Janie's Got a Gun
Encyclopedia
"Janie's Got a Gun" is a song performed by American
hard rock
band Aerosmith
and written by Steven Tyler
and Tom Hamilton
. It was originally titled "Danny's Got a Gun" after a close friend of Steven Tyler, but was later changed. It was released as the second single from Pump
in 1989. It peaked at #4 on the Billboard Hot 100
in 1990, and also made it to #2 on the Mainstream Rock Tracks
chart. The song also reached #1 in Australia
, their first single #1 there, and one of two #1 singles for the band in that country. It reached #12 in Sweden.
Janie's Got a Gun was chosen as the 37th greatest song of the 80's by VH1
.
, who uses a glass harmonica
, wind gong, and bullroarer
s to produce the special effects heard at the start of the song.
Steven Tyler came up with the main riff of "Janie's Got a Gun" using a low-tone setting on his keyboard. Co-songwriter Tom Hamilton then came up with the bassline. The guitars and drum parts were configured in later, and Steven Tyler was responsible for writing the lyrics. The guitar solo
is played by Joe Perry
and is accompanied by the main riff and rhythmic clapping.
on her father after being sexually abused
by him; it is one of the few Aerosmith songs to deal with a heavy social issue. Aerosmith vocalist Steven Tyler
says that he came up with the title and melody before he knew what direction he wanted the song to take. It had taken nine months to finish the lyrics; after Tyler read a Newsweek
article on gunshot victims, he was able to connect the song with the theme of child abuse/incest. The line "He jacked a little bitty baby" was originally "He rape
d a little bitty baby," but was changed for commercial purposes. Steven often sings the original line when performing live. In addition, the line "...and put a bullet in his brain" was sometimes changed to "...and left him in the pouring rain" for the radio airplay version to make the song sound less graphic.
.
The video was groundbreaking at the time, featuring gruesome, realistic scenes that would be utilized in subsequent videos of the 1990s. The video made even more explicit the abovementioned references to incest
; early in the video, the actor playing the father is shown exiting his daughter's room, and cuts to a shot of the girl writhing in her bed, crying. The actress playing Janie is Kristin Dattilo of The Chris Isaak Show
fame. Actress Lesley Ann Warren
played Janie's mother and actor Nicholas Guest
played her father.
on February 13, 2006; at one point, while Jon Stewart
and his "correspondents" were mocking the Dick Cheney hunting incident
, a placard displayed the caption "Cheney's Got a Gun." A parody song of that same name was written by Bob Rivers
and is featured on the website atomfilms.com. Three other "Cheney's Got a Gun" parodies were submitted to the popular music
parody website Amiright, along with the Bob Rivers version of the parody.
Another parody was "Elmo's Got a Gun" by Tommy & Rumble
. It was about Sesame Street
character Elmo
going on a killing spree. It is often erroneously attributed to Weird Al. There are many fan-made videos of this on Youtube
.
In Not Another Teen Movie
(2001); Jake, played by Chris Evans
, while trying to seduce a girl, is told to sing a song with the name (Janie Briggs) in it. Unfortunately, Jake sings "Janie's Got a Gun", which gets Janie Briggs arrested and tasered by campus police for suspicion of a concealed weapon.
On the Full House
episode "Our Very First Telethon", Joey Gladstone sings "Janie's Got a Gun" for the telethon, "We Love Our Children Telethon '90". Bandleader Jesse Katsopolis stops him after about two lines and begs the host Rebecca Donaldson, "PLEASE bring someone on before he starts doing Tina Turner!"
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
hard rock
Hard rock
Hard rock is a loosely defined genre of rock music which has its earliest roots in mid-1960s garage rock, blues rock and psychedelic rock...
band Aerosmith
Aerosmith
Aerosmith is an American rock band, sometimes referred to as "The Bad Boys from Boston" and "America's Greatest Rock and Roll Band". Their style, which is rooted in blues-based hard rock, has come to also incorporate elements of pop, heavy metal, and rhythm and blues, and has inspired many...
and written by Steven Tyler
Steven Tyler
Steven Tyler is an American singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist, best known as the frontman and lead singer of the Boston-based rock band Aerosmith, in which he also plays the harmonica, and occasional piano and percussion. He is known as the "Demon of Screamin'", due to his high screams...
and Tom Hamilton
Tom Hamilton (musician)
Thomas William "Tom" Hamilton is an American musician, best known as the bassist of hard rock band Aerosmith. He has co-written two of Aerosmith's hits, "Sweet Emotion" and "Janie's Got a Gun". Hamilton occasionally plays guitar and sings backing vocals Thomas William "Tom" Hamilton (born...
