Girls with guns is a subgenre of action films and animation—often Asian films and anime—that portray a strong female protagonist who makes use of firearms to defend against or attack a group of antagonists. The genre typically involves gun-play, stunts and martial arts action.
The "girls-with-guns" genre has also permeated the anime space. Some examples include Bubblegum Crisis,Gall Force,Dirty Pair,Gunsmith Cats,Angel Heart,Gunslinger Girl,Noir, Madlax, and El Cazador,. More recent examples of "girls with guns" anime are Masamune Shirow's and Mamoru Oshii's Ghost in the Shell and its television adaptation Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex and Yasuomi Umetsu's works Kite, Mezzo Forte, Mezzo DSA, and Kite: Liberator.
Girls with Guns is the debut solo album from Styx guitarist/vocalist Tommy Shaw. It was released in October 1984 by A&M Records.
The title track was a top 10 hit at rock radio, peaking at #6 on the Billboard Mainstream Rock Tracks chart and reaching a high of #33 on the Billboard Hot 100. "Girls With Guns" was featured in a first season episode of Miami Vice called "Glades."
A second single, the ballad "Lonely School", was released in late 1984 and peaked at #60 on the Hot 100 in January 1985. The videos for both singles received premiere status and strong rotation at MTV, and the network aired a concert special featuring Shaw.
The CD and cassette formats of the album feature extended versions of the ballad "Kiss Me Hello" and the dance-rock track "Outside in the Rain".
The Girls With Guns album charted on the Billboard 200 Albums chart for 25 weeks, peaking at #50.
All words & music by Tommy Shaw except as noted.
I'll tell you now
And I won't tell you twice
Where, when, and how
I got some bad advice
I never thought I could handle
A girl with guns
And let me tell ya
You can bet that I'm not the only one (oh no...)
Stand tall, don't think small
Don't get your back against the wall
Shoot straight, I can't wait
Aim for the heart and fire away (No! )
I've come around
I understand today
She's the target now
I'm gonna have my way
Everybody says,
"Don't go messing with a girl with guns"
They don't need you
They couldn't love you
They couldn't be any fun (Noooo)
Stand tall, don't think small
Don't get your back against the wall
Shoot straight, don't wait
To Fire away...
An innocent bystander
Who forgets to look both ways
Who never tries to understand her
Won't feel the heat 'til it's too late (So I tell you)
Stand tall, don't think small
Don't get your back against the wall
Shoot straight, don't wait
To fire away (no, no, no)
Stand tall, don't think small
Don't get your back against the wall (aaahhh...)
Shoot straight, I can't wait
Aim for the heart and fire away (uhhhhh...)
Stand tall, don't think small
Don't get your back against the wall (I'll tell ya')
Shoot straight, Don't wait
To fire... away...
(All right! )
(Give it to me! )
(Come on! )
(Aaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhh...! )