Here’s another cover I’ve been working on, this time by Sonny Bono from Chér’s album The Sonny Side of Chér from 1966. With this piece I’ve taken elements from both Chér and Nancy Sinatra’s versions and attempted to update them. The bass/piano I’ve used is very simple but I feel it darkens the mood of the piece a touch and compliments a more funk oriented drum style.

Bang, Bang (2010, instrumental)

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While seeking out inspiration I accidentally stumbled upon Chér’s update to the song from 1988 (complete with Bon Jovi on production) where she replaces the quick, folk verse with a slowed down vocal break and guitar solo. For a song about rivalry and sadness, Nancy Sinatra’s version captures the sadness of the songs lyrics while Chér just seems to lean more towards anger and intensity. This also happens with Chér’s cover of Girl From Ipanema, where the usual light and airy vocals feel thick and heavy over the composition.

If you’d like more similar songs to this I would suggest Walk on By (Dionne Warwick, 1964), Nata Per Me (Adriano Celentano, 1961) and Jack’s Shadow (Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds, 1986) to start.

I’ve been focusing on recordings from the 60′s and 70′s but will be moving on to the mid-eighties, nineties for the next song cover. Maybe Bang, Bang by Iggy Pop?