Overkill (song)

This article is about the Motörhead single. For other songs of the same name, see Overkill (disambiguation).

"Overkill"
Single by Motörhead
from the album Overkill
B-side	Too Late Too Late
Released	1979
Format	7" 12"
Recorded	Dec 1978 – Jan 1979 Roundhouse Studios Sound Development Studios
Genre	Heavy metal, speed metal
Length	5:12
Label	Bronze Records/EMI
Writer(s)	Eddie Clarke Ian Kilmister Phil Taylor
Producer	Jimmy Miller
Motörhead singles chronology
"Louie Louie" (1978) "Overkill" (1979) "No Class" (1979)

"Overkill" is a song by the band Motörhead. It was released in 7" and 12" vinyl pressings in 1979. It is backed with B-side "Too Late Too Late" which appears on the CD re-issues of the Overkill album. Early copies came with a free "Overkill" badge. The single reached number 39 on the UK Singles Chart.

On March 9, 1979 the band played this song on the BBC TV show Top of the Pops to support the release of the single.^[1] The song is a live favorite and is frequently featured at Motörhead concerts, often in an extended version.

The artwork on the sleeve was created by Joe Petagno, based on his design for the album's cover.

The song is featured as a track in the video game SSX on Tour, and was re-recorded by Motörhead to be a playable track in the rhythm game Guitar Hero World Tour.

Single track listing

1. "Overkill" (Eddie Clarke, Ian Kilmister, Phil Taylor) - 3:16
2. "Too Late Too Late" (Kilmister, Clarke, Taylor) - 3:24

Personnel

• "Fast" Eddie Clarke – Guitars, vocals
• Phil "Philthy Animal" Taylor – Drums
• Lemmy (Ian Kilmister) – Bass, lead vocals
• Photo - Allan Ballard

Covers

"Overkill"
Song by Metallica from the album Garage Inc.
Released	November 24, 1998
Recorded	May 1995 - February 1996
Genre	Heavy metal
Length	4:04
Label	Elektra
Writer	Eddie Clarke Lemmy Kilmister Phil Taylor
Producer	Bob Rock James Hetfield Lars Ulrich
Garage Inc. track listing
"Killing Time" (12) "Overkill" (13) "Damage Case" (14)
Metallica chronology "Ain't My Bitch" (1996) "Hero of the Day" (1996) "Mama Said" (1996) Overkill chronology Necroshine (1999) Coverkill (1999) Bloodletting (2000)

In 1995, during the recording of the album Load, "Overkill", "Damage Case", "Stone Dead Forever" and "Too Late Too Late" were covered by Metallica, as a birthday gift for Lemmy, and released in 1996 on their "Hero of the Day" single. The single was released as a two-CD single; "Overkill" is the second track on the first CD single, and was also used on the second disc of their 1998 cover album Garage Inc.. The single reached #60 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 and #1 on the Hot Mainstream Rock Tracks, and #17 on the UK Singles Chart. Some of the songs were played live on a brief tour along with other tracks from Garage Inc. in 1998 which concluded at the Roseland Ballroom in New York City. The songs would finally be played again during the 2009 World Magnetic Tour.

The song was covered by Overkill, who took their name from the Overkill album by Motörhead, and appears as the first track on their 1999 album Coverkill.^[2]

In 2008, German heavy metal band Grave Digger included a cover version of the song on their EP Pray.

On September 14, 2011, members of Metallica, Slayer, Megadeth, and Anthrax, collectively known as "the big four" of thrash metal, covered the song live in the Bronx.^[3]

References

1. ^ Burridge, Alan Illustrated Collector's Guide to Motörhead Published: 1995, Collector's Guide Publishing ISBN 0-9695736-2-6.
2. ^ "Song: Overkill". Second Hand Songs sub-entry. http://www.secondhandsongs.com/song/18268.html. Retrieved 2007-06-26. 
3. ^ "Song: METALLICA, MEGADETH, ANTHRAX, SLAYER Perform 'Overkill' At 'Big Four' Show In NYC (Video)". http://www.roadrunnerrecords.com/blabbermouth.net/news.aspx?mode=Article&newsitemID=163307. Retrieved 2011-9-15. 

External links

• Sample of the song at the Motörhead Official Site (RealPlayer required).