If I Had a Rocket Launcher

<h2 id="chart-performance">Chart performance</h2>
Although the song received considerable airplay on Canadian radio in early 1985, many radio stations played an edited version which faded out before the "son-of-a-bitch" lyric was heard. The song failed to reach the national Top 40, peaking at No. 49 on the Canadian charts in the week of 9 March 1985.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:4" href="#fn:4">4</a> It did, however, reach the Top 40 in some individual markets – for example, it peaked at No. 24 on the <a href="/facts/CHUM_Chart/d1gd54kz">CHUM Chart</a> in Toronto.
The song also reached No. 88<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:5" href="#fn:5">5</a> on the <a href="/facts/Billboard_Hot_100/gwKl8VL9">Billboard Hot 100</a> charts in the United States. It was Cockburn's only single besides "<a href="/facts/Wondering_Where_the_Lions_Are/4FLfUYWd">Wondering Where the Lions Are</a>" to reach the Top 100 in that country.

<h2 id="other-notes">Other notes</h2>
The song was covered by Cottage Industry on the 1991 Bruce Cockburn tribute album <a href="/facts/Kick_at_the_Darkness/MIq2ec1b">Kick at the Darkness</a>.
During their <a href="/facts/Maybe_You_Should_Drive/Y9BAuaFK">Maybe You Should Drive</a> tour, <a href="/facts/Barenaked_Ladies/0NTgWxdM">Barenaked Ladies</a> often inserted the "some son-of-a-bitch would die" lyric into their own song "<a href="/facts/If_I_Had_$1000000/qCDQtaDm">If I Had $1000000</a>".
Following their album <a href="/facts/Rattle_and_Hum/m5K5gCq7">Rattle and Hum</a>, <a href="/facts/U2/4nxeFIy8">U2</a> reportedly rehearsed the song a number of times with the intention to record a <a href="/facts/Cover_version/77Teealn">cover</a>, although this never materialized.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:6" href="#fn:6">6</a>

<h2 id="references">References</h2>

<ol>
<li id="fn:1">"If I Had a Rocket Launcher" at The Cockburn Project <a href="http://cockburnproject.net/songs&music/iiharl.html" target="_blank">http://cockburnproject.net/songs&music/iiharl.html</a> <a href="#fnref:1" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></li>
<li id="fn:2">"If I Had a Rocket Launcher" at The Cockburn Project <a href="http://cockburnproject.net/songs&music/iiharl.html" target="_blank">http://cockburnproject.net/songs&music/iiharl.html</a> <a href="#fnref:2" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></li>
<li id="fn:3">"Cockburn visits brother in Afghanistan". CBC.ca. 10 September 2009. Archived from the original on 18 September 2009. <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20090918080041/http://www.cbc.ca/canada/ottawa/story/2009/09/10/bruce-cockburn.html" target="_blank">https://web.archive.org/web/20090918080041/http://www.cbc.ca/canada/ottawa/story/2009/09/10/bruce-cockburn.html</a> <a href="#fnref:3" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></li>
<li id="fn:4">RPM Top 100 Singles. RPM Volume 41 No. 26, March 2009. <a href="http://www.collectionscanada.ca/rpm/028020-119.01-e.php?&file_num=nlc008388.9647&volume=41&issue=26&issue_dt=March%2009%201985&type=1&interval=24&PHPSESSID=3p2vga9k0f6fq14h899m1m8rd5" target="_blank">http://www.collectionscanada.ca/rpm/028020-119.01-e.php?&file_num=nlc008388.9647&volume=41&issue=26&issue_dt=March%2009%201985&type=1&interval=24&PHPSESSID=3p2vga9k0f6fq14h899m1m8rd5</a> <a href="#fnref:4" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></li>
<li id="fn:5">"Billboard Hot 100: February 16, 1985". Billboard. Retrieved 13 February 2021. <a href="https://www.billboard.com/charts/hot-100/1985-02-16" target="_blank">https://www.billboard.com/charts/hot-100/1985-02-16</a> <a href="#fnref:5" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></li>
<li id="fn:6">"If I Had a Rocket Launcher" at The Cockburn Project <a href="http://cockburnproject.net/songs&music/iiharl.html" target="_blank">http://cockburnproject.net/songs&music/iiharl.html</a> <a href="#fnref:6" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></li>
</ol>

If I Had a Rocket Launcher open-in-new

If I Had a Rocket Launcher