You’d have me down, down, down on my knees
Now wouldn’t you, Barracuda?
I have heard people say that women don’t do rock n roll as good as men. They obviously haven’t heard the band Heart. “Barracuda” has everything: Nancy Wilson’s iconic guitar intro–with wailing guitars throughout–rival any song out there. Ann Wilson delivers her vocals with as much bite as any Dylan song with the voice of Robert Plant.
Supposedly “Barracuda” is about their frustration with a record company executive. The lyrics don’t exactly tell that story perfectly, but we get the feeling that they are pissed at somebody without getting into the details. A barracuda is a great image for something nasty: like a snake, but it sounds cooler.
The multi-part guitar solo is underrated. Overall, I feel this song is underrated. I never see this on the list of “best guitar solo” lists or “best guitar songs”, or hear people playing this in Guitar Center. In my mind the guitar part is slightly less iconic than the guitar solo staples, but just as good. If I were a young woman learning guitar this would be the first song I’d want to learn.
You might also like Jefferson Airplane.
Barracuda Lyrics
So this ain’t the end, I saw you again, today-
I had to turn my heart away.
Smiled like the sun, kisses for everyone,
And tales, it never fails.
You lying so low in the weeds,
I bet you gonna ambush me.
You’d have me down, down, down on my knees,
Now wouldn’t you, Barracuda? Oh
Back over time we were all trying for free
You met the porpoise and me.
No right, no wrong you’re selling a song, a name-
Whisper game.
If the real thing don’t do the trick,
You better make up something quick.
You gonna burn, burn, burn, burn, burn to the wick-
Oooo, Barracuda, oh yeah.
“Sell me, sell you” the porpoise said.
Dive down deep to save my head.
You, I think you got the blues too.
All that night and all the next
Swam without looking back.
Made for the western pools, silly, silly fools.
If the real thing don’t do the trick, no
You better make up something quick.
You gonna burn, burn, burn, burn, burn it to the wick-
Oooo, barra-barracuda
written by Nancy and Ann Wilson