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. 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 (behind “(You’re My) Soul and Inspiration” by The Righteous Brothers), eventually becoming one of Cher’s biggest-selling singles of the 1960s.
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 (featuring Nancy Sinatra) top 3 UK hit “Shot You Down” in 2005.
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 (and her last until “The Shoop-Shoop Song” 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.”
Bang Bang (My Baby Shot Me Down) Lyrics (1966)
[Verse 1]
I was five, and he was six
We rode on horses made of sticks
He wore black and I wore white
He would always win the fight
[Hook]
Bang bang, he shot me down
Bang bang, I hit the ground
Bang bang, that awful sound
Bang bang, my baby shot me down
[Verse 2]
Seasons came and changed the time
When I grew up I called him mine
He would always laugh and say
“Remember when we used to play?”
[Hook]
Bang bang, I shot you down
Bang bang, you hit the ground
Bang bang, that awful sound
Bang bang, I used to shoot you down”
[Verse 3]
Music played, and people sang
Just for me the church bells rang
Now he’s gone, I don’t know why
And till this day sometimes I cry
He didn’t even say “Goodbye”
He didn’t take the time to lie
[Hook]
Bang bang, he shot me down
Bang bang, I hit the ground
Bang bang, that awful sound
Bang bang, my baby shot me down
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