Bang Bang (My Baby Shot Me Down)

"Bang Bang (My Baby Shot Me Down)" is the second single by American singer-actress Cher from her second album, The Sonny Side of Chér. It was written by her husband Sonny Bono and released in 1966. The song reached No. 3 in the UK Singles Chart and No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100 for a week (behind "(You're My) Soul and Inspiration" by The Righteous Brothers), eventually becoming one of Cher's biggest-selling singles of the 1960s.[1][2]

"Bang Bang (My Baby Shot Me Down)"
Single by Cher
from the album The Sonny Side of Chér
B-side
ReleasedFebruary 25, 1966
RecordedFebruary 11, 1966
StudioGold Star Studios, Los Angeles, California
GenreFolk rock
Length2:44
LabelImperial
Songwriter(s)Sonny Bono
Producer(s)Sonny Bono
Cher singles chronology
"Where Do You Go"
(1965)		 "Bang Bang (My Baby Shot Me Down)"
(1966)		 "Alfie"
(1966)
Audio
Cher – "Bang Bang (My Baby Shot Me Down)" on YouTube

History
Cashbox advertisement, February 26 1966

The single proved successful, charting high in several countries. It became Cher's first million-selling single and her first top 3 hit in the UK (and her last until "The Shoop Shoop Song (It's in His Kiss)" reached No. 1 in 1991). Critic Tim Sendra, in his album review of The Sonny Side of Cher, gave the song a mixed review: "The only track that has any real zest is the Bono-written novelty 'Bang Bang (My Baby Shot Me Down)', the kind of dramatic song Cher could knock out in her sleep but also a song with no real heart."[3] The reviewer for Cashbox said the song was "inventive" and predicted it would become a "blockbuster" hit. The reviewer praised its "plaintive, blues-soaked" style, as well as the "interesting Gypsy-ish backing".[4]

In 1987, Cher recorded a rock version of the song for her 1987 Platinum-certified comeback album Cher. Produced by Jon Bon Jovi, Richie Sambora and Desmond Child, the song featured backing vocals by Jon Bon Jovi and Michael Bolton, among others and was released as a promotional single in 1988. Cher performed this version on her Heart of Stone Tour and on Living Proof: The Farewell Tour and it was played instrumentally on the Dressed to Kill Tour in 2014, Classic Cher in 2017–2020 and the Here We Go Again Tour in 2018–2020.

Track listing
  • 1966 US and European 7" single
  1. "Bang Bang (My Baby Shot Me Down)" – 2:40
  2. "Our Day Will Come" – 2:28
  • 1987 French 7" single
  1. "Bang-Bang" – 3:51
  2. "I Found Someone" – 3:42
  • 1993 French CD single
  1. "Bang-Bang" – 3:54
  2. "Whenever You're Near" – 4:05

Charts

Other versions

Nancy Sinatra recorded one of the best-known covers of the song, for her 1966 album How Does That Grab You? Featuring tremolo guitar played by her arranger, Billy Strange, Sinatra's version had a resurgence in popularity when it was used in the opening credits of the 2003 Quentin Tarantino film Kill Bill Volume 1. In the sequence preceding the opening credits, Tarantino creates a literal, bloody interpretation of the song's chorus and the third verse, about a wedding day.[30] Sinatra's cover was also sampled and she was officially featured in the 2005 electro house track "Shot You Down" by Audio Bullys, which peaked at #3 in the United Kingdom and #20 in Australia.

Yugoslav singer Đorđe Marjanović covered the song and included it in his 1967 EP "Devojke".[31]

Vanilla Fudge, an American band known predominantly for their slow extended heavy rock arrangements of contemporary hit songs, included the song in their eponymous album released in 1967.[32]

The song was also popular in Italy in 1966, when it was covered in Italian by Dalida, reaching number one and charting for two months, winning her a gold record. It appeared on her 1967 album, Piccolo Ragazzo.

In the 2008 French drama Maman est chez le coiffeur one of the abandoned boys sings and performs his version of the song.

External video
video icon "Bang Bang (My Baby Shot Me Down)" (live from Jazz at Lincoln Center) by Lady Gaga on YouTube

Lady Gaga performed "Bang Bang (My Baby Shot Me Down)" in July 2014 at Jazz at Lincoln Center, for the TV special Cheek to Cheek Live!.[33] The live recording was made available as an iTunes/Apple Music bonus track with her collaborative album with Tony Bennett, Cheek to Cheek.[34] Gaga's rendition of "Bang Bang" debuted at No. 1 on Billboard's Jazz Digital Songs Chart[35] and was well-received by critics.[36][37][38][39] The singer would later include the song in her tours and residency shows.[40][41][42]

David Guetta released a version of the song in 2014 as the single "Shot Me Down". Alternating between Sinatra's musical arrangement in the verses (sung by Skylar Grey) and driving EDM instrumental breaks, the single was certified gold and platinum in multiple countries.

Caroline Polachek recorded a funky, upbeat cover of "Bang Bang" for the soundtrack of the 2022 film Minions: The Rise of Gru, which also features a version in Chinese by G.E.M., and several other modern covers of older songs.[43]

Dua Lipa also covered the song on 2017.

