and Today (2015).[8]
Music video
On February 12, 2015, Imagine Dragons released the official music video for "Shots". The video was directed by Robert Hales and was inspired by the artwork created by San Diego-based painter Tim Cantor.[9] The same artwork also serves as the cover art for all of the singles for the album. Cantor himself appears as the live depiction of one of his paintings.
Personnel
Imagine Dragons
- Dan Reynolds – lead vocals, percussion, songwriting, production
- Wayne Sermon – guitar, songwriting, production
- Ben McKee – bass guitar, synthesizers, songwriting, production
- Daniel Platzman – drums, percussion, songwriting, production
Broiler remix
In April 2015, Norwegian DJ and electronic music duo Broiler (Mikkel Christiansen and Simen Auke) released a remix of "Shots". It was a hit in its own right on VG-lista, the official Norwegian Singles Chart, reaching number 4 on the chart. A music video for the remix was released about 2 months later, on June 4.
Chart performance
Weekly charts
- Broiler Remix
Year-end charts
Release history
External links
Notes and References
- Web site: Music Times - Imagine Dragons, new song 'Shots'. 10 February 2015.
- Web site: Target hits bull's-eye with $8M Grammy commercial. . February 9, 2015. May 4, 2015.
- Web site: Imagine Dragons put Fremont Street back on the map. NORM CLARKE LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL. Las Vegas Review-Journal. February 16, 2015.
- Grammys 2015: Target's Imagine Dragons Commercial Break Cost About $8 Million. Billboard. February 16, 2015.
- Web site: Imagine Dragons: Shots. May 4, 2015. https://web.archive.org/web/20150508020642/http://www.nbc.com/the-tonight-show/segments/112871. May 8, 2015. dead.
- Web site: Imagine Dragons: YESTERDAY ON THE HOWARD STERN SHOW - featuring special performances of "radioactive" & their new hit single "shots"!. May 4, 2015. April 28, 2015. https://web.archive.org/web/20150428155116/http://www.howardstern.com/news/yesterday-on-the-howard-stern-show-imagine-dragons. dead.
- Web site: Imagine Dragons - Shots (Live on Ellen) . YouTube . 2015-06-03 . 2017-05-05.
- Web site: Imagine Dragons are 'Radioactive' on the TODAY plaza . TODAY.com . 2015-06-26 . 2017-05-05.
- Web site: Imagine Dragons Gearing Up For Release Of New Album -- Smoke... -- SANTA MONICA, Calif., Feb. 12, 2015 /PRNewswire/ --. KIDinaKORNER/Interscope Records. February 12, 2015. prnewswire.com. February 16, 2015.
- Web site: ARIA Singles: Ellie Goulding Love Me Like You Do Is No 1 . . February 21, 2015 . February 21, 2015 . Ryan . Gavin.
- Web site: FIMI/GfK Top Digital, Classifica settimanale WK 11 (dal 2015-03-09 al 2015-03-15) . Italian . . September 6, 2015.
- Web site: Chart: CLUK Update 07.02.2015 (wk5) . Zobbel.de . February 7, 2015 . Zywietz, Tobias.
- Adult Alternative Songs : Dec 31, 2015 Billboard Chart Archive. Billboard. billboard.com. January 3, 2016.
- Alternative Songs : Dec 31, 2015 Billboard Chart Archive. Billboard. billboard.com. January 3, 2016.
- Hot Rock Songs : Dec 31, 2015 Billboard Chart Archive. Billboard. billboard.com. January 3, 2016.
- Rock Digital Songs : Dec 31, 2015 Billboard Chart Archive. Billboard. billboard.com. January 3, 2016.
- Web site: Shots (2015) . . United States . February 6, 2015 . https://archive.today/20150209185544/https://us.7digital.com/artist/imagine-dragons/release/shots-1 . February 9, 2015 . live.
- Web site: Imagine Dragons – Shots (Interscope Records) . Radio Airplay SRL . February 6, 2015 . Mompellio, Gabriel . Italian . https://archive.today/20150209174207/http://www.radioairplay.fm/RadioDate/PublicDetails/102935/IMAGINE-DRAGONS-Shots-Interscope-Records . February 9, 2015 . dead .
- Web site: AllAccess.com Alternative eWeekly. AllAccess. March 3, 2015. July 4, 2016.