Put the Gun Down
| "Put the Gun Down" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 Physical single artcover | ||||
| Single by ZZ Ward | ||||
| from the album Til the Casket Drops | ||||
| Released | July 12, 2012 | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 2:20 | |||
| Label | Hollywood Records | |||
| Songwriter(s) | Zsuzsanna E. Ward | |||
| Producer(s) | Theron "Neff-U" Feemster | |||
| ZZ Ward singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
"Put the Gun Down" is the 2012 debut single by American singer-songwriter ZZ Ward.[3][4] It was ZZ Ward's first single with Hollywood Records. While the song was originally included on Ward's EP, Criminal, it was later included on her debut studio album Til the Casket Drops.[3]
Composition
[edit]"Put the Gun Down" was produced by Theron "Neff-U" Feemster, and was self-written by ZZ Ward, who described the lyrical content as "a woman trying to take [her] man from [her]".[1] According the lyrics, the woman name is "Adeline", and she embodies the classic role of a 'home-wrecker'.[1] Ward uses vivid imagery to tell the events of the song.[5][6]
Music video
[edit]The music video for "Put the Gun Down" was released on June 17, 2012. It was directed by Alexander Bulkley and produced by Jed Hathaway.[7]
The music video shows Ward playing at a bar with her band, as she looks direct at a camera, while reversed shots of a romantic scene between a man and woman having an affair is playing inbetween scenes.[8]
Live performances
[edit]Ward performed the song live on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno in November 2012.[9][10][11] She also performed the song live on an episode of VH1's Big Morning Buzz Live that same year.[12][13] In January 10, 2013, Ward performed the song live as the musical guest on Conan.[14]
She also did several acoustic live performances of the song on different studios, such as: Pandora Whiteboard Sessions,[15] Lightning 100,[16] NPR Live Sessions,[17] at the Bumbershoot Music Lounge for KEXP,[18] and live at the Troubadour.[19]
In popular culture
[edit]The song has been covered by other musicians and has been featured on several television series, and other types of media, like film. Some of its most notable uses and covers includes:[20]
Covers
- "Put the Gun Down" was performed by Ashley Morgan and Mia Z on The Voice in 2015. Their performance was released by Republic Records in 2015 as a single.[21]
- American actress & singer Lynda Carter covered the song on her 2018 studio album Red Rock N' Blues.[22]
Other media
- "Put the Gun Down" was featured in the first two episodes of the second season of the Lifetime series The Client List in 2012.[23]
- "Put the Gun Down" was featured in the 2013 black comedy film We're the Millers, directed by Rawson Marshall Thurber and starring Jennifer Aniston, Jason Sudeikis with Emma Roberts and Will Poulter.[24]
- "Put the Gun Down" was featured in the fourth season of the Syfy fantasy series Being Human in 2014.[25]
- "Put the Gun Down" was featured in the first season of the Freeform mystery drama series Guilt in 2016.[26]
- "Put the Gun Down" was featured in the first season of the Paramount Network series American Woman in 2018.[27]
- "Put the Gun Down" was featured in the second season of the Netflix original series Ginny & Georgia in 2023.[28]
Charts
[edit]| Chart (2012-13) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| US Adult Alternative Airplay (Billboard)[29] | 7 |
| US Alternative Airplay (Billboard)[30] | 39 |
| US Rock & Alternative Airplay (Billboard)[31] | 43 |
References
[edit]- ^ a b c Chandler, Elise (2020-05-06). "Behind the Lyrics - ZZ Ward: "Put the Gun Down"". Alt Revue. Retrieved 2024-05-18.
- ^ "song:Put the gun down". secondhandsongs. Retrieved 2024-05-18.
- ^ a b "ZZ Ward - Put the Gun Down". Discogs. Retrieved 2024-05-15.
- ^ "ACE Repertory: PUT THE GUN DOWN". www.ascap.com. Retrieved 2024-08-27.
- ^ "ZZ Ward At Bardot Hollywood | GRAMMY.com". grammy.com. Retrieved 2024-05-16.
