Killed by Death
| Killed by Death | |
|---|---|
| Motorhead | |
| publication | September 1, 1984 |
| length | 4:40 |
| Genre (s) | Heavy metal |
| Author (s) |
Lemmy Kilmister Michael Burston |
| Label | Bronze Records |
| album | No remorse |
| Cover versions | |
| 2005 | Crucified Barbara |
| 2019 | Beast in Black |
Killed by Death is a song by the British band Motörhead , which was released as a single on September 1, 1984 and was later released on the compilation No Remorse .
publication
Killed by Death is the first and only single from the best-of album No Remorse and one of four new songs on this compilation. These were the first songs of the new line-up with the two guitarists Michael Burston ("Root") and Phil Campbell , who replaced Brian Robertson , and drummer Pete Gill , who stood in for Phil Taylor . Killed by Death was recorded at Britannia Row Studios in London, produced by Vic Maile and Guy Bidmead.
A video was also made for the song in the Arizona desert, directed by Plasmatics manager Rod Swenson. The video was brought to MTV by Island Records via two scantily clad female bikers . However, the broadcaster refused to broadcast because of "excessive and senseless violence" and not, as Lemmy Kilmister erroneously states in his biography, because of offensive content. In the video, Lemmy frees a young woman from a skewered home and is then chased by police officers. He is arrested and executed on the electric chair during a rocker riot, but returns from the dead.
Bronze Records released the single on September 1, 1984 as a 7 '' version with a one minute shorter version and as 12 '' in the original length of 4:40. On both releases, the B-side was Under the Knife , with Under the Knife there are two versions with different music and text. The 12 '' includes both versions. Another 12 '' was released as a promotional version for radio stations and contained the track on both the A and B sides. This version is now a sought-after rarity. The cover artwork is black with the band mascot Snaggletooth as a print. The back shows all band members with different ways of dying: Lemmy in the electric chair, Burston on the cross, Campbell at the stake and Gill in front of a firing squad. There was also a picturedisc with the band's logo on it.
occupation
- Lemmy Kilmister - bass , vocals
- Phil Campbell - guitar
- Michael Burston - guitar
- Pete Gill - drums
Meaning and reception
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Chart positions Explanation of the data |
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Killed by Death is kept in the typical Motörhead style and is more mid-tempo. The text caricatures Kilmister's image as a womanizer and contains some difficult to interpret, but considered obscene text passages (" If you squeeze my lizard, I'll put my snake on you "). The tautology of the title ("Killed by Death") was later used in a number of obituaries for Lemmy Kilmister.
The song is one of the great Motörhead classics. Although it fell short of expectations at number 51 in the British charts, it became a live classic over the years and later re-released on a number of other best-of albums and on the various live albums.
Individual evidence
- ↑ Pat Pemberton: 10 Banned Music Videos. Rolling Stone , May 9, 2013, accessed March 26, 2016 .
- ↑ a b Lemmy Kilmister with Janiss Garza: White Line Fever. The autobiography . Heyne Hardcore, Munich 2006, ISBN 3-453-67525-8 , p. 287 .
- ^ Alan Burridge and Mick Stevenson: Motorhead . In: Record Collector . July 1993, p. 73 and 75 .
- ^ Alan Burridge: Collector's Guide to Motörhead , Collector's Guide Publishing 1995, ISBN 0-9695736-2-6
- ↑ Motörhead: Killed by Death. Discogs , accessed March 25, 2016 .
- ↑ Chart placement: UK
- ↑ a b The 20 greatest Motorhead songs - as voted by you. TeamRock.com, January 1, 2016, accessed March 25, 2016 .
- ↑ a b Motorhead's Lemmy: 20 Essential Songs. Rolling Stone , accessed March 25, 2016 .
- ↑ Luise Checchin, Carolin Gasteiger and Johanna Bruckner: On the death of Lemmy Kilmister: The ten best Motörhead songs. Süddeutsche Zeitung , December 29, 2015, accessed on March 25, 2016 .