Shots (Imagine Dragons song)

"Shots"
Single by Imagine Dragons
from the album Smoke + Mirrors
ReleasedJanuary 26, 2015 (2015-01-26)
Recorded
Genre
Length3:53
Label
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)Imagine Dragons
Imagine Dragons singles chronology
"Gold"
(2014) 		"Shots"
(2015) 		"Roots"
(2015)
Music video
"Shots" on YouTube

"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.[4]

Promotion

Imagine Dragons performed the track during a first ever live commercial (for Target) during the Grammy Awards (2015).[5] The advertising was filmed on Las Vegas' Fremont Street under the direction of Jonas Åkerlund.[6] 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.[7]

"Shots" was performed on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon (February 18, 2015),[8] The Howard Stern Show (March 24, 2015),[9] The Ellen DeGeneres Show (2015),[10] and Today (2015).[11]

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.[12] 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.

Track listing

Digital download[13]
No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
1."Shots"
Imagine Dragons3:53
Digital download – Broiler Remix[14]
No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
1."Shots" (Broiler remix)
Imagine Dragons3:10

Personnel

Imagine Dragons

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

Certifications

Certifications and sales for "Shots"
Region Certification Certified units/sales
Brazil (Pro-Música Brasil)[38] 2× Platinum 120,000‡
Denmark (IFPI Danmark)[39] Platinum 60,000^
Germany (BVMI)[40] Gold 200,000‡
Italy (FIMI)[41] Platinum 50,000‡
Norway (IFPI Norway)[42] 3× Platinum 120,000‡
Spain (PROMUSICAE)[43] Platinum 60,000‡
Sweden (GLF)[44] 3× Platinum 120,000‡
United Kingdom (BPI)[45] Gold 400,000‡
United States (RIAA)[46] Platinum 1,000,000‡

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

Release history

Release dates for "Shots"
Country Date Format Label
United States[13] February 2, 2015 Digital download
Italy[47] February 6, 2015 Contemporary hit radio Interscope
United States[48] March 3, 2015 Modern rock radio KIDinaKORNER

