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The lyrics of the original version by Cher, which are only shortened here, tell a melancholy story of childlike innocence that turns into a tragic love affair. Two children play with “horses made of sticks”, with the boy playfully “shooting” the girl. Later, as adults, they marry, but he leaves her, which again symbolically “shoots her down”.
Only a few months after the release of the original in 1966, written by Cher's husband Sonny Bono, Nancy Sinatra recorded her own version. Her arrangement was very different from the original: it was slower, more minimalist and was accompanied by a striking tremolo guitar riff. Sinatra's soft but haunting voice enhances the melancholy mood of the lyrics. This version initially remained less well known than Cher's hit.
The big breakthrough for Sinatra's version came in 2003 when Quentin Tarantino chose it for the opening sequence of his film “Kill Bill: Volume 1”. The scene in which the bloodied bride (Uma Thurman) lies on the floor is accompanied by Sinatra's “Bang Bang”, which intensifies the emotional impact of the moment. The movie led to a revival of her recording, and many listeners began to discover the song as a result.
The British electro duo Audio Bullys took up this version, used Sinatra's voice sample and added contemporary electro sounds and also gunshot noises. The song made it to number 3 in the UK charts, among other places.