Don't Need a Gun

"Don't Need a Gun"
Single by Billy Idol
from the album Whiplash Smile
B-side	"Fatal Charm"
Released	January 1987 (US)[1] 16 February 1987 (UK)[2]
Length	6:15 (album version) 4:28 (7-inch version)
Label	Chrysalis
Songwriter(s)	Billy Idol
Producer(s)	Keith Forsey
Billy Idol singles chronology
"To Be a Lover" (1986) "Don't Need a Gun" (1987) "Sweet Sixteen" (1987)
Music video
"Don't Need a Gun" on YouTube

"Don't Need a Gun" is a song by Billy Idol from his 1986 studio album Whiplash Smile. It became the album's second single in 1987, and was a #37 pop hit in the United States on the Billboard Hot 100 charts.

Background and writing

"Don't Need a Gun" was written by Billy Idol. The song has a clear content about the risk of using firearms.

The chorus of the song includes references to "Tutti Frutti", "Flip, Flop and Fly" and "Lawdy Miss Clawdy". The final verse name-checks Elvis Presley, Johnnie Ray and Gene Vincent.

Charts

Chart (1987)	Peak position
Germany[3]	36
New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)[4]	27
Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)[5]	29
UK Singles (OCC)[6]	26
US Billboard Hot 100[7]	37
US Mainstream Rock (Billboard)[8]	10

References

1. Strong, Martin Charles (1995). Great Rock Discography. Canongate Press. p. 405. ISBN 978-0-86241-541-9.
2. "Music Week" (PDF). p. 13.
3. "spanishcharts.com - Billy Idol - Don't Need A Gun". Retrieved October 19, 2017.
4. "Billy Idol – Don't Need a Gun". Top 40 Singles. Retrieved October 19, 2017.
5. "Billy Idol – Don't Need a Gun". Swiss Singles Chart. Retrieved October 19, 2017.
6. "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved October 19, 2017.
7. "Billy Idol Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved October 19, 2017.
8. "Billy Idol Chart History (Mainstream Rock)". Billboard. Retrieved October 19, 2017.

External links

• "Don't Need a Gun" at Discogs