Bang Bang Bang

Bang Bang Bang
	Selena Gomez & The Scene
Released	June 7, 2011
Format	Digital download
Recorded	2011
Length	3:15
Label	Hollywood Records
Writers	Toby Gad, Meleni Smith, Priscilla Hamilton
Produced by	Toby Gad

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Bang Bang Bang is a promotional single by American band Selena Gomez & The Scene from the album When The Sun Goes Down. It was written by Selena Gomez, Toby Gad, Meleni Smith and Priscilla Hamilton. The song was released on Tuesday, June 7, 2011 as the first song of the iTunes Countdown to the album. It was followed by Dices (the Spanish version of Who Says) on June 14 and Love You Like A Love Song on June 21. The song debuted at number 94 and number 96 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 and the Canadian Hot 100, respectively, for the chart week ending June 25, 2011.

Background[]

The song was written by Meleni Smith, Priscilla Renea, 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 then-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."

Composition[]

Bang Bang Bang is an electro-disco 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."

Critical reception[]

Bill Lamb from About.com reviewed the song, stating "The words that dismiss a former boyfriend in favor of one who has more swagger are played out over a retro synth track that is reminiscent of La Roux's breakthrough smash Bulletproof. Later adding that Bang Bang Bang looked like it could be her fifth consecutive top 40 pop hit. Chris Maher of PopCrush gave the song a 3 out of 5 stars rating stating "For those out there that aren’t already fans of Gomez, the beat to Bang Bang Bang may seem a bit monotonous as does Gomez’s tone as she sings the lyrics. Also, for a girl with a four-piece band backing her up, the music seems a bit underwhelming. Still, Bang Bang Bang is a fun, sassy track that will surely please all of the teen pop fans out there."

Jarett Wieselman of the New York Post wrote positively of the track citing "a sensational synth vibe, lovely lyrical kiss off and beyond addictive hook." Wieselman went on to state, "Mark my words, this will become a summer anthem & one of the most mashed up tracks of the year."

Entertainment Weekly stated in "The Bullseye": "If Bang Bang Bang is an example of the type of pop song Selena Gomez sings when she's dumped, we want her to break up. A lot."

Bepop.org review the song as "a 80’s sound with heavy synths and really cool pop sound, a pretty interesting mix. This is a bigstep in Selena's musical career she sounds great and totally different from the disney-pop-rock style of the first album and the dance-hip hop from the second effort."

Song subject[]

There has been speculation that Bang Bang Bang is about both Nick Jonas, Gomez's former boyfriend, and Justin Bieber, Gomez' then-boyfriend. This has been discussed, but never confirmed or denied.

Advancement[]

The band gave a preview of the song on the official Facebook page for Hollywood Records. On May 28, Selena Gomez revealed on her Twitter the cover art of the single, and days later revealed a preview of the song.

The song was released exclusively on US iTunes on June 7, 2011.

Release history[]

United States:

June 7 2011: digital download

Chart performance[]

Chart (2011)	Peak Position
Canadian Hot 100	96
U.S. Billboard Hot 100	94