Hit Me With Your Best Shot Chords & Guitar Lesson

Picture this… 

It’s Saturday night in a club. 

The dance floor is packed, and the energy in the room is palpable. The crowd is ready for an epic anthem to take them to the next level.

Something they can sing along to…

And something where the volume can be cranked up to 10 and bring them back to their younger years.

Well, here’s a little ditty that just might do the trick.

Below, I’m going to share some insider tips on Neil Giraldo’s guitar style behind it.

So grab your axe, and let’s dive into this “Hit Me With Your Best Shot” chords and guitar lesson!

Who Wrote Hit Me With Your Best Shot?

“Hit Me with Your Best Shot” was written by Canadian musician Eddie Schwartz. While Eddie did have his own solo career, he is best known for writing for other artists. For example, he wrote “All Our Tomorrows” for Joe Cocker, “Don’t Shed a Tear” for Paul Carrack, and “The Doctor” for The Doobie Brothers.

But his biggest hit came when he wrote “Hit Me With Your Best Shot”, and a demo made its way to Pat Benatar. At the time, she was working on her second album, Crimes of Passion. Despite an initial hesitation, Benatar and her producer, Keith Olsen, ultimately decided to include the track. The song's energy and message resonated, and it became a standout hit on the album.

“Hit Me with Your Best Shot” was recorded in 1980 just a stone’s throw away from where I am typing this blog post right now – Sound City Studios in Van Nuys, California.

This studio is legendary. It’s known for its analog sound and the countless iconic records that have been recorded there. For example:

• Fleetwood Mac – Fleetwood Mac (1975)
• Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers – Damn the Torpedoes (1979)
• Rick Springfield – Working Class Dog (recorded 1979, released 1981)
• Neil Young – Time Fades Away (1973)
• And a whole lot more…

Upon its release in 1980, “Hit Me With Your Best Shot” became Benatar's first Top 10 hit in the U.S., peaking at No. 9 on the Billboard Hot 100. It also reached No. 7 on the Cash Box Top 100 and was particularly popular on album-rock radio stations. The single sold over a million copies in the U.S., earning a gold certification from the RIAA. The album Crimes of Passion went on to achieve multi-platinum status and earned Benatar a Grammy Award for Best Female Rock Vocal Performance in 1981.

Now, you may be wondering…

What is the tuning for Hit Me With Your Best Shot?

The tuning for "Hit Me With Your Best Shot", as recorded by Pat Benatar, is standard tuning. Giraldo kept things simple. Standard tuning is spelled: E, A, D, G, B, and E.  

Here are the strings:

• E (6th string, lowest pitch)
• A (5th string)
• D (4th string)
• G (3rd string)
• B (2nd string)
• E (1st string, highest pitch)

All right! 

Now that you know the tuning for “Hit Me With Your Best Shot”, let’s next talk about…

Hit Me With Your Best Shot Chords

To play “Hit Me With Your Best Shot”, you’ll need to know 6 main chords they are E5, A5, C#5, B5, E/D#, and E7. The majority of these chords I would play as 3-note power chords. 

A power chord is a simple, 2- or 3-note chord commonly used in rock, punk, and metal music. It’s not a full major or minor chord – instead, this gives you a raw, punchy sound that works great with distortion. Alternatively, you could also play full bar chord versions of these chords. (See video above for a demonstration.) Let’s take a look at a few ways these chords can be played on the fretboard: 

E5 is played in 7th position like this:

A5 is the same shape as E5, it’s just shifted to now having a root on the 6th string like so:

C#5 shifts back to having a root on the 5th string like this:

Shift C#5 down the fretboard 2 more frets, and you’ll arrive at a B5 power chord played like this:

E/D# is a bar chord played in the 7th position, and has a little bit of tension to it. This is because it displaces the root note down 1 fret (E –> D#) like so:

Finally, we have E7, which uses all 6 strings like this:

If you’ve struggled to understand the fretboard for RHYTHM and LEAD guitar. and want to discover the easiest and fastest way. Then get your hands on my free Fretboard Guide PDF right here now:  

Is Hit Me With Your Best Shot hard to play on guitar?

I would say playing “Hit Me With Your Best Shot” on guitar requires an intermediate rock guitar skill level. There are only a handful of chords and most of them can be played using the same power chord shape. However, the tricky parts are nailing the rhythmic syncopations, and also the arpeggio picking which comes in after the guitar solo. So, take your time with this one. 

What key is Hit Me With Your Best Shot in?

“Hit Me With Your Best Shot,” as recorded by Pat Benatar, is in the key of E major. The primary scale for the song is the E major scale, which uses the notes: E – F# – G – A – B – C# – D#.

Here’s a quick look at how all the chords relate in the key of E major:

E5

Notes: E, B

Function: This is the I5 chord — the tonic power chord. It uses only the root and fifth, omitting the third, which gives it a neutral, powerful sound. It’s the home base in the key of E major and establishes the tonal center.

A5

Notes: A, E

Function: IV5 chord — the subdominant power chord. It provides movement away from the tonic and often sets up the dominant (B5) or resolves back to E5. Like E5, it omits the third, keeping the harmony open and punchy.

C#5

Notes: C♯, G♯

Function: vi5 chord — this is the power chord built on the sixth degree of E major. Normally, C♯ minor is the vi chord. These power chord shapes though are common substitutions in rock guitar.

B5

Notes: B, F♯

Function: V5 chord — the dominant power chord. In full form, B major would create a strong resolution back to E, but using the power chord version removes the third and gives a more aggressive rock energy.

E/D#

Notes: E, G♯, B over D♯ bass

Function: Tonic chord with the vii in the bass. This is an E major chord with D♯ as the lowest note. Doing this creates a smooth walking bass down from E to D# to C♯. This is called stepwise bass motion.

E7

Notes: E, G♯, B, D

Function: This is a dominant 7th chord, but it doesn’t belong diatonically to E major. It contains a ♭7 (D) instead of the diatonic D♯. So it’s actually borrowed from the E Mixolydian mode. It gives a bluesy, rock ‘n’ roll flavor and is used as the final chord in the tune.

So that’s the theory. Next, let’s look at…

What is the strumming pattern for Hit Me With Your Best Shot?

The main underlying groove for “Hit Me With Your Best Shot” is a driving 8th-note rock feel. In 4/4 time, 8th notes divide each beat into two equal parts, creating a forward moving rhythm like this:

1 & 2 & 3 & 4 &

The numbers (1, 2, 3, 4) represent the main beats in the measure, while the "&" represents the offbeats that add energy and momentum.

When counted out loud, it sounds like: 

"One-and, Two-and, Three-and, Four-and."

Here’s an example of a “Hit Me With Your Best Shot” strumming pattern:

Conclusion

To wrap it up, “Hit Me With Your Best Shot” is a feisty little rock anthem. It only has a handful of chords, but it packs a punch. 

Keep practicing, and if you want to learn songs way faster, better understand the fretboard, and not waste years spinning your wheels with guitar, grab my free fretboard guide here right now: 

Jon MacLennan