Bang Bang Bang (Selena Gomez & the Scene song)
Encyclopedia
"Bang Bang Bang" is a song performed by American band Selena Gomez & the Scene
, from their third studio album, When the Sun Goes Down
(2011). It was written by Meleni Smith and Priscilla Hamilton
, and the song's producer, Toby Gad
. The song was released exclusively to the iTunes Store
on June 7, 2011, as the album's first promotional single. release. Coined by Gomez as the most personal song on the album, the song features lyrics directed towards a former boyfriend, as the protagonist declares that her new beau is much better. Musically, the song has a retro production style and is influenced by 1980's music, while deriving of the dance-pop
and electro-disco genres. Critics gave the song positive reviews, with several noting it has the band's best work to date. The song charted in the lower regions of the Billboard Hot 100 and Canadian Hot 100, at number 96 and 94, respectively.
, and the producer of the track, Toby Gad
. In an interview with Fashion
, Gomez called the "snarky" song the most personal track on the album. The song is aimed towards an ex-boyfriend and Gomez tells him that her new boyfriend is better than he was. The media circulated rumors that that the song was based upon Gomez' old relationship with Nick Jonas
of The Jonas Brothers, and her current boyfriend, Canadian pop
singer Justin Bieber
. In an interview with Billboard
, when giving a track-by-track preview of the album, Gomez said, "It's a really fun, cheeky song. It's kind of an insult/compliment song about someone that used to be in your life and now someone who is in your life who's amazing. It's a sweet song and I feel like a lot of girls can related to it especially."
and dance-pop
song, exhibiting a retro production style featuring a synthpop
keyboard with synths reminiscent of La Roux
's "Bulletproof." The song also exudes influences of 1980's synthpop
, as well as New Wave
.The song marks a mature sound for the band, as Gomez uses "sultry" vocal inflections and more adult lyrics. Jenna Hally Rubenstein of MTV Buzzworthy
said that "The Toby Gad-produced jam has got a cool '80s vibe, while still capturing that same young and fresh sound Selena is known for." Gomez opens the song with a "menial giggle"'; she then delivers the song's lyrics in a tone that is in a confident, coy manner. The song's lyrics detail the protagonist boasting about moving on from a past relationship to a new, better one. Bill Lamb of About.com
said the song's words "dismiss a former boyfriend in favor of one who has more swagger."
called the track "the song of the summer" and complimented its "sensational synth vibe, lovely lyrical kiss off and beyond addictive hook." Furthermore, Wiselman said: "Mark my words, this will become a summer anthem & one of the most mashed up tracks of the year." Tim Sendra of Allmusic noted the song as a highlight of the album and said that Gomez "bubbles" her way through the "dancefloor-friendly" track. John Bergstrom of PopMatters
called the song a "fun piece of sass." Although Cristin Maher of PopCrush wrote that "for a girl with a four-piece band backing her up, the music seems a bit underwhelming," she said that the song was a "fun, sassy track that will surely please all of the teen pop fans out there." Blair Kelly of musicOMH
was less enthusiastic of the song; she deemed it "forgettable" and stated that it and "Love You Like a Love Song
" were both "wannabe electro-pop songs which lack both lyrical merit and a really catchy hook to make up for it." Following its release as a promotional single, "Bang Bang Bang" debuted on the Billboard Hot 100
and the Canadian Hot 100
at positions ninety-six and ninety-seven respectively, and it dropped from both charts the following week.
Source
Selena Gomez & the Scene
Selena Gomez & the Scene is an American pop band formed in Hollywood, California in 2009. Along with lead singer and founder Selena Gomez, the band consists of bassist Joey Clement, guitarist Ethan Roberts, drummist Greg Garman and keyboardist Dane Forrest. Selena Gomez & the Scene have released...
, from their third studio album, When the Sun Goes Down
When the Sun Goes Down (Selena Gomez & the Scene album)
When the Sun Goes Down is the third studio album by American band Selena Gomez & the Scene, released on June 28, 2011, by Hollywood Records...
(2011). It was written by Meleni Smith and Priscilla Hamilton
Priscilla Renea
Priscilla Renea Hamilton is an American singer and songwriter. She is signed to Capitol Records, and her debut album, Jukebox, was released on December 1, 2009 but failed to garner success. Her second album is expected to be released sometime in 2011, although no official release details have been...
, and the song's producer, Toby Gad
Toby Gad
Tobias "Toby" Gad is a Los Angeles-based hit producer and songwriter from Germany, perhaps best known for co-writing Fergie's Grammy nominated hit song "Big Girls Don't Cry" as well as co-writing and producing Beyoncé's worldwide #1 hit "If I Were a Boy", and The Veronicas multi-platinum #1...
