Gang Bang (song)
"Gang Bang" is a song recorded by American singer Madonna, from her twelfth studio album MDNA (2012). It was written by Madonna, Mika, William Orbit, Priscilla Hamilton, Keith Harris, Jean-Baptiste, Don Juan "Demo" Casanova, and produced by Madonna, Orbit and The Demolition Crew. Madonna cited American director Quentin Tarantino as an inspiration for the song, revealing that she wanted him as the director for the song's music video.
For songs by other artists, see Gang bang (disambiguation)."Gang Bang"
March 23, 2012
2011
3:20 Studios
(Los Angeles, California)
MSR Studios
(New York, New York)
5:26
- Madonna
- Mika
- William Orbit
- Priscilla Hamilton
- Keith Harris
- Jean-Baptiste
- Don Juan "Demo" Casanova
- Stephen Kozmeniuk
- Madonna
- Orbit
- The Demolition Crew
A dance, electronic, electropop and techno song, it lyrically portrays a scorned woman seeking revenge on her lover. Police sirens, whispered vocals, throbbing beats and a dubstep breakdown provide the song with a suspense-filled atmosphere. The song received critical acclaim, most calling it a highlight of the album and also the boldest track of the album. Some even hailed it as one of Madonna's best songs.
"Gang Bang" charted on the French Singles Chart and the Dance/Electronic Digital Song Sales chart, due to digital downloads from MDNA. Madonna performed the song on the MDNA Tour, in a motel setting where she is seen shooting the male dancers who infiltrate her room, with blood being splattered on the backdrop. The performance was heavily criticized for its use of guns, but received favorable reviews from critics.
Composition[edit]
"Gang Bang" was written by Madonna and Orbit with Priscilla Hamilton, Keith Harris, Jean-Baptiste, Mika, Don Juan "Demo" Casanova, and produced by Madonna, Orbit and the Demolition Crew.[10] It is the longest song on the album, lasting for 5 minutes and 26 seconds.[10] Lyrically, it follows a woman getting her cronies together to seek bloody vengeance against someone,[6] with the singer declaring, "Shot you dead, shot my lover in the head / I'm going straight to hell / I've got a lot of friends there," before yelling, "Drive bitch, die bitch!".[5] It ends with the line: "If you're going to [act] like a bitch then you're going to die like a bitch."[11] According to MTV News' Bradley Stern, the song "revisits the role of the scorned songstress from Erotica's 'Thief of Hearts' (1992)."[12]
"Gang Bang" is a dark dance,[13] electronic,[14] electropop[15] and techno[16] song with a dubstep breakdown in its middle eight[11][13] and industrial-tinged beats.[11] Michael Cragg from The Guardian commented that the track "recalls her American Life album in its slightly uneasy marrying of genres".[11] Writer Alexander from Idolator thought that the song "gives us a flashback to her under-appreciated Celebration collaboration with Lil' Wayne, 'Revolver' (2009)".[17]
Critical reception[edit]
The song received critical acclaim. Michael Cragg of The Guardian wrote that it is "a ridiculous collection of sound effects (police sirens, gunshots) and imposing menace that's actually pretty fun in a kind of slightly unhinged way."[11] Neil McCormick of The Telegraph wrote that the song is "a solid techno groove and one of the album's odder and most interesting tracks."[18] Stern commented that the song "is not only the highlight of the record, but a highlight of Madonna's career."[12] Matthew Perpetua of Pitchfork wrote that "it's the album's boldest, most experimental track, and it's marred only by a just-off vocal performance that renders her very familiar voice a bit anonymous, and a halfhearted attempt at a dub-step bass drop."[9] Nick Levine of BBC Music called it "a preposterous piece of pop schlock."[19]
Priya Elan of NME wrote that "the music is cold and minimal, recalling the grubby house beats of Erotica, and Madge bleats on like some antagonistic disco Fury driven to the edge by her thirst for vengeance. And gosh, it's thrilling stuff."[20] Sal Cinquemani of Slant Magazine called it "a standout cut in which Madonna quite convincingly portrays a jilted bride turned femme fatale in the vein of Beatrix Kiddo," writing that it "plays more like a piss take of Ritchie's gangster fetish than a glorification of it."[21] Melinda Newman of HitFix called it "one of the most compelling tracks, with Madonna singing in a low whispery register, detailing that she’s shot her lover dead in the head and, furthermore, she has no regrets. It’s violent and explicit and it’s what Madonna used to represent: a sense of danger."[22] Jim Farber of New York Daily News called it "historic" and "may be the world’s first murder-ballad-as-disco song."[23] Samuel R. Murrian from Parade ranked it at number 72 on his list of Madonna's 100 greatest songs, calling it "a vintage grindhouse exploitation revenge flick within a tune. This vividly cinematic track builds and builds until she’s screaming at the end. It’s a lot of fun".[24]
Commercial performance[edit]
"Gang Bang" entered some record charts due to digital downloads from MDNA. It entered the French Singles Chart at number 93 for issue date of March 31, 2012.[25] In the United States, the song charted on the Billboard Dance/Electronic Digital Song Sales at number 30.[26] In South Korea, the song debuted at number 90 on the Gaon International Downloads Chart with sales of 3,653 copies.[27]