I’m not a huge Motorhead fan and it’s a bit harder music than I usually listen to… but I do like this song. I also like any interview of Lemmy I’ve ever listened to. After playing this for years, Lemmy admitted he was sick of the song, but said he kept it in the setlist because, “If I went to a Little Richard concert, I’d expect to hear Long Tall Sally.”
From Wiki.
The song spent 13 weeks in the UK Singles Chart and originally peaked at number 15 upon its initial release. At the midweek point in January 2016 it reached No. 9 and in the official Friday chart, they reached number 13, following the death of frontman Ian “Lemmy” Kilmister in December 2015 and subsequent dissolution of the band. It has sold 208,830 digital copies as of January 2016.[6] It reached the top of the UK Rock & Metal Singles and Albums Charts on 9 January 2016.
In 2014, NME ranked it number 155 in a list of The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.
From Songfacts.
This is Motörhead’s most famous song; it is about gambling and risks. Lemmy recalled writing the song in an interview with Mojo magazine February 2011: “‘Ace of Spades’ is unbeatable, apparently, but I never knew it was such a good song. Writing it was just a word-exercise on gambling, all the clichés. I’m glad we got famous for that rather than for some turkey, but I sang ‘the eight of spades’ for two years and nobody noticed.”
The “Ace Of Spades” is the dead man’s hand, which was Wild Bill Hancock’s hand as he was shot dead (he was an American sheriff who was killed during a game of poker). The hand consists of aces and eights, including the ace of spades.
This song was featured in the episode of The Young Ones called “Bambi,” where Motörhead performed as the stars of the show got to the train station.
This is used in the video game Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 3, and also appears in the movie Superbad.
Ace of Spades
If you like to gamble, I tell you I’m your man,
You win some, lose some, all the same to me,
The pleasure is to play, makes no difference what you say,
I don’t share your greed, the only card I need is
The Ace of Spades
Playing for the high one, dancing with the devil,
Going with the flow, it’s all a game to me,
Seven or eleven, snake eyes watching you,
Double up or quit, double stake or split,
The Ace of Spades
You know I’m born to lose, and gambling’s for fools,
But that’s the way I like it baby,
I don’t wanna live for ever,
And don’t forget the joker!
Pushing up the ante, I know you gotta see me,
Read ’em and weep, the dead man’s hand again,
I see it in your eyes, take one look and die,
The only thing you see, you know it’s gonna be,
The Ace of Spades
This is an awesome song- Lemme was a huge Beatles fan.
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The interview with him going to the music store to get the Beatles cd is great.
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Yes it was.. interesting fella. I have never been into Motorhead but I liked Lemmy.
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As heavy metal goes, it’s not bad. Certainly a 1 of a kind voice! I remember seeing the video quite often on tv in 80s but almost never heard it on radio anywhere.
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What got me into listening to them is that Lemmy is a huge Beatles fan. There is a video of him going to a music store to buy Beatles cds and he talks about seeing them in the Cavern and how great they were…basically how the Beatles were tough and the Stones were not…he was saying the images of the two bands in real life should have been flipped.
It’s worth a viewing…
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A bunch of those Hard Rock/Metal artist and bands are Beatles fans. You would not think they would be but they are.
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More about melody probably and the Beatles success
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Wild Bill Hancock? I’m not sure Hickok was sheriff, but then my knowledge is based on Deadwood with Ian McShane.
My favourite Motorhead song is ‘Overkill’ with its multiple false endings.
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I like Overkill also… I’m pretty sure he was a sheriff in Kansas in the 1860s…
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Yes you’re right. I read it that he was sheriff when he died. Must learn to read more slowly!
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Too hard for my soft head…
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lol… Yea it’s harder than I usually like but this one is kinda catchy.
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