Eddie Schwartz, writer of the song, said that he came up with the title of the song after attending a "pillow punching '' therapy session in Toronto, but stated that the title is to be taken metaphorically. The song is in E major and features a general chord progression of I - IV - vi - V, with occasional added chords built on passing and neighboring tones, although Benatar has commented that in hindsight she would have preferred to replace the C# minor (vi) chord with F# minor (ii). The song was released as a single in the USA, and possibly other markets, in a mix with an additional lead guitar track. The song was later one of the songs available to put on a free mail - order customized mix CD with every pizza order as a part of a Pizza Hut promotion for their "New Yorker '' - style pizza.
who wrote the song hit me with your best shot
Eddie Schwartz