. It was originally titled "Danny's Got a Gun" after a close friend of Steven Tyler, but was later changed. It was released as the second single from Pump
Pump (album)
*After the end of "What It Takes" there is a brief, untitled, instrumental hidden track composed and performed by Randy Raine-Reusch. This was not included on all the releases in all countries.-Bonus track :-Lawsuit:...
in 1989. It peaked at #4 on the Billboard Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
in 1990, and also made it to #2 on the Mainstream Rock Tracks
Mainstream Rock Tracks
Hot Mainstream Rock Tracks is a ranking in Billboard magazine of the most-played songs on mainstream rock radio stations, a category that includes stations that play primarily rock music. Modern rock tracks are counted in the Alternative Songs chart.This chart began with the March 21, 1981, issue...
chart. The song also reached #1 in Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
, their first single #1 there, and one of two #1 singles for the band in that country. It reached #12 in Sweden.
Janie's Got a Gun was chosen as the 37th greatest song of the 80's by VH1
VH1
VH1 or Vh1 is an American cable television network based in New York City. Launched on January 1, 1985 in the old space of Turner Broadcasting's short-lived Cable Music Channel, the original purpose of the channel was to build on the success of MTV by playing music videos, but targeting a slightly...
.
Song structure
On the album, "Janie's Got a Gun" is preceded by a 10-second instrumental called "Water Song", which features the work of professional instrumentalist Randy Raine-ReuschRandy Raine-Reusch
Randy Raine-Reusch is a Canadian composer, performer, improviser, and multi-instrumentalist specializing in wind and string instruments from around the world, particularly those from East and Southeast Asia....
, who uses a glass harmonica
Glass harmonica
The glass harmonica, also known as the glass armonica, bowl organ, hydrocrystalophone, or simply the armonica , is a type of musical instrument that uses a series of glass bowls or goblets graduated in size to produce musical tones by means of friction The glass harmonica, also known as the glass...
, wind gong, and bullroarer
Bullroarer (music)
The bullroarer, rhombus, or turndun, is an ancient ritual musical instrument and a device historically used for communicating over greatly-extended distances. It dates to the Paleolithic period, being found in Ukraine dating from 17,000 BC...
s to produce the special effects heard at the start of the song.
Steven Tyler came up with the main riff of "Janie's Got a Gun" using a low-tone setting on his keyboard. Co-songwriter Tom Hamilton then came up with the bassline. The guitars and drum parts were configured in later, and Steven Tyler was responsible for writing the lyrics. The guitar solo
Guitar solo
In popular music, a guitar solo is a melodic passage, section, or entire piece of music written for an electric guitar or an acoustic guitar. Guitar solos, which often contain varying degrees of improvisation, are used in many styles of popular music such as blues, jazz, rock and metal styles such...
is played by Joe Perry
Joe Perry (musician)
Anthony Joseph "Joe" Perry is the lead guitarist, backing and occasional lead vocalist, and contributing songwriter for the rock band Aerosmith. He is influenced by many rock artists especially The Rolling Stones and The Beatles...
and is accompanied by the main riff and rhythmic clapping.
Lyrical interpretation
The song is about a girl named Janie who takes revengeRevenge
Revenge is a harmful action against a person or group in response to a grievance, be it real or perceived. It is also called payback, retribution, retaliation or vengeance; it may be characterized, justly or unjustly, as a form of justice.-Function in society:Some societies believe that the...
on her father after being sexually abused
Child abuse
Child abuse is the physical, sexual, emotional mistreatment, or neglect of a child. In the United States, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Department of Children And Families define child maltreatment as any act or series of acts of commission or omission by a parent or...
by him; it is one of the few Aerosmith songs to deal with a heavy social issue. Aerosmith vocalist Steven Tyler
Steven Tyler
Steven Tyler is an American singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist, best known as the frontman and lead singer of the Boston-based rock band Aerosmith, in which he also plays the harmonica, and occasional piano and percussion. He is known as the "Demon of Screamin'", due to his high screams...
