Blues from a Gun

"Blues from a Gun"
Single by The Jesus and Mary Chain
from the album Automatic
B-side"Shimmer"
ReleasedSeptember 1989
Genre
Length4:44 (Edit)
LabelBlanco Y Negro
Songwriter(s)William Reid, Jim Reid
The Jesus and Mary Chain singles chronology
"Sidewalking"
(1988) 		"Blues from a Gun"
(1989) 		"Head On"
(1989)

"Blues from a Gun" is a song by Scottish alternative rock band The Jesus and Mary Chain. It serves as the lead single to the band's fourth studio album Automatic (1989) and was released in four different formats, including a 3" Mini CD single in a paper gatefold sleeve.

The single reached number 32 in the UK single charts,[2] and was also a hit for the band in the US, topping the Modern Rock charts for three weeks.[3] It is also one of the few singles by the band featuring lead vocals from William Reid, as opposed to Jim Reid.

Reception

Denise Sullivan writing for AllMusic felt, "The Jesus & Mary Chain's song themes can be narrowed down to a couple: shooting drugs, shooting your head off, and shooting your mouth off. "Blues From a Gun" typifies all three in one great verse-chorus-verse song with a coda."[4]

Track listing

All tracks written by Jim Reid and William Reid, except where noted [5]

7" (NEG41)
  1. "Blues from a Gun" - 4:43
  2. "Shimmer" - 2:45
10" (NEG41TE) Gatefold
  1. "Blues from a Gun" - 4:43
  2. "Shimmer" - 2:45
  3. "Penetration" - 2:46
  4. "Break Me Down" - 2:23
12" (NEG41T)
  1. "Blues from a Gun" - 4:43
  2. "Shimmer" - 2:45
  3. "Penetration" - 2:46
  4. "Subway" - 2:04
CD3 (NEG41CD)
  1. "Blues from a Gun" - 4:43
  2. "Shimmer" - 2:45
  3. "Penetration" - 2:46
  4. "My Girl" (Smokey Robinson, Ronald White) - 2:31

Personnel

The Jesus and Mary Chain

Additional personnel

Charts

Chart (1989–90) Peak
position
UK Singles (OCC)[6] 32
US Alternative Airplay (Billboard)[7] 1

See also

References

  1. ^ Blues From a Gun - The Jesus and Mary Chain | AllMusic, retrieved 15 August 2025
  2. ^ www.officialcharts.com. Retrieved 24 October 2015.
  3. ^ www.billboard.com Archived 30 September 2015 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 24 October 2015.
  4. ^ Blues From a Gun - The Jesus and Mary Chain | AllMusic, retrieved 15 August 2025
  5. ^ www.discogs.com. Retrieved 24 October 2015.
  6. ^ "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company.
  7. ^ "The Jesus and Mary Chain Chart History (Alternative Airplay)". Billboard.
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