"Bang!"
Single by AJR
from the album OK Orchestra
ReleasedFebruary 12, 2020 (2020-02-12)
Recorded2019
GenrePop
Length2:51
LabelAJR
Songwriter(s)
  • Jack Met
  • Adam Met
  • Ryan Met
Producer(s)Ryan Met, Jack Met
AJR singles chronology
"Dear Winter 2.0"
(2019)		 "Bang!"
(2020)		 "Bummerland"
(2020)
Audio sample
  • file
  • help

"Bang!" is a song by American pop band AJR. It was released on February 12, 2020, through their own label, AJR Productions. The song is the lead single from the band's fourth album, OK Orchestra. On August 8, 2020, a remix version was released featuring Hayley Kiyoko and AhhHaa.[1]

Background

AJR released their third studio album Neotheater on April 26, 2019. That autumn, they embarked on an extensive North American tour in support of the album.[2] Neotheater debuted to critical and commercial success, with album sales buoyed by the hit single "100 Bad Days". As a result, AJR announced the "Neotheater World Tour Part II" on November 15, 2019, with tour stops in North America, Europe, and South America, including festival appearances at Lollapalooza Argentina, Chile, and Brazil.[3] The 2020 leg of the tour was postponed indefinitely due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[4] AJR began working on "Bang!" in the process of writing Neotheater, and continued to work on the song throughout the subsequent tour. After struggling with how to make "Bang!" "sound current", the band sidelined the song to finish Neotheater, only returning to it after they finished touring.[5]

AJR explained their motivation for writing the song: "We wrote 'BANG!' about the weird middle-ground between being a kid and becoming an adult; a time when we're doing all the things adults are supposed to do, but we don't yet feel grown up. The fact is, adulthood is bound to hit us at some point, so the plan we made in the song is to 'go out with a bang'. Sonically, with every new song we make, we try to stretch out of our AJR comfort zone. With 'BANG!,' it felt exciting to step into this darker, horn-heavy vibe, where the verses are small and mysterious, and the chorus explodes into this theatrical trap chorus".[6]

The voice of the song that announces "Here we go!" and "Metronome!" is Charlie Pellett, best known for voicing the New York City Subway. When the song was first recorded, Ryan Met initially did the voice,[7] but the group opted to get someone else to do. Their first choice was their father, Gary, and then a neighbor friend of his. AJR had used Pellett's voice for a live show years ago and he had emailed them; thanking them for the tribute. Realizing that they now had his email in their inbox, they asked him to help with the song and he happily obliged.[8]

Composition and lyrics

"Bang!" is composed in 2
2 cut time and in the key of C-sharp minor, with a tempo of 70 beats per minute (bpm). Accents on the weaker beats of each measure give the song a bit of swagger, and make it reminiscent of a common reggae style.[9] AJR's vocals on the song range from B2 at the low end to C#5 at the high end.[10]

Music video

A music video for "Bang!" was uploaded on February 12, 2020, directed by Se Oh. The video features AJR hosting a dice game in a chandelier-lit parlor with the camera facing in one direction, only zooming in and out.[11] The participants playing are seen going through various costume changes with every pan out, ranging from sailors to tuxedos to being nude.[12]

Chart performance

The song entered the US Billboard Hot 100 chart at number 99 and peaked at number 8 on the chart, becoming both the band's first top 40 entry and first top 10 entry, and their highest-charting single overall.[13]

Use in media

In November 2020, Apple used an instrumental version of the chorus in "Bang!" in their holiday commercial.[14] The use in advertisement, coupled with a $0.69 cost on iTunes, pushed "Bang!" to number one on the US iTunes Sales Chart on December 26, dethroning Mariah Carey's "All I Want for Christmas Is You".[15] "Bang!" was also used as the soundtrack of the opening montage at the 27th Screen Actors Guild Awards in 2021.[16]

Personnel

Credits adapted from Tidal.[17]

Other versions

Title Release date
Bang! – Younotus Remix May 15, 2020
Bang! (featuring Hayley Kiyoko) – AhhHaa Remix August 17, 2020
Bang! – Nathan Dawe Remix October 9, 2020
Bang! – Acoustic

Awards

At the 2021 Billboard Music Awards, "Bang!" took home the award for Top Rock Song, beating out "Monsters" by All Time Low, "Heat Waves" by Glass Animals, "My Ex's Best Friend" by Machine Gun Kelly, and "Level of Concern" by Twenty One Pilots. AJR also received nominations in the Top Duo/Group and Top Rock Artist categories, ultimately losing to BTS and Machine Gun Kelly, respectively.[18]