References

  1. ^ Mosk, Mitch (January 31, 2015). "Imagine Dragons Album Preview and the Darkness Of "Shots"". Atwood Magazine. Retrieved September 27, 2015.
  2. ^ a b "Rolling Stone - Imagine Dragons 'Smoke & Mirrors'". Rolling Stone. February 19, 2015.
  3. ^ "News Day - 'Smoke and Mirrors'". February 19, 2015.
  4. ^ "Music Times - Imagine Dragons, new song 'Shots'". February 10, 2015.
  5. ^ "Target hits bull's-eye with $8M Grammy commercial". CNBC. February 9, 2015. Retrieved May 4, 2015.
  6. ^ NORM CLARKE LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL. "Imagine Dragons put Fremont Street back on the map". Las Vegas Review-Journal. Retrieved February 16, 2015.
  7. ^ "Grammys 2015: Target's Imagine Dragons Commercial Break Cost About $8 Million". Billboard. Retrieved February 16, 2015.
  8. ^ "Imagine Dragons: Shots". Archived from the original on May 8, 2015. Retrieved May 4, 2015.
  9. ^ "Imagine Dragons: YESTERDAY ON THE HOWARD STERN SHOW - featuring special performances of "radioactive" & their new hit single "shots"!". Archived from the original on April 28, 2015. Retrieved May 4, 2015.
  10. ^ "Imagine Dragons - Shots (Live on Ellen)". YouTube. June 3, 2015. Retrieved May 5, 2017.
  11. ^ "Imagine Dragons are 'Radioactive' on the TODAY plaza". TODAY.com. June 26, 2015. Retrieved May 5, 2017.
  12. ^ KIDinaKORNER/Interscope Records (February 12, 2015). "Imagine Dragons Gearing Up For Release Of New Album -- Smoke... -- SANTA MONICA, Calif., Feb. 12, 2015 /PRNewswire/ --". prnewswire.com. Retrieved February 16, 2015.
  13. ^ a b "Shots (2015)". United States: 7digital. Archived from the original on February 9, 2015. Retrieved February 6, 2015.
  14. ^ ""Shots (Broiler Remix) - Single" von Imagine Dragons auf Apple Music". Itunes.apple.com. March 27, 2015. Retrieved May 5, 2017.
  15. ^ Ryan, Gavin (February 21, 2015). "ARIA Singles: Ellie Goulding Love Me Like You Do Is No 1". Noise11. Retrieved February 21, 2015.
  16. ^ "Imagine Dragons – Shots" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40. Retrieved July 20, 2015.
  17. ^ "Imagine Dragons – Shots" (in Dutch). Ultratip. Retrieved April 10, 2015.
  18. ^ "Imagine Dragons – Shots" (in French). Ultratip. Retrieved May 25, 2015.
  19. ^ "Imagine Dragons Chart History (Canadian Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved February 5, 2015.
  20. ^ "Imagine Dragons – Shots". Tracklisten. Retrieved September 23, 2015.
  21. ^ "Imagine Dragons – Shots" (in French). Les classement single. Retrieved February 25, 2015.
  22. ^ "Imagine Dragons – Shots" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts. Retrieved March 20, 2019.
  23. ^ "FIMI/GfK Top Digital, Classifica settimanale WK 11 (dal 2015-03-09 al 2015-03-15)" (in Italian). Top Digital Download. Retrieved September 6, 2015.
  24. ^ "Top 20 Inglés Del 27 de Abril al 3 de Mayo, 2015". Monitor Latinoaccessdate=2018-05-02. April 27, 2015.
  25. ^ "Imagine Dragons – Shots". VG-lista. Retrieved May 25, 2015.
  26. ^ "Imagine Dragons – Shots". Singles Top 100. Retrieved May 4, 2015.
  27. ^ Zywietz, Tobias. "Chart: CLUK Update 07.02.2015 (wk5)". Zobbel.de. Retrieved February 7, 2015.
  28. ^ "Imagine Dragons Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved February 5, 2015.
  29. ^ "Imagine Dragons Chart History (Adult Pop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved August 25, 2015.
  30. ^ "Imagine Dragons Chart History (Alternative Airplay)". Billboard. Retrieved February 5, 2015.
  31. ^ "Imagine Dragons Chart History (Hot Rock & Alternative Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved February 5, 2015.
  32. ^ "Imagine Dragons Chart History (Rock Airplay)". Billboard. Retrieved May 21, 2015.
  33. ^ "Imagine Dragons – Shots". VG-lista. Retrieved April 19, 2015.
  34. ^ "Adult Alternative Songs : Dec 31, 2015 | Billboard Chart Archive". Billboard. billboard.com. Retrieved January 3, 2016.
  35. ^ "Alternative Songs : Dec 31, 2015 | Billboard Chart Archive". Billboard. billboard.com. Retrieved January 3, 2016.
  36. ^ "Hot Rock Songs : Dec 31, 2015 | Billboard Chart Archive". Billboard. billboard.com. Retrieved January 3, 2016.
  37. ^ "Rock Digital Songs : Dec 31, 2015 | Billboard Chart Archive". Billboard. billboard.com. Retrieved January 3, 2016.
  38. ^ "Brazilian single certifications – Imagine Dragons – Shots" (in Portuguese). Pro-Música Brasil. Retrieved June 20, 2024.
  39. ^ "Danish single certifications – Imagine Dragons – Shots". IFPI Danmark. Retrieved August 22, 2022.
  40. ^ "Gold-/Platin-Datenbank (Imagine Dragons; 'Shots')" (in German). Bundesverband Musikindustrie. Retrieved October 5, 2017.
  41. ^ "Italian single certifications – Imagine Dragons – Shots" (in Italian). Federazione Industria Musicale Italiana. Retrieved September 24, 2018.
  42. ^ "Norwegian single certifications – Imagine Dragons – Shots" (in Norwegian). IFPI Norway. Retrieved October 26, 2015.
  43. ^ "Spanish single certifications – Imagine Dragons – Shots". El portal de Música. Productores de Música de España. Retrieved June 10, 2024.
  44. ^ "Sverigetopplistan – Imagine Dragons" (in Swedish). Sverigetopplistan. Retrieved August 22, 2022.
  45. ^ "British single certifications – Imagine Dragons – Shots". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved January 27, 2024.
  46. ^ "American single certifications – Imagine Dragons – Shots". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved September 1, 2021.
  47. ^ Mompellio, Gabriel. "Imagine Dragons – Shots (Interscope Records)" (in Italian). Radio Airplay SRL. Archived from the original on February 9, 2015. Retrieved February 6, 2015.
  48. ^ "AllAccess.com Alternative eWeekly". AllAccess. March 3, 2015. Retrieved July 4, 2016.