Gang Bang

Album: MDNA (2012)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • Despite its unfortunate title, this song is about murdering an errant lover rather than demeaning group sex. However, the dark house track is still lyrically explicit and was therefore omitted from the "clean" version of MDNA.
  • Amongst the eight credited songwriters on this track are the British pop singer Mika, who tweeted on March 8, 2012 that the song is, "weird as f--k, underground and lyrically cool, it's amazing and bizarre. I love it, she sounds so good singing words so harsh."
  • The song finds Madonna at her most primal and animalistic. Speaking with Sirius XM Radio, she revealed that MDNA resulted from her need to unleash some serious pent-up emotions. ''I felt like a caged animal. I felt like I had to scream. I had to get some things off my chest," she said, adding, ''There's something simple and primal and direct about playing guitar and singing."
  • Co-producer William Orbit discussed the song's dark lyrical content with MTV News: "[It's] aggressive," he said. "It's like she sang that off the bat. I mean that. She created it in the moment. And the lyrics were all there, but I think she fell into a character. It was actually a good day. It wasn't a dark day. There wasn't like aggression in the air. The demo created out of the blue pretty much. She loved the spirit of it. We were all dancing around the control room. It was a total atmosphere of spontaneity. Pretty good fun, but it's dark."
  • During a Facebook interview with Jimmy Fallon, Madonna said she had wanted Quentin Tarantino to direct a video for this track. "That's who I was thinking about when I was writing the song," the singer told Fallon. "I was picturing one of his movies, and one of the female characters."
  • Mika told BBC 1 Radio 1's Reggie Yates that he originally titled the song "Bang Bang," but it was changed as there were already songs with that name.
  • Speaking to Digital Spy about his contribution to the song, Mika said: "There were a lot of people involved in that record. I wouldn't say I wrote the song, but I definitely wrote part of it. The result is actually a very cool colliding of lots of separate people and I love that chaotic nature about it. I like the song, I just wish all of them on her album was like that. It was cut with the attitude of a Grace Jones record - you didn't know where that song was going. That's what I love about it."

Comments: 1

  • Leo from Westminster 1, MdGang Bang-Madonna's most angry and aggressive rocker. I can feel the rage in her voice-like she just came back from a living hell! Yet the simple and solemn fact is-Madonna's still alive and Living to Tell Her Story. Gang Bang-"A Victim of a Kind of Rage!"-indeed, Madge!
see more comments

Editor's Picks

Matthew Wilder - "Break My Stride"

Matthew Wilder - "Break My Stride"They're Playing My Song

Wilder's hit "Break My Stride" had an unlikely inspiration: a famous record mogul who rejected it.

Subversive Songs Used To Sell

Subversive Songs Used To SellSong Writing

Songs about drugs, revolution and greed that have been used in commercials for sneakers, jeans, fast food, cruises and cars.

Chris Squire of Yes

Chris Squire of YesSongwriter Interviews

One of the most dynamic bass player/songwriters of his time, Chris is the only member of Yes who has been with the band since they formed in 1968.

Janis Ian

Janis IanSongwriter Interviews

One of the first successful female singer-songwriters, Janis had her first hit in 1967 at age 15.

Billy Joe Shaver

Billy Joe ShaverSongwriter Interviews

The outlaw country icon talks about the spiritual element of his songwriting and his Bob Dylan mention.

Christmas Songs

Christmas SongsFact or Fiction

Rudolf, Bob Dylan and the Singing Dogs all show up in this Fact or Fiction for seasonal favorites.