3 Warning Shots

Album: Venus in Overdrive (2008)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • Springfield wrote this song about his reaction to Mark David Chapman, who shot and killed John Lennon in 2008. In a Songfacts interview with Rick Springfield, he explained: "I was upset that the guy who shot him – there was some talk of him maybe being paroled or something. And I didn’t want that. So I revisited all the anger that I felt when that happened, because I am a huge John fan, and it was just such a waste. So it was just a late reaction to him maybe getting paroled, or talking about some kind of field trip or something for the dickhead."

    Springfield added that he refuses to mention Chapman by name out of contempt.
  • Springfield wrote this and the other songs on the Venus In Overdrive album with his bass player, Matt Bissonette. The album was issued on New Door Records, which was a change for Springfield, who had been issuing his albums independently. He was hoping the label could help him reach a wider audience, which was getting harder as he got older.

Comments: 1

  • Scott from UsaGreat rocking tune unfortunate subject matter.
see more comments

Editor's Picks

Chris Tomlin

Chris TomlinSongwriter Interviews

The king of Christian worship music explains talks about writing songs for troubled times.

Trans Soul Rebels: Songs About Transgenderism

Trans Soul Rebels: Songs About TransgenderismSong Writing

A history of songs dealing with transgender issues, featuring Pink Floyd, David Bowie, Morrissey and Green Day.

Phone Booth Songs

Phone Booth SongsSong Writing

Phone booths are nearly extinct, but they provided storylines for some of the most profound songs of the pre-cell phone era.

Ramones

RamonesFact or Fiction

A band so baffling, even their names were contrived. Check your score in the Ramones version of Fact or Fiction.

Songs in Famous Movie Scenes: '80s Edition

Songs in Famous Movie Scenes: '80s EditionMusic Quiz

You know the scenes - Tom Cruise in his own pants-off dance off, Molly Ringwald celebrating her birthday - but do you remember what song is playing?

Bryan Adams

Bryan AdamsSongwriter Interviews

What's the deal with "Summer of '69"? Bryan explains what the song is really about, and shares more of his songwriting insights.