Songs People Should Hear

[PennyLane]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bU4oEWoS3dI

from wikipedia

"Bang Bang (My Baby Shot Me Down)" is the second single by singer-actress Cher from her second studio album The Sonny Side of Cher. The song was written by Sonny Bono and released in 1966. The song reached number three in the UK Singles Chart and number two on the Billboard Hot 100.

The single proved successful, charting high on many national charts worldwide. In the United States, it was Cher's biggest solo hit of the 1960s, peaking at #2. The single sold over 3 million copies, in the US alone, by 1984. In 1987, Cher released this song as a single again from her nineteenth album Cher. However, that time, it failed to chart. This was Cher's first top-three hit in the UK, charting at #3. It would be her last top-three hit, until The Shoop-Shoop Song, twenty-two years later. The 1987 version was performed on both Cher's Heart of Stone and Farewell tours.

Also in 1966, Nancy Sinatra released her version of the song on her album How Does That Grab You?. It featured tremolo effect guitar and melancholy singing. This version remained relatively obscure until it was used in the opening scenes of the 2003 movie Kill Bill Volume 1. This exposure caused Sinatra's version to be the one chosen by Audio Bullys when, in 2005, they used a sample of the song for their top ten UK hit "Shot You Down", credited officially to Audio Bullys featuring Nancy Sinatra. Canadian rapper Kardinal Offishall also sampled this version for his single "Bang Bang", which appeared on his mixtape Kill Bloodclott Bill in 2004. Rapper Young Buck sampled Sinatra's version on his song "Bang Bang" from his album Straight Outta Cashville.

Other artists who recorded this song include Stevie Wonder for his 1966 album Down to Earth, The Beau Brummels on their 1966 album Beau Brummels '66, Petula Clark in 1966 for her album I Couldn't Live Without Your Love, Vanilla Fudge for their 1967 album Vanilla Fudge, Bulgarian artist Lili Ivanova included a Bulgarian-language version called "Benk-benk" on an album of her songs released in Russia in 1968 called "More molodosti", Terry Reid for his 1968 album Bang Bang You're Terry Reid, Frank Sinatra for his 1981 album She Shot Me Down, Cliff Richard, Paul Weller on his 2003 compilation album Fly On The Wall - B Sides And Rarities and Isobel Campbell on her 2004 EP Time Is Just the Same. The German artist Rainald Grebe used the refrain for his tragicomic song "Bengt Bangt" in his program "Lagerfeuer des Grauens". Japanese pop/rock singer Minako Honda recorded a Japanese cover on her 1989 album WILD CATS (as MINAKO with WILD CATS), while a Vietnamese version can be heard from singer Mỹ Tâm with the title “Khi xưa ta bé (Bang Bang)”. Ironically, the translation is made from the French version: the DVD cover introduced it as "nhạc Pháp" (French music). This is because most of pre-1975 English songs are popularized in Vietnam indirectly by French singers. Originally, the song has been covered by various Vietnamese singers of many generations and become the staple of any English songbook published in Vietnam.

This song has also been very popular in the Sixties in Italy and has been covered by the following artists: Mina, Dalida and the band Equipe 84. In France, the French version with French-language lyrics written by Claude Carrère and Georges Aber was sung by Sheila, and became a big hit there in summer 1966. Still in France, Jacno and Mareva Galanter did a cover of the French version (2006). In Quebec, Claire Lepage did a French cover in 1966.

I was 5 and he was 6
We rode on horses made of sticks
He wore black and I wore white
He would always win the fight
Bang bang, you shot me down.
Bang bang, I hit the ground.
Bang bang,that awful sound.
Bang bang, my baby shot me....... down
Seasons came and changed the time
And I grew up, I called him mine
He would always laugh and say
"Remember when we used to play".
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
Music played and people sang
Just for me, the church bells rang
Hey...hey...hey...hey
Now he's gone, I don't know why
Until this day, sometimes I cry
He didn't even say goodbye
He didn't take the time to lie
Bang bang, you shot me down.
Bang bang, I hit the ground.
Bang bang,that awful sound.
Bang bang, my baby shot me....... down

I have always found this track rather intriguing. I am also a big fan of a version done by Nancy Sinatra. Everyone I show it too is not a fan. However, I think that although it lacks some of the musicality and character of the Cher track , it does a good job in its own right. It's a mellowed out version, as I call it. One of my favorites.

[video=youtube;T5Xl0Qry-hA]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T5Xl0Qry-hA[/video]