Hey Man Nice Shot

"Hey Man Nice Shot" is a song by American rock band Filter, released on April 25, 1995, as the lead single from their debut studio album Short Bus. Some radio stations were playing it as early as March. The guitar line in the chorus was previously used in the Stabbing Westward song "Ungod" in 1994. Stuart Zechman, who was also playing guitar for Stabbing Westward at the time, took the riff and showed it to Stabbing Westward, who ended up using it as well.^[7]

"Hey Man Nice Shot"
Single by Filter
from the album Short Bus
Released	April 25, 1995[1]
Genre	Industrial rock[2][3][4] post-grunge[3][5] electronic rock[6]
Length	5:16
Label	Reprise
Songwriter(s)	Richard Patrick
Filter singles chronology
"Hey Man Nice Shot" (1995) "Dose" (1995)
Music video
"Hey Man Nice Shot" on YouTube

Lyrics and music

The song was written about the public suicide of Pennsylvania state treasurer R. Budd Dwyer on January 22, 1987, in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. Dwyer had been convicted of bribery charges in December 1986, and was expected to receive a lengthy sentence from U.S. District Court Judge Malcolm Muir. Professing his innocence and decrying the legal system, Dwyer shot and killed himself with a .357 Magnum revolver during a live televised press conference.^[8]

The bridge of Marilyn Manson's "Get Your Gunn" (1994) includes audio from the press conference where Dwyer shot himself, including the sound of the gunshot that killed him.^[9][10] When Marilyn Manson sampled the audio of Dwyer's suicide, Filter's Richard Patrick heard the sample and was excited by it; Manson believes that this interaction inspired Patrick to write "Hey Man Nice Shot." Reflecting on the sample, Manson said "He wouldn't have even heard it if I didn't play it.... I don't like him very much. He bothers me."^[9]

Although Patrick frequently clarified this in interviews, as well as the fact that he had first written the song in 1991 before the band even had a record deal, the song's popularity was augmented by a widespread perception that it was about the 1994 suicide of Kurt Cobain.^[8][11][12]

Musically, the verses of the song feature a "bed of ambient guitar" made with looped feedback^[13] as well as a distinctive palm-muted bass line, contrasting with the louder, guitar-heavy choruses and ending.

Music video

There are at least two versions of the music video for "Hey Man Nice Shot". The first version uses the album mix of the song and the second uses the promo-only remix later heard in The Cable Guy. Both of these versions feature footage with color effects being added in during the post-production of the video.

Track listing

Hey Man Nice Shot (U.S. promotional 12-inch vinyl)

1. Hey Man Nice Shot (1/4 Pound) (5:00)
2. Hey Man Nice Shot (1/4 Pound Instrumental) (4:59)
3. Hey Man Nice Shot (Nickel Bag) (3:42)
4. Hey Man Nice Shot (Big Mac) (8:41)
5. Hey Man Nice Shot (Big Mac Instrumental) (8:43)

Hey Man Nice Shot (German Maxi-Single)

1. Hey Man Nice Shot (Bud Gets The Lead Out) (5:14)
2. Hey Man Nice Shot (Sawed Off Edit) (5:20)
3. Hey Man Nice Shot (Nickel Bag) (3:43)
4. White Like That (Dictaphone Version) (2:12)

Hey Man Nice Shot (US Maxi-Single)

1. Sober mix (5:14)
2. Nickel Bag mix (3:43)
3. 1/4 Pound mix (5:00)
4. Big Mac mix (8:41)
5. White Like That (Dictaphone Version) (2:12)

Chart positions

Chart (1995)	Peak position
US Billboard Hot 100[14]	76
US Alternative Airplay (Billboard)[15]	10
US Mainstream Rock (Billboard)[16]	19
Canadian RPM Alternative 30[17]	14

References

1. "Billboard". 6 May 1995.
2. May 6, 1995. "Song Of The Week: Filter's "Hey Man Nice Shot"". MTV. Archived from the original on September 4, 2017. Retrieved May 10, 2017.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
3. Unterberger, Andrew (April 8, 2019). "The 99 Greatest Songs of 1999: Critics' Picks". Billboard. Archived from the original on April 8, 2019.
4. "Filter Anthems for the Damned Review - Review of Filter Album Anthems for the Damned". Rock.about.com. 2008-05-13. Archived from the original on 16 July 2011. Retrieved 2011-08-28.
5. Unterberger, Andrew (August 6, 2004). "Top Ten Mediocre Post-Grunge / Alternative Bands". Stylus Magazine. Archived from the original on September 27, 2020. Retrieved April 28, 2020.
6. Cornell, Jeff (May 22, 2015). "10 Best Hard Rock Albums of 1995". Loudwire. Retrieved April 29, 2020.
7. Stabbing Westward FAQ Version 2.0, musicfanclubs.org
8. "Richard Patrick of Filter Talks About 'Hey Man Nice Shot' and Kurt Cobain". KLAQ, June 29, 2012.
9. Louvau, Jim (May 30, 2013). "Marilyn Manson: "I Like To Smoke and Hang Out With The Gangsta Rappers"". Phoenix New Times. Archived from the original on March 19, 2016. Retrieved January 17, 2018.
10. Reighley, Kurt (Apr 15, 1998). Marilyn Manson. Macmillan Publishers. p. 52. ISBN 9780312181338. Retrieved 2013-03-23.
11. Janovitz, Bill (October 1995). "Quick Fix". CMJ New Music Monthly. p. 8. ISSN 1074-6978.
12. "Hey Man Very Nice Shot". MTV. July 9, 1995. Archived from the original on November 16, 2016. Retrieved April 28, 2020.
13. "Interview" (TXT). Filterpage.tripod.com. Retrieved January 12, 2021.
14. "Filter Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved 7 August 2017.
15. "Filter Chart History (Alternative Airplay)". Billboard. Retrieved 7 August 2017.
16. "Filter Chart History (Mainstream Rock)". Billboard. Retrieved 7 August 2017.
17. "Rock/Alternative". RPM. 61 (27). Walt Grealis. August 7, 1995. Retrieved October 5, 2012.