says that he came up with the title and melody before he knew what direction he wanted the song to take. It had taken nine months to finish the lyrics; after Tyler read a Newsweek
Newsweek
Newsweek is an American weekly news magazine published in New York City. It is distributed throughout the United States and internationally. It is the second-largest news weekly magazine in the U.S., having trailed Time in circulation and advertising revenue for most of its existence...
article on gunshot victims, he was able to connect the song with the theme of child abuse/incest. The line "He jacked a little bitty baby" was originally "He rape
Rape
Rape is a type of sexual assault usually involving sexual intercourse, which is initiated by one or more persons against another person without that person's consent. The act may be carried out by physical force, coercion, abuse of authority or with a person who is incapable of valid consent. The...
d a little bitty baby," but was changed for commercial purposes. Steven often sings the original line when performing live. In addition, the line "...and put a bullet in his brain" was sometimes changed to "...and left him in the pouring rain" for the radio airplay version to make the song sound less graphic.
Music video
The video, released in 1989, was directed by noted video director and later film director David FincherDavid Fincher
David Andrew Leo Fincher is an American film and music video director. Known for his dark and stylish thrillers, such as Seven , The Game , Fight Club , Panic Room , and Zodiac , Fincher received Academy Award nominations for Best Director for his 2008 film The Curious Case of Benjamin Button and...
.
The video was groundbreaking at the time, featuring gruesome, realistic scenes that would be utilized in subsequent videos of the 1990s. The video made even more explicit the abovementioned references to incest
Incest
Incest is sexual intercourse between close relatives that is usually illegal in the jurisdiction where it takes place and/or is conventionally considered a taboo. The term may apply to sexual activities between: individuals of close "blood relationship"; members of the same household; step...
; early in the video, the actor playing the father is shown exiting his daughter's room, and cuts to a shot of the girl writhing in her bed, crying. The actress playing Janie is Kristin Dattilo of The Chris Isaak Show
The Chris Isaak Show
The Chris Isaak Show is a television sitcom which follows a fictionalized version of the life of American rock musician Chris Isaak. The show portrays Isaak and his band members as everyday people with everyday problems...
fame. Actress Lesley Ann Warren
Lesley Ann Warren
Lesley Ann Warren is an American actress and singer. She has been nominated once for an Academy Award and Emmy Awards and five times for Golden Globe, winning one....
played Janie's mother and actor Nicholas Guest
Nicholas Guest
Nicholas Haden-Guest is an American actor. He primarily works as a voice actor, but is best known for a TV role, as the principal in the NBC teen sitcom, USA High.-Personal life:...
played her father.
Covers and other versions
The song title was parodied on The Daily ShowThe Daily Show
The Daily Show , is an American late night satirical television program airing each Monday through Thursday on Comedy Central. The half-hour long show premiered on July 21, 1996, and was hosted by Craig Kilborn until December 1998...
on February 13, 2006; at one point, while Jon Stewart
Jon Stewart
Jon Stewart is an American political satirist, writer, television host, actor, media critic and stand-up comedian...
and his "correspondents" were mocking the Dick Cheney hunting incident
Dick Cheney hunting incident
The Dick Cheney hunting incident occurred on February 11, 2006, when then U.S. Vice President Dick Cheney shot Harry Whittington, a 78-year-old Texas attorney, while participating in a quail hunt on a ranch in Kenedy County, Texas...
, a placard displayed the caption "Cheney's Got a Gun." A parody song of that same name was written by Bob Rivers
Bob Rivers
Bob Rivers is a well-known American rock and roll radio on air personality in the Pacific Northwest as well as a prolific producer of parody songs, most famous for his Christmas song parodies....
and is featured on the website atomfilms.com. Three other "Cheney's Got a Gun" parodies were submitted to the popular music
Popular music
Popular music belongs to any of a number of musical genres "having wide appeal" and is typically distributed to large audiences through the music industry. It stands in contrast to both art music and traditional music, which are typically disseminated academically or orally to smaller, local...
parody website Amiright, along with the Bob Rivers version of the parody.