Awards and nominations for "Bang!"
Year Organization Award Result Ref.
2021 Billboard Music Awards Top Rock Song Won [19]
iHeartRadio Music Awards Alternative Rock Song of the Year Nominated [20]

Charts

Certifications

Certifications and sales for "Bang!"
Region CertificationCertified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)[49] Platinum 70,000‡
Canada (Music Canada)[50] 2× Platinum 160,000‡
New Zealand (RMNZ)[51] Platinum 30,000‡
United States (RIAA)[52] 2× Platinum 2,000,000‡

‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

See also

References

  1. ↑ Daw, Stephen (August 17, 2020). "AJR Recruit Hayley Kiyoko for Special Remix of "Bang!"". Billboard. Retrieved April 29, 2023.
  2. ↑ Blistein, Jon (March 15, 2019). "AJR Plot Headlining North American Headlining Tour". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on June 24, 2021. Retrieved June 20, 2021.
  3. ↑ Corcoran, Nina (November 15, 2019). "AJR announce 2020 North American tour". Consequence. Archived from the original on June 24, 2021. Retrieved June 20, 2021.
  4. ↑ Tracy, Brianne (April 22, 2020). "Adam Met of AJR Opens Up About How He and His Brothers Stay Sustainable on Tour". People. Archived from the original on June 24, 2021. Retrieved June 20, 2021.
  5. ↑ Pettican, Luke (May 14, 2020). "AJR Interview". Euphoria. Archived from the original on June 24, 2021. Retrieved June 21, 2021.
  6. ↑ Mamo, Heran (February 12, 2020). "AJR Truly Go Out With a 'Bang!' in New Video: Watch". Billboard. Archived from the original on January 8, 2021. Retrieved September 17, 2020.
  7. ↑ Breaking down the production of Three-Thirty, Next Up Forever and Bang!. YouTube. AJR. Retrieved June 1, 2021.
  8. ↑ AJR Interview: Firing Their Dad and the "Metronome" guy on the song "Bang". YouTube. K92 Mornin' Thang. March 3, 2021. Retrieved April 1, 2021.
  9. ↑ AJR - Making of Bang! / Bang! (Live From One Spectacular Night), retrieved March 16, 2023 2:00-2:10
  10. ↑ "AJR "Bang!" Sheet Music in C# Minor". Musicnotes. Hal Leonard Publishing Company. June 18, 2020. Archived from the original on July 9, 2021. Retrieved July 7, 2021.
  11. ↑ Mamo, Heran (February 12, 2020). "AJR Truly Go Out With a 'Bang!' in New Video: Watch". Billboard. Retrieved January 11, 2024.
  12. ↑ "AJR Unveils New Single and Video "BANG!"". Music Mayhem Magazine. February 12, 2020. Archived from the original on August 10, 2020. Retrieved September 17, 2020.
  13. 1 2 "AJR Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved January 19, 2021.
  14. ↑ AJR [@AJRbrothers] (November 25, 2020). "Well this is a super bucket-list moment. Bang is in the new Apple commercial wow thank you guys for blowing this song up the way you did" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  15. ↑ Cantor, Brian (December 26, 2020). "AJR's "Bang!" Returns To #1 On US iTunes Song Sales Chart". Headline Planet. Archived from the original on January 27, 2021. Retrieved June 20, 2021.
  16. ↑ Grein, Paul (April 4, 2021). "At 2021 SAG Awards, Actors of Color Swept All Four Film Acting Awards (Yes, That's a First)". Billboard. Archived from the original on June 26, 2021. Retrieved June 20, 2021.
  17. ↑ "Credits / Bang! / AJR". Tidal. February 12, 2020. Archived from the original on January 25, 2022. Retrieved December 18, 2020.
  18. ↑ Lash, Jolie; Lamphler, Jason (May 24, 2021). "The Weeknd wins big at the Billboard Music Awards: See the full winners list". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on October 8, 2021. Retrieved June 20, 2021.
  19. ↑ Havens, Lyndsey (May 23, 2021). "AJR Perform 'Bang!' & 'Way Less Sad' at 2021 Billboard Music Awards". Billboard. Archived from the original on June 26, 2021. Retrieved June 20, 2021.
  20. ↑ Zhan, Jennifer (May 27, 2021). "The Weeknd, BTS Lead 2021 iHeartRadio Music Awards Winners". Vulture. Archived from the original on May 28, 2021. Retrieved June 20, 2021.
