Shotgun (Junior Walker & the All Stars song)

"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]

For other songs named Shotgun, see Shotgun (disambiguation).
"Shotgun"
Single by Junior Walker & the All Stars
from the album Shotgun
ReleasedFebruary 13, 1965
RecordedHitsville U.S.A. (Studio A), Detroit, Michigan, 1964
GenreSoul
Length2:53
LabelSoul Records (Motown)
Songwriter(s)Autry DeWalt
Producer(s)Berry Gordy and Lawrence Horn
Junior Walker & the All Stars singles chronology
"Satan's Blues"
(1964)		 "Shotgun"
(1965)		 "Do the Boomerang"
(1965)

"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
  • "Shotgun" was featured in the first Hairspray movie (1988).
  • 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:

It was recorded subsequently:

See also
  • List of number-one R&B singles of 1965 (U.S.)

References
  1. White, Adam; Bronson, Fred (1993). The Billboard Book of Number One Rhythm & Blues Hits. New York: Billboard Books:Watson-Guptill Publications. p. 3.
  2. Whitburn, Joel (2004). Top R&B/Hip-Hop Singles: 1942-2004. Record Research. p. 607.
  3. "Shotgun by Junior Walker & the All-Stars". songfacts.com. Retrieved 10 November 2012.
  4. 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.
  5. Nicholls, Geoff (September 7, 1992). "Obituary: Larrie Londin". The Independent. Retrieved 19 August 2012.
  6. "Richard Elliot - Crush (2001) album overview". AllMusic.


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