Bang Bang (My Baby Shot Me Down)


"Bang Bang " is the second single by American singer-actress Cher from her second album, The Sonny Side of Chér. Written by her then-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 single week, eventually becoming one of Cher's biggest-selling singles of the 1960s.

History

The single proved successful, charting high in several countries worldwide. It became Cher's first million-selling single and her first top 3 hit in the UK.
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,' the kind of dramatic song Cher could knock out in her sleep but also a song with no real heart." On the other hand, 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."
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, and it was played instrumentally on the Dressed to Kill Tour in 2014.

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Cover versions

Nancy Sinatra

recorded one of the best-known covers of the song, for her 1966 album How Does That Grab You? Her version features tremolo guitar, played by her arranger, Billy Strange, and 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 credits, Tarantino creates a literal, bloody interpretation of the song's chorus and the third verse, about a wedding day.
Her version also was the theme for BBC coverage of the 2005 Wimbledon tennis championships, and has been sampled on several hip-hop recordings, including the Audio Bullys top 3 UK hit "Shot You Down" in 2005.

Dalida

The song was also very popular in Italy in 1966 when it was covered in Italian by Dalida. The song reached #1 and stayed for 2 months winning her a gold record. Following her recording, several Italian singers including Mina, and the psychedelic bands Equipe 84 and I Corvi covered her version. Her version was also included as main song of 2010 drama film Heartbeats.
Besides Dalida and Sinatra, artists who covered the song in 1966 include Stevie Wonder on his album Down to Earth, The Beau Brummels on Beau Brummels '66; Petula Clark on her album I Couldn't Live Without Your Love; and Gábor Szabó on his album Spellbinder. Sheila's version became a big hit in France in the summer of 1966; Claire Lepage's French-language cover was released in Canada in 1966.

Others

Other notable cover versions include the following: