Motörhead released 23 studio albums, 10 live recordings, 12 compilation albums and five EPs over a career spanning 40 years. Usually a power trio, they had particular success in the early 1980s with several successful singles in the UK Top 40 chart. The albums Overkill, Bomber, Ace of Spades and, particularly, the live album No Sleep 'til Hammersmith cemented Motörhead's reputation as a top-tier rock band. The band are ranked number 26 on VH1's 100 Greatest Artists of Hard Rock. As of 2016, they have sold more than 15 million albums worldwide.
Most often classified as heavy metal, Motörhead has been credited with being part of and influencing numerous musical scenes, thrash metal and speed metal especially. Lemmy, however, always insisted that they were a rock and roll band. He said that they had more in common with punk bands, but with their own unique sound, Motörhead is embraced in both punk and metal scenes. Their lyrics typically covered such topics as war, good versus evil, abuse of power, promiscuous sex, substance abuse and, most famously, gambling, the latter theme being the focus of their hit song "Ace of Spades".
Lemmy died on 28 December 2015 from cardiac arrhythmia and congestive heart failure, after being diagnosed with prostate cancer. The day after his death, drummer Mikkey Dee and guitarist Phil Campbell both confirmed that Motörhead had disbanded. By 2018, all three members of Motörhead's best-known line-up (Lemmy, Taylor and Clarke) had died.
Full Wikipedia article: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Motörhead
Discography
Motörhead (1977)
Overkill (1979)
Bomber (1979)
On Parole (1979)
Ace of Spades (1980)
Iron Fist (1982)
Another Perfect Day (1983)
Orgasmatron (1986)
Rock 'n' Roll (1987)
1916 (1991)
March ör Die (1992)
Bastards (1993)
Sacrifice (1995)
Overnight Sensation (1996)
Snake Bite Love (1998)
We Are Motörhead (2000)
Hammered (2002)
Inferno (2004)
Kiss of Death (2006)
Motörizer (2008)
The Wörld Is Yours (2010)
Aftershock (2013)
Bad Magic (2015)
Shoot You In The Back
Motörhead Lyrics
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The riders ride, into the night
Into the west, to see who's gun's the best
They're all fools, to live by rules
The rider wearing black
Oh, he's gonna shoot you in the back, ow!
The awful pain, the crimson rain
He got to realize, before he dies
The rider wearing black
Know he's gonna shoot you in the back
It's suicide, to live on pride
You claim you own, your skin, your bone
Your own life, cuts you like a knife
The rider wearing black
He's gonna, he's gonna shoot you in the back, hey!
In the western movies!
Motörhead's "Shoot You in the Back" is a song that captures the essence of Western films' popular themes, particularly gunfights and their lethal consequences. The song starts with the image of riders riding into the night, presumably towards a showdown. The riders are engaged in a competition to see who has the best gun, but the ironic part is that they are all fools to live by rules because in real life, the rules don't always apply. The rider wearing black is the ultimate threat to the riders; he's going to shoot them in the back, an act of cowardice that's not acceptable in the Western code of conduct.
The song captures a raw emotion of the pain of being shot, and the realization that the injury may lead to death. The pain is described as an awful burn, and the blood that pours from the wound is compared to a crimson rain. The rider with the black outfit is the one to watch out for, and they must be aware of his impending attack that will leave them mortally wounded.
The song highlights one of the universal themes of Western films: living on pride is suicidal. Claiming ownership of anything in life, even one's skin and bone, is a sensitive issue that could get one's life cut like a knife. Thus, the ultimate threat is always lurking around the corner, in the form of the rider wearing black who will shoot you in the back. The chorus ends with a defiant declaration that the rider will do just that, shoot them in the back.
Line by Line Meaning
Western movies!
The song is referencing Western movies at the beginning.
The riders ride, into the night
Horse riders are riding through the night.
Into the west, to see who's gun's the best
They are heading west to determine who is the best shooter.
They're all fools, to live by rules
The riders are foolish for living by certain rules.
The rider wearing black
A specific rider is wearing black.
Oh, he's gonna shoot you in the back, ow!
The rider wearing black is going to shoot someone in the back.
The horseman turns, the wound that burns
The person who was shot turns and feels the pain from the wound.
The awful pain, the crimson rain
The wound is causing terrible pain, and blood is coming out.
He got to realize, before he dies
The person who was shot needs to realize what is happening before they die.
Know he's gonna shoot you in the back
The person realizes the rider wearing black is going to shoot them in the back.
It's suicide, to live on pride
Living only for pride is dangerous and can lead to harm.
You claim you own, your skin, your bone
People claim to own their own bodies.
Your own life, cuts you like a knife
Living life can be painful, like being cut by a knife.
He's gonna, he's gonna shoot you in the back, hey!
The rider wearing black is definitely going to shoot someone in the back.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: EDWARD ALAN CLARKE, IAN KILMISTER, PHILIP JOHN TAYLOR
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind