Bang Bang (My Baby Shot Me Down)
Cher | Artist Essentials
First released: 1966 (year verified)
Original 1966 studio recording, separate from the 1987 remake
MusicAtlas editorial note: The original recording's compact orchestration gives the measured lead a stark dramatic outline.
YouTube opens a title-and-artist search. The selected recording and date are identified below.
Release evidence and recording details
First released: 1966 (year verified)
The original recording is documented in the 1966 release history of The Sonny Side of Cher. Only year precision is assigned; later singles, charts, remasters and live versions do not establish its first release.
Recording: Original 1966 studio recording, separate from the 1987 remake
Credit: Cher
Role in this collection: Primary artist
Original album: The Sonny Side of Cher
The Sonny Side of Cher - original 1966 Bang Bang
The original 1966 album retains Bang Bang's earlier same-year single field and approximately 2:45 original recording. The later explicitly named 1987 remake is not selected. | Reviewed 2026-10-18
Cher - original 1987 Geffen album
The original 1987 program identifies I Found Someone and We All Sleep Alone. It also explicitly names Bang Bang (1987 Version), separate from the selected 1966 recording; We All Sleep Alone's later Believe production is not selected. | Reviewed 2026-10-18
In the yearly lists
These are listening-list appearances, separate from the first-release date.
About Cher
Cher emerged in the 1960s alongside Sonny Bono before developing a solo recording career across folk-pop, rock, disco and electronic dance music. Her contralto voice links otherwise different records, from Gypsys, Tramps & Thieves to If I Could Turn Back Time and Believe. Singing has remained one part of a wider performance career that also includes film, television and elaborate concert presentation.
Artist background sources
Cher - Rock & Roll Hall of Fame biography
Sonny Bono partnership and separate solo development, contralto, genre progression, representative recordings and work across screen and stage. Promotional records and current-status claims are omitted. | Retrieved 2026-10-17
Profile reviewed: 2026-10-17. Artist background does not establish a song's creative origin or release date.
Continue listening
Recommended positions express one editorial listening sequence. They are not measured quality scores.
Browse by year
1960-2025. Each year contains 150 selections.