Barracuda (song)

"Barracuda"
Song
B-side	"Cry to Me"

"Barracuda" is a song written and recorded by the rock band Heart. It was released as the first single from the band's third album Little Queen (1977).

Theory

The song is an aggressive rock and roll number which immediately drew comparisons to Led Zeppelin's "Achilles Last Stand", particularly with the steady driving bass riff and vocal delivery on the chorus: "...you're gonna burn, burn, burn it to the wick..."

An interesting point about this tune is the use of natural harmonics, particularly in the intro where the harmonics are bent using the "whammy bar" (tremolo system) of the guitar.

History

Upon its release "Barracuda" became Heart's second top-twenty hit in the U.S., peaking at number eleven on the Billboard Hot 100. The song has become one of the band's signature tunes and is still a staple on American classic rock radio playlists.

Ann Wilson revealed in interviews that the song was about Heart's anger towards Mushroom Records attempted publicity stunt involving sisters Ann and Nancy and a made up lesbian affair. The song particularly focuses on Ann's rage towards a fan who came up to her after a concert asking how her "lover" was. She initially thought he was talking about her then boyfriend, band member Michael Fisher. After he revealed he was talking about her sister Nancy Wilson, Ann became angry and went back to her hotel room to write the song.

Appearances and covers

"Barracuda"
Song

• Many cast members mimed the song in an episode of the WB series Popular.
• "Barracuda" is sung by the members of the Reno Sheriff's Police Department in the Comedy Central show Reno 911.
• The band Fall Silent covered "Barracuda" on their album Drunken Violence.
• "Barracuda" is referred to in the Strong Bad Email "guitar" in the web cartoon Homestar Runner, in which Strong Bad imitates a riff from the song.
• This song is mentioned in popular sitcom Friends, where Chandler, Joey and Ross discuss the fact that Heart had split up (episode titled "The One With the Joke"). Chandler mentions Barracuda as being one of their greatest songs, Ross also says it's the first song he learnt to play on the Keyboard
• "Barracuda" is featured in the 2000 movie Charlie's Angels.
• "Barracuda" is featured in the May 2002 episode "Dang Ol' Love" of the TV series King of the Hill.
• "Barracuda" can be heard playing on Silvio Dante's car radio in the 2004 episode "Long Term Parking" on the HBO series The Sopranos.
• In a season 2 episode of Reno 911!, the cast plays "Barracuda" after kicking out a local garage band for being too noisy and "playing crappy music."
• "Barracuda" is featured in the 2004 Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas video game on the K-DST radio station.
• A cover of "Barracuda" is featured on Rasputina's 2005 live album A Radical Recital. Rasputina has played the song on tours and while opening for Primus.
• The song was played in the 2005 movie Roll Bounce.
• "Barracuda" is played at the bar on the alien spaceship in the 2006 video game Prey.
• "Barracuda" was covered by pop, R&B and hip-hop singer Fergie for the soundtrack of the 2007 animated film Shrek the Third. It was released as a promo for the film.
• Alice in Chains covered this song with Gretchen Wilson at the 2007 VH1 Rock Honors.
• "Barracuda" is a playable song for the Wii, Xbox 360, PC, PS2 and PS3 versions of the 2007 video game Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock. However, it is a cover version, not the original recording.
• Heart performed "Barracuda" with Anastacia on Frosted Pink, an entertainment show in aid of Breast Cancer, in October 2007.
• "Barracuda" is played during the 2008 Honda Odyssey commercial "Viking".
• On 25 January 2008, Heart performed "Barracuda" on The Ellen DeGeneres Show to celebrate Ellen's 50th Birthday. Ellen provided an intro on Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock. On Ellen's 2008 "Summer Preview" episode, she and Josh Groban played this song in their Guitar Hero duel. Ellen won.
• Heart performs "Barracuda" on Idol Gives Back on April 9, 2008, with Fergie, who sang in harmony with Ann Wilson.
• The popular webcomic Cyanide and Happiness referenced the song in one of their comics. When a large Barracuda fish wearing a bikini walks by a character in a bar, the character says in the next frame: "Ooooooooh, Barracuda."