Bam Bam (song)
| "Bam Bam" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Single by Sister Nancy | ||||
| from the album One, Two | ||||
| Released | 1982 | |||
| Format | ||||
| Recorded | 1982 | |||
| Studio | Channel One Studios | |||
| Genre | Reggae, dancehall | |||
| Length | 3:16 | |||
| Label | Techniques Records | |||
| Songwriter(s) | ||||
| Producer(s) | Winston Riley | |||
| Sister Nancy singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
"Bam Bam" is a song by Jamaican dancehall recording artist Sister Nancy. The song's chorus was inspired by the 1966 song of the same name, by The Maytals and Byron Lee and the Dragonaires.[1][2] The song's instrumental samples the 1974 song "Stalag 17", by Ansell Collins, a well known riddim, alternatively known as a backing track used repeatedly.[3][4] The song has been labeled as a "well-known reggae anthem" by BBC and a "classic" by The Observer.[5][6]
In 2016, Billboard called the song "a strong contender for the title of most sampled reggae song of all time."[2] When asked her opinion of the many songs that have used her voice over the years, she responded: "I don’t know if I hear all of them. They sample it so much times but none of them is my favorite. The reason why I say that is they know how to contact me. They know I live in the U.S. and nobody try to contact me to do it in person. They always sample the tune. If they had contacted me and I would do it for them live then I would have a favorite."[2]
In 2014, Sister Nancy's daughter pointed out that her song, “Bam Bam”, was playing on the TV during a Reebok commercial and thus she finally decided seek legal advice and guidance on properly obtaining rights to her own music. For 32 years Sister Nancy did not receive any royalties for her song. At the end of the settlement she was unable to receive compensation for all 32 years of unpaid royalties, however, she did receive compensation for the last 10 years and then obtained 50% of the rights to her song “Bam Bam”. [7]
Notable samples
- WhoSampled.com lists over 75 songs that sampled "Bam Bam", as performed by Sister Nancy.[8][2]
In 2015, "Bam Bam", was interpolated by Kat DeLuna for her song, "Bum Bum".[9] In 2016, American musician Kanye West sampled "Bam Bam", for his song "Famous", from The Life of Pablo.[10] In 2017, "Bam Bam" was used by Jay-Z, for his song "Bam", from the album 4:44.[11]
In film
In 2014, the Sister Nancy song "Bam Bam" was featured in the