hit me with affection / misheard lyrics

[darkoshi]

In that Pat Benatar song, Hit Me With Your Best Shot, the lyrics always sounded to me like "Hit me with affection". It makes sense to me that way, as in showering someone with affection, or simply having a lot of affection for them.

With the actual lyrics, "Hit me with your best shot", I'm not sure I understand what is meant. I guess the singer is saying, go on and try to break my heart; it's not that easy; I might break yours instead? But I guess either way (my version or that one), they are saying they want to have a relationship or entanglement of some kind with the other person.

Comments

[frith]

Hit me with your best shot is more of a boxing allusion. She's saying that her psyche is tougher than her opponent thinks and that she won't be a victim. She won't be their disposable toy.

[marahmarie]

I used to sing along to it rather mindlessly, thinking at least it sounded pretty cool and made her sound pretty tough (also yeah, I got the boxing allusion described above, though you didn't say you didn't get it, too).

Eventually (the last couple of years) I realized the song outlines what sounds like a borderline-abusive relationship, hopefully one which she's leaving.

Hit me with affection...I would've spit my drink out if I wasn't between sips, never thought of that. The syllable count and vowel/consonant stresses work, though (kind of sung it to myself in my head).

[marahmarie]

And yeah, no: "hit me with you best shot" I always took as a parting shot, if you'll forgive me the pun. I always thought/think of it in relation to exes it ended badly with or on less than great terms, forex.

[darkoshi]

> I always took as a parting shot,

That didn't occur to me, but reading the lyrics again, it would make sense.