  21. ↑ "ARIA Top 50 Singles Chart". Australian Recording Industry Association. April 5, 2021. Archived from the original on January 25, 2022. Retrieved April 2, 2021.
  22. ↑ "AJR Chart History (Canadian Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved February 9, 2021.
  23. ↑ "AJR Chart History (Canada AC)". Billboard. Retrieved October 13, 2023.
  24. ↑ "AJR Chart History (Canada CHR/Top 40)". Billboard. Retrieved January 26, 2021.
  25. ↑ "AJR Chart History (Canada Hot AC)". Billboard. Retrieved February 23, 2021.
  26. ↑ "AJR Chart History (Canada Rock)". Billboard. Retrieved December 28, 2020.
  27. ↑ "AJR Chart History (Global 200)". Billboard. Retrieved November 4, 2020.
  28. ↑ "Media Forest charts". Media Forest. Archived from the original on January 15, 2020. Retrieved February 9, 2021.
  29. ↑ "NZ Top 40 Singles Chart". Recorded Music NZ. April 12, 2021. Archived from the original on April 14, 2021. Retrieved April 10, 2021.
  30. ↑ "Digital Chart – Week 6 of 2021". Gaon Music Chart (in Korean). Archived from the original on January 25, 2022. Retrieved February 11, 2021.
  31. ↑ "AJR Chart History (Adult Contemporary)". Billboard. Retrieved March 2, 2021.
  32. ↑ "AJR Chart History (Adult Pop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved February 23, 2021.
  33. ↑ "AJR Chart History (Dance Mix/Show Airplay)". Billboard. Retrieved October 13, 2023.
  34. ↑ "AJR Chart History (Pop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved December 22, 2020.
  35. ↑ "AJR Chart History (Rock Airplay)". Billboard. Retrieved September 17, 2020.
  36. ↑ "AJR Chart History (Hot Rock & Alternative Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved November 10, 2020.
  37. ↑ "Top 100 Songs, September 11, 2020 - September 17, 2020". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on January 12, 2021. Retrieved September 21, 2020.
  38. ↑ "Adult Pop Songs – Year-End 2020". Billboard. January 2, 2013. Archived from the original on December 3, 2020. Retrieved December 4, 2020.
  39. ↑ "Pop Songs – Year-End 2020". Billboard. January 2, 2013. Archived from the original on December 6, 2020. Retrieved December 4, 2020.
  40. ↑ "Rock Airplay Songs – Year-End 2020". Billboard. December 13, 2013. Archived from the original on December 8, 2020. Retrieved January 25, 2021.
  41. ↑ "Hot Rock & Alternative Songs – Year-End 2020". Billboard. January 2, 2013. Archived from the original on January 11, 2021. Retrieved December 4, 2020.
  42. ↑ "Canadian Hot 100 – Year-End 2021". Billboard. January 2, 2013. Archived from the original on December 2, 2021. Retrieved December 2, 2021.
  43. ↑ "Top Selling Singles of 2021". Recorded Music NZ. Archived from the original on January 24, 2022. Retrieved January 24, 2022.
  44. ↑ "Hot 100 Songs – Year-End 2021". Billboard. January 2, 2013. Archived from the original on December 3, 2021. Retrieved December 2, 2021.
  45. ↑ "Adult Contemporary Songs – Year-End 2021". Billboard. January 2, 2013. Archived from the original on December 2, 2021. Retrieved December 3, 2021.
  46. ↑ "Adult Pop Songs – Year-End 2021". Billboard. January 2, 2013. Archived from the original on December 2, 2021. Retrieved December 2, 2021.
  47. ↑ "Hot Rock & Alternative Songs – Year-End 2021". Billboard. January 2, 2013. Archived from the original on December 2, 2021. Retrieved December 2, 2021.
  48. ↑ "Pop Airplay Songs – Year-End 2021". Billboard. Archived from the original on December 2, 2021. Retrieved December 3, 2021.
  49. ↑ "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 2022 Singles" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved February 3, 2022.
  50. ↑ "Canadian single certifications – AJR – Bang!". Music Canada. Retrieved October 30, 2022.
  51. ↑ "New Zealand single certifications – AJR – Bang!". Recorded Music NZ. Retrieved October 30, 2022.
  52. ↑ "American single certifications – AJR – Bang!". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved April 16, 2021.
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