. The song was released exclusively to the iTunes Store
ITunes Store
The iTunes Store is a software-based online digital media store operated by Apple. Opening as the iTunes Music Store on April 28, 2003, with over 200,000 items to purchase, it is, as of April 2008, the number-one music vendor in the United States...
on June 7, 2011, as the album's first promotional single. release. Coined by Gomez as the most personal song on the album, the song features lyrics directed towards a former boyfriend, as the protagonist declares that her new beau is much better. Musically, the song has a retro production style and is influenced by 1980's music, while deriving of the dance-pop
Dance-pop
Dance-pop is dance-oriented pop music that originated in the early 1980s. Developing from post-disco, it is generally up-tempo music intended for clubs with the intention of being danceable or merely dancey...
and electro-disco genres. Critics gave the song positive reviews, with several noting it has the band's best work to date. The song charted in the lower regions of the Billboard Hot 100 and Canadian Hot 100, at number 96 and 94, respectively.
Background
The song was written by Meleni Smith, Priscilla ReneaPriscilla Renea
Priscilla Renea Hamilton is an American singer and songwriter. She is signed to Capitol Records, and her debut album, Jukebox, was released on December 1, 2009 but failed to garner success. Her second album is expected to be released sometime in 2011, although no official release details have been...
, and the producer of the track, Toby Gad
Toby Gad
Tobias "Toby" Gad is a Los Angeles-based hit producer and songwriter from Germany, perhaps best known for co-writing Fergie's Grammy nominated hit song "Big Girls Don't Cry" as well as co-writing and producing Beyoncé's worldwide #1 hit "If I Were a Boy", and The Veronicas multi-platinum #1...
. In an interview with Fashion
Fashion (magazine)
Fashion is a Canadian fashion magazine published by St. Joseph Media. Established in 1977, it is currently based in Toronto , publishes 10 issues a year and has a total readership of 1.85 million .The magazine covers international, national and local fashion and beauty trends and news...
, Gomez called the "snarky" song the most personal track on the album. The song is aimed towards an ex-boyfriend and Gomez tells him that her new boyfriend is better than he was. The media circulated rumors that that the song was based upon Gomez' old relationship with Nick Jonas
Nick Jonas
Nicholas Jerry "Nick" Jonas is an American singer-songwriter, musician and actor best known as one of the Jonas Brothers, a pop-rock band he formed with his brothers Joe and Kevin. The Jonas Brothers originally started as an attempted solo singing career for Nick, but the record producer liked the...
of The Jonas Brothers, and her current boyfriend, Canadian pop
Pop music
Pop music is usually understood to be commercially recorded music, often oriented toward a youth market, usually consisting of relatively short, simple songs utilizing technological innovations to produce new variations on existing themes.- Definitions :David Hatch and Stephen Millward define pop...
singer Justin Bieber
Justin Bieber
Justin Drew Bieber is a Canadian pop/R&B singer, songwriter and actor. Bieber was discovered in 2008 by Scooter Braun, who came across Bieber's videos on YouTube and later became his manager...
. In an interview with Billboard
Billboard (magazine)
Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...
, when giving a track-by-track preview of the album, Gomez said, "It's a really fun, cheeky song. It's kind of an insult/compliment song about someone that used to be in your life and now someone who is in your life who's amazing. It's a sweet song and I feel like a lot of girls can related to it especially."
Composition
"Bang Bang Bang" is an electro-discoElectro (music)
Electro is a genre of electronic dance music directly influenced by the use of TR-808 drum machines, Moog keytar synthesizers and funk sampling...
and dance-pop
Dance-pop
Dance-pop is dance-oriented pop music that originated in the early 1980s. Developing from post-disco, it is generally up-tempo music intended for clubs with the intention of being danceable or merely dancey...
song, exhibiting a retro production style featuring a synthpop
Synthpop
Synthpop is a genre of popular music that first became prominent in the 1980s, in which the synthesizer is the dominant musical instrument. It was prefigured in the 1960s and early 1970s by the use of synthesizers in progressive rock, electronic art rock, disco and particularly the "Kraut rock" of...
keyboard with synths reminiscent of La Roux
La Roux
La Roux are an English electropop duo made up of singer, keyboardist, co-writer and co-producer Eleanor Kate Jackson, and co-writer and co-producer Ben Langmaid. Jackson describes their relationship as "very much a half and half sharing situation... not like a singer producer outfit", but also...
's "Bulletproof." The song also exudes influences of 1980's synthpop
Synthpop
Synthpop is a genre of popular music that first became prominent in the 1980s, in which the synthesizer is the dominant musical instrument. It was prefigured in the 1960s and early 1970s by the use of synthesizers in progressive rock, electronic art rock, disco and particularly the "Kraut rock" of...
