"Gold Guns Girls" is the fourth single from Canadian rock group Metric's fourth studio album Fantasies. The lyrics were inspired by the 1983 movie, Scarface.[1] The song was released in the UK and US for radio airplay in December 2009 and as a download single in the UK on April 25, 2010. Metric also released an acoustic version of the song on their EP Plug In Plug Out.

"Gold Guns Girls"
Single by Metric
from the album Fantasies
Released2009
GenreIndie rock, new wave
Length4:08 (album version)
LabelLast Gang
Songwriter(s)Emily Haines, James Shaw
Producer(s)Gavin Brown, James Shaw, John O'Mahony
Metric singles chronology
"Sick Muse"
(2009)
"Gold Guns Girls"
(2009)
"Stadium Love"
(2010)
Music video
"Gold Guns Girls" on YouTube

Background

edit

Singer Emily Haines said, "When Jimmy sent me this song as a rough sketch I listened to it over and over while watching Scarface, dreaming up ideas. The lyrics I wrote look at greed in all its forms, and the fact that we seem programmed to be insatiable. If we could do a million dollar video for this song it would be a remake of that montage scene from Scarface - including the tiger!"[2]

Reception

edit

The single was met with positive reviews. David Renshaw of Drowned in Sound said the song "is a ferocious battle anthem which sees rapid fire vocals interspersed with a machine gun like guitar which strikes through the song like a knife through butter."[3] Tim Sendra of AllMusic called the song "laser beam-tight" and said it "should be blasting out of car radios on summer streets".[4]

Promotion and release

edit

The song was the opening and ending theme for the 2009 animated feature film Totally Spies! The Movie,[5] the 2009 live-action film Zombieland and the 2023 animated feature film Nimona.[6] It was also featured in the football video game by EA Sports, FIFA 10[7][8] and Test Drive Unlimited 2.

A remix by Mike Shinoda of Linkin Park appears on the Download to Donate for Haiti album, and was included in the Expanded Edition of Fantasies.

A single was released in the UK with the B-side listed as "Sick Muse" (Adam Freeland Remix), however, the song presented was "Gimme Sympathy".[citation needed]

A live version was recorded at KCRW radio station in 2009 featuring a guitar solo by guitarist James Shaw. Preferred by fans, this is the rendition most commonly performed live in concert.

Music video

edit

The music video for "Gold Guns Girls" was shot by Eady Bros and Metric. It is presented in black-and-white film, and features the band racing around snowy New York City streets. Every so often, a band member will stop at an instrument on the sidewalk and play it (Haines would stop at a mic and sing).[9]

Charts

edit

Weekly charts

edit
Chart (2009) Peak
position
Canadian Hot 100 (Billboard)[10][11][12] 85
US Rock Songs (Billboard)[12][13] 28
US Alternative Songs (Billboard)[12][14] 16

Year-end charts

edit
Chart (2010) Position
US Alternative Songs (Billboard)[15] 43

References

edit
  1. ^ "Gold Guns Girls". Songfacts.com. Retrieved 2010-06-02.
  2. ^ Adams, Sean (April 27, 2009). "DiSsection: Metric Fantasies track-by-track". Drowned in Sound. Archived from the original on June 12, 2021. Retrieved June 12, 2021.
  3. ^ Renshaw, David (December 18, 2009). "Album Review: Metric - Fantasies". Drowned in Sound. Archived from the original on July 22, 2021. Retrieved July 22, 2021.
  4. ^ Sendra, Tim. "Fantasies - Metric". AllMusic. Retrieved July 22, 2021.
  5. ^ "Gold Guns Girls - Metric - Listen, Appearances, Song Review". AllMusic. Retrieved 3 March 2015.
  6. ^ Usage in film and television: see "Metric – Soundtrack. 'Gold Guns Girls'"at IMDb.
  7. ^ "Official FIFA 10 Soundtrack". Sweetpatch.com. Retrieved 2010-06-06.
  8. ^ "FIFA 10 Soundtrack / FIFA Soundtrack". Archived from the original on 2015-06-30. Retrieved 2015-06-28.
  9. ^ metricmusic (12 May 2010). "Gold Guns Girls [Official Music Video] - METRIC". YouTube. Retrieved 3 March 2015.
  10. ^ "Metric | Chart History. Canadian Hot 100". Billboard. Eldridge Industries. 3 April 2010. Retrieved 29 August 2018.
  11. ^ "Metric - Gold Guns Girls". acharts.us. Retrieved 3 March 2015.
  12. ^ a b c "Fantasies - Metric | Awards. Billboard Singles". AllMusic. All Media Network. Archived from the original on 31 December 2013. Retrieved 29 August 2018.
  13. ^ "Metric | Chart History. Hot Rock Songs". Billboard. Eldridge Industries. 24 April 2010. Retrieved 29 August 2018.
  14. ^ "Metric | Chart History. Alternative Songs". Billboard. Eldridge Industries. 17 April 2010. Retrieved 29 August 2018.
  15. ^ "Alternative Songs – Year-End 2010". Billboard. Elridge Industries. Retrieved September 6, 2018.
edit