Hit Me With Your Best Shot / One Way Or Another: SATB Choral Octavo

Adam Anders and Peer Astrom have crafted a medley that captures the defiant swagger of both songs while remaining genuinely singable across all four parts. This arrangement respects the originals' melodic DNA without asking singers to strain for a sound that belongs to the recording studio; instead, it invites choirs to inhabit these anthems with their own vocal personalities and energy.

Pure pop confidence mixed with just enough attitude to feel current rather than nostalgic. The medley structure lets you ride the momentum of one hook directly into another, creating a performance that feels propulsive and theatrical without veering into parody.

High school and college choirs who want to program something with genuine rock credibility and contemporary appeal without sacrificing musicianship. Directors seeking to bridge the gap between what students know from Glee and what serious choral arranging can do with popular material will find this medley does exactly that.

• Anchor the rhythmic foundation by having your section leaders lock in with a click before adding the groove; these songs live or die on their pocket.
• Treat the lyrics as spoken attitude, not just words to sing. The performers who delivered these originally knew exactly how much attitude mattered to the song's power.
• Balance the prominence of the main melody line with the supporting parts so that neither overshadows the other; the arrangement likely builds texture deliberately.
• Encourage your singers to listen to both the original Blondie and Pat Benatar versions before rehearsal so they connect to the distinct character each song carries.

This works beautifully as a spring or end-of-year closer when your audience wants to leave the concert with a smile and a beat in their head. You could also pair it alongside other pop and rock arrangements to demonstrate how choral writing accommodates different musical languages, or use it as a bridge piece between a classical set and a lighter pops finale.

• Maintaining groove and rhythmic precision in a pop idiom
• Balancing pop vocal quality with choral blend
• Reading contemporary chord progressions and harmonic movement
• Interpreting stylistic phrasing and attitude in non-traditional choral contexts
• Ensemble navigation of funk and rock rhythmic feels