Another parody was "Elmo's Got a Gun" by Tommy & Rumble
Tommy & Rumble
Rumble in the Morning is a comic radio program broadcast weekday mornings on FM99 in Virginia and hosted by Rick Rumble. The show was known as Tommy & Rumble from 1995 until 2009, during which time it was hosted by Tommy Griffiths and Rumble...
. It was about Sesame Street
Sesame Street
Sesame Street has undergone significant changes in its history. According to writer Michael Davis, by the mid-1970s the show had become "an American institution". The cast and crew expanded during this time, including the hiring of women in the crew and additional minorities in the cast. The...
character Elmo
Elmo
Elmo is a Muppet character on the children's television show Sesame Street. He is a furry red monster and currently hosts the last full 15 minute segment on Sesame Street, Elmo's World, which is aimed at toddlers. His puppeteer, Kevin Clash, uses falsetto to produce his voice...
going on a killing spree. It is often erroneously attributed to Weird Al. There are many fan-made videos of this on Youtube
YouTube
YouTube is a video-sharing website, created by three former PayPal employees in February 2005, on which users can upload, view and share videos....
.
In Not Another Teen Movie
Not Another Teen Movie
Not Another Teen Movie is a 2001 American comedy film directed by Joel Gallen, released on December 14, 2001 by Columbia Pictures. It is a parody of teen movies which have accumulated in Hollywood over the last few decades...
(2001); Jake, played by Chris Evans
Chris Evans (actor)
Christopher Robert "Chris" Evans is an American actor. He played Cary Baston on the television series Opposite Sex, and transitioned to a film career, starring in several hits, including Not Another Teen Movie , Fierce People , Fantastic Four, sequel Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer , and...
, while trying to seduce a girl, is told to sing a song with the name (Janie Briggs) in it. Unfortunately, Jake sings "Janie's Got a Gun", which gets Janie Briggs arrested and tasered by campus police for suspicion of a concealed weapon.
On the Full House
Full House
Full House is an American sitcom television series. Set in San Francisco, the show chronicles widowed father Danny Tanner, who, after the death of his wife, enlists his best friend Joey Gladstone and his brother-in-law Jesse Katsopolis to help raise his three daughters, D.J., Stephanie, and...
episode "Our Very First Telethon", Joey Gladstone sings "Janie's Got a Gun" for the telethon, "We Love Our Children Telethon '90". Bandleader Jesse Katsopolis stops him after about two lines and begs the host Rebecca Donaldson, "PLEASE bring someone on before he starts doing Tina Turner!"
Awards
- The song won the band a Grammy Award for Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group with VocalGrammy Award for Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group with VocalThe Grammy Award for Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal was awarded between 1980 and 2011.The award was discontinued after the 2011 award season in a major overhaul of Grammy categories...
in 1991. This was the band's first Grammy win. - The song's video won the band an MTV Video Music Award for Best Rock VideoMTV Video Music Award for Best Rock VideoThe MTV Video Music Award for Best Rock Video was first given out in , and it was one of the four original genre categories added to the VMAs that year. That year, though, the award was called the Best Heavy Metal Video. From 1990 to 1995, the award was called the Best Metal/Hard Rock Video, and...
as well as MTV Video Music Award - Viewer's ChoiceMTV Video Music Award - Viewer's ChoiceThe MTV Video Music Award for Viewer's Choice was first awarded at the first annual MTV Video Music Awards in 1984. The Viewer's Choice award nominees were the originally the same as the Video of the Year nominees, something which continued until 1994...
in 1990. These awards marked the band's first VMA wins.
Charts
| End of year chart (1990) | Position |
|---|---|
| U.S. Billboard Hot 100 | 61 |
Rankings on lists
- "Janie's Got a Gun" ranked #37 on VH1VH1VH1 or Vh1 is an American cable television network based in New York City. Launched on January 1, 1985 in the old space of Turner Broadcasting's short-lived Cable Music Channel, the original purpose of the channel was to build on the success of MTV by playing music videos, but targeting a slightly...
's 100 Greatest '80s Songs. - In 1993, "Rolling Stone: The Top 100 Music Videos" included "Janie" at #95.
- In 1999, "MTV: 100 Greatest Videos Ever Made" included it at #48.
- In 2001, "VH1: 100 Greatest Videos" included it at #48.