, as well as New Wave
New Wave
-Movements in film:* Australian New Wave* French New Wave, or Nouvelle Vague, the inaugural New Wave cinema movement* Indian New Wave, or Parallel Cinema, which began around the same time as the French New Wave...
.The song marks a mature sound for the band, as Gomez uses "sultry" vocal inflections and more adult lyrics. Jenna Hally Rubenstein of MTV Buzzworthy
MTV News
MTV News is the news division of MTV, one of the first and most popular music television network in the U.S., as well as some of MTV's related channels around the world. MTV News began in the late 1980s with the program The Week In Rock, hosted by Kurt Loder, the first official MTV News correspondent...
said that "The Toby Gad-produced jam has got a cool '80s vibe, while still capturing that same young and fresh sound Selena is known for." Gomez opens the song with a "menial giggle"'; she then delivers the song's lyrics in a tone that is in a confident, coy manner. The song's lyrics detail the protagonist boasting about moving on from a past relationship to a new, better one. Bill Lamb of About.com
About.com
About.com is an online source for original information and advice. It is written in English, and is aimed primarily at North Americans. It is owned by The New York Times Company....
said the song's words "dismiss a former boyfriend in favor of one who has more swagger."
Reception
Bill Lamb of About.com considered the song one of the band's "most accomplished singles yet" and commented: "Consistent quality is a key to the success of Selena Gomez as a singer, and 'Bang Bang Bang' looks like it could be her fifth consecutive top 40 pop hit." Jared Wieselman of the New York PostNew York Post
The New York Post is the 13th-oldest newspaper published in the United States and is generally acknowledged as the oldest to have been published continuously as a daily, although – as is the case with most other papers – its publication has been periodically interrupted by labor actions...
called the track "the song of the summer" and complimented its "sensational synth vibe, lovely lyrical kiss off and beyond addictive hook." Furthermore, Wiselman said: "Mark my words, this will become a summer anthem & one of the most mashed up tracks of the year." Tim Sendra of Allmusic noted the song as a highlight of the album and said that Gomez "bubbles" her way through the "dancefloor-friendly" track. John Bergstrom of PopMatters
PopMatters
PopMatters is an international webzine of cultural criticism that covers many aspects of popular culture. PopMatters publishes reviews, interviews, and detailed essays on most cultural products and expressions in areas such as music, television, films, books, video games, comics, sports, theater,...
called the song a "fun piece of sass." Although Cristin Maher of PopCrush wrote that "for a girl with a four-piece band backing her up, the music seems a bit underwhelming," she said that the song was a "fun, sassy track that will surely please all of the teen pop fans out there." Blair Kelly of musicOMH
MusicOMH
musicOMH is a United Kingdom-based website which publishes independent reviews, featues and interviews from across all musical genres including classical, metal, rock and R&B.-History:...
was less enthusiastic of the song; she deemed it "forgettable" and stated that it and "Love You Like a Love Song
Love You Like a Love Song
"Love You Like a Love Song" is a song performed by American band Selena Gomez & the Scene from their third studio album, When the Sun Goes Down. The song serves as the album's second single internationally on June 17, 2011. It was produced by Antonina Armato and Tim James who wrote the song with...
" were both "wannabe electro-pop songs which lack both lyrical merit and a really catchy hook to make up for it." Following its release as a promotional single, "Bang Bang Bang" debuted on the Billboard Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
and the Canadian Hot 100
Canadian Hot 100
The Canadian Hot 100 is a music singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine which ranks songs in Canada. The chart debuted in the Billboard issue dated June 16, 2007 and was made available for the first time via their online services on June 7, 2007...
at positions ninety-six and ninety-seven respectively, and it dropped from both charts the following week.
Credits and personnel
- Songwriting – Toby GadToby GadTobias "Toby" Gad is a Los Angeles-based hit producer and songwriter from Germany, perhaps best known for co-writing Fergie's Grammy nominated hit song "Big Girls Don't Cry" as well as co-writing and producing Beyoncé's worldwide #1 hit "If I Were a Boy", and The Veronicas multi-platinum #1...
, Priscilla Renea HamiltonPriscilla ReneaPriscilla Renea Hamilton is an American singer and songwriter. She is signed to Capitol Records, and her debut album, Jukebox, was released on December 1, 2009 but failed to garner success. Her second album is expected to be released sometime in 2011, although no official release details have been...
, Meleni Smith - ProductionRecord producerA record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music...
, mixingAudio mixing (recorded music)In audio recording, audio mixing is the process by which multiple recorded sounds are combined into one or more channels, most commonly two-channel stereo. In the process, the source signals' level, frequency content, dynamics, and panoramic position are manipulated and effects such as reverb may...
, programming, all instruments – Toby Gad - Background vocals – Priscilla Renea, Meleni Smith
Source
Charts
| Chart (2011) | Peak position |
|---|---|