References
  1. "Cher – Awards". AllMusic. Retrieved August 7, 2017.
  2. "Billboard Hot 100 – Week of April 23, 1966". Billboard. Retrieved August 7, 2017.
  3. Sendra, Tim. "The Sonny Side of Cher". AllMusic. Retrieved August 29, 2021.
  4. "Record Reviews", Cashbox, March 5, 1966, p. 16.
  5. David Kent Australian Chart Book 1940-1969
  6. "Cher – Bang Bang (My Baby Shot Me Down)" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40. Retrieved August 4, 2017.
  7. "Cher – Bang Bang (My Baby Shot Me Down)" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50. Retrieved August 4, 2017.
  8. "Cher – Bang Bang (My Baby Shot Me Down)" (in French). Ultratop 50. Retrieved August 4, 2017.
  9. "Top RPM Singles: Issue 5727." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved August 4, 2017.
  10. Pennanen, Timo (2021). "Cher". Sisältää hitin - 2. laitos Levyt ja esittäjät Suomen musiikkilistoilla 1.1.1960–30.6.2021 (PDF) (in Finnish). Helsinki: Kustannusosakeyhtiö Otava. p. 46. Retrieved 5 September 2022.
  11. "Cher – Bang Bang (My Baby Shot Me Down)" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts. Retrieved March 1, 2019. To see peak chart position, click "TITEL VON Cher"
  12. "The Irish Charts – Search Results – Bang Bang (My Baby Shot Me Down)". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved August 4, 2017.
  13. "Italy's Best Sellers" (PDF). Cash Box. November 12, 1966. Retrieved June 4, 2020.
  14. "Cash Box" (PDF). Americanradohistory.com. 1966-08-27. Retrieved March 16, 2022.
  15. "Cher – Bang Bang (My Baby Shot Me Down)" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved August 4, 2017.
  16. Scapolo, Dean (2007). The Complete New Zealand Music Charts: 1966–2006. Wellington: Dean Scapolo and Maurienne House. p. 13. ISBN 978-1877443-00-8.
  17. "flavour of new zealand - search listener". Flavourofnz.co.nz. Archived from the original on 29 July 2020. Retrieved 17 May 2018.
  18. "Norway's top 20 Best Sellers". Arbeiderbladet. May 21, 1966. Retrieved June 4, 2020.
  19. "Palmarès de la chanson anglophone et allophone au Québec" (in French). BAnQ. Archived from the original on August 9, 2018. Retrieved September 11, 2019.
  20. "South African Rock Lists Website - SA Charts 1965 - 1989 Songs (A-B)". www.rock.co.za.
  21. "Cher: Artist Chart History". Official Charts Company. Retrieved August 4, 2017.
  22. "Cher Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved August 4, 2017.
  23. "australian-charts.com - Forum - Top 100 End of Year AMR Charts - 1980s (ARIA Charts: Special Occasion Charts)". australian-charts.com.
  24. German Singles Chart (1966). "German Singles Chart; End of year charts". Archived from the original on 18 July 2010. Retrieved 2010-08-27.
  25. "Japan 1966 Year in Review" (PDF). Cash Box magazine. Retrieved 17 January 2022.
  26. "BANG BANG (MY BABY SHOT ME DOWN) – CHER". www.rock.co.za.
  27. "UK Singles (Official Charts Company) 1966 - Year End". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 19 December 2014.
  28. "Billboard Top 100 - 1966". Retrieved 2009-09-15.
  29. "The CASH BOX Year-End Charts: 1966". Archived from the original on October 4, 2012.. Cash Box magazine.
  30. "Bang Bang: Pop! Goes the Murder Ballad". Murder Ballad Monday. Sing Out!. March 2, 2015. Archived from the original on February 20, 2016. Retrieved March 23, 2016.
  31. "Đorđe Marjanović – Devojke". Discogs. 1967.
  32. "Vanilla Fudge by Vanilla Fudge". Apple Music. December 25, 2022. Retrieved December 25, 2022.
  33. Strecker, Erin (September 30, 2014). "Lady Gaga Shows Off Pipes in 'Bang Bang' Video". Billboard. Archived from the original on October 23, 2021. Retrieved October 23, 2021.
  34. "Cheek to Cheek by Tony Bennett & Lady Gaga on Apple Music". iTunes Store. Apple Inc. 23 September 2014. Archived from the original on September 21, 2016. Retrieved August 26, 2016.
  35. "Chart History – Lady Gaga". Billboard. Billboard. October 23, 2021. Archived from the original on October 23, 2021. Retrieved October 23, 2021.
  36. Sullivan, Caroline (June 9, 2015). "Tony Bennett and Lady Gaga review – cheeky fun from jazz royalty and pop's Mother Monster". The Guardian. Archived from the original on October 23, 2021. Retrieved October 23, 2021.
  37. Wood, Mikael (January 21, 2019). "Review: In Las Vegas, Lady Gaga solves the problem of 'A Star Is Born'". Chicago Tribune. Archived from the original on October 23, 2021. Retrieved October 23, 2021.
  38. S. He, Richard (August 30, 2020). "Every Lady Gaga Song, Ranked". Vulture.com. Archived from the original on August 30, 2020. Retrieved October 23, 2021.
  39. Duren, Rand (October 22, 2014). "5 reasons why you shouldn't miss Tony Bennett and Lady Gaga's PBS special". The Dallas Morning News. Archived from the original on October 25, 2014. Retrieved October 27, 2014.
  40. Barr, Gordon (February 5, 2017). "Review: Lady Gaga at the Metro Radio Arena, Newcastle". Evening Chronicle. Archived from the original on October 23, 2021. Retrieved October 23, 2021.
  41. Farber, Jim (June 19, 2015). "Lady Gaga and Tony Bennett check to cheek and in sync at Radio City Music Hall". New York Daily News. Archived from the original on March 7, 2016. Retrieved June 20, 2015.
  42. Mazur, Kevin (October 20, 2021). "Glitz, glamour and Gaga: 'Jazz & Piano' provides quintessential Vegas show experience". Las Vegas Sun. Archived from the original on October 21, 2021. Retrieved October 20, 2021.
  43. "Caroline Polachek Covers Nancy Sinatra's "Bang Bang" For 'Minions: The Rise of Gru' -". mxdwn Music. 2022-07-01. Retrieved 2022-07-11.
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