- ^ "ZZ Ward | Biography, Music & News". Billboard. Retrieved 2024-05-16.
- ^ ZZ Ward: Put the Gun Down (Music Video 2012) - IMDb. Retrieved 2024-05-18 – via www.imdb.com.
- ^ ZZWardVEVO (2012-07-17). ZZ Ward - Put the Gun Down. Retrieved 2024-05-18 – via YouTube.
- ^ @jayleno, Jay Leno (November 2, 2012). "FULL EPISODE: Jamie Lee Curtis wields a crowbar, Barry Zito and Sergio Romo talk about winning the World Series and ZZ Ward performs!".
- ^ Plonka, Liz; Caleca, Anthony (2012-11-01), "Episode #21.29", The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, Jay Leno, Rickey Minor, Jamie Lee Curtis, ZZ Ward, retrieved 2025-02-27
- ^ Miller, Jay N. "ZZ Ward is getting back in the musical swing of things. Catch her Boston show this Sunday". The Patriot Ledger. Retrieved 2025-02-27.
- ^ ""ZZ Ward Performs 'Put The Gun Down'" by ZZ Ward | Show Performance | VH1.com". 2014-05-14. Archived from the original on 2014-05-14. Retrieved 2024-05-18.
- ^ "Tamar Braxton/Vince Herbert/Sean Astin/ZZ Ward", Big Morning Buzz Live, Carrie Keagan, Tamar Braxton, Sean Astin, 2012-09-19, retrieved 2025-02-27
{{citation}}: CS1 maint: others (link) - ^ Vettese, John. "Watch ZZ Ward perform "Put The Gun Down" on Conan (playing The TLA with Delta Rae on 3/6)". WXPN | Vinyl At Heart. Retrieved 2025-02-27.
- ^ Pandora (2013-03-25). ZZ Ward "Put The Gun Down" - Pandora Whiteboard Sessions. Retrieved 2025-02-27 – via YouTube.
- ^ Waters, Brian (2015-08-10). "ZZ Ward performing "Love X3" and "Put the Gun Down"". Lightning 100. Retrieved 2025-02-27.
- ^ "NPR Live Sessions: ZZ Ward performs "Put the Gun Down"". Live Sessions. Retrieved 2025-02-27.
- ^ KEXP (2013-10-13). ZZ Ward - Put The Gun Down (Live on KEXP). Retrieved 2025-02-27 – via YouTube.
- ^ ZZWardVEVO (2013-06-25). ZZ Ward - Put the Gun Down (Live at the Troubadour). Retrieved 2025-02-27 – via YouTube.
- ^ "ZZ Ward | Actress, Composer, Music Department". IMDb. Retrieved 2024-05-16.
- ^ Put the Gun Down by Ashley Morgan & Mia Z, retrieved 2024-05-20
- ^ Put the Gun Down by Lynda Carter on Apple Music, 2018-03-23, retrieved 2025-02-27
- ^ "The Client List Season 2 Soundtrack | Tunefind". www.tunefind.com. Retrieved 2025-02-27.
- ^ Hough, Q. V. (2023-06-03). "Soundtracks of Cinema: 'We're the Millers'". Vague Visages. Retrieved 2025-02-27.
- ^ "Being Human US | Season 4 Soundtrack | Tunefind". www.tunefind.com. Retrieved 2025-02-27.
- ^ "Guilt 2016 - First Season Soundtrack - Complete List of Songs". WhatSong. Retrieved 2025-02-27.
- ^ "American Woman Season 1 Episode 5 "Adam" Soundtrack | Tunefind". www.tunefind.com. Retrieved 2025-02-27.
- ^ "Listen to Every Song from 'Ginny & Georgia' Season 2". Netflix Tudum. Archived from the original on 2025-01-16. Retrieved 2025-02-27.
- ^ "ZZ Ward Triple A Songs Chart History". Billboard. Retrieved 2025-02-27.
- ^ "ZZ Ward Alternative Songs Chart History". Billboard. Retrieved 2025-02-27.
- ^ "ZZ Ward Rock & Alternative Airplay Chart History". Billboard. Retrieved 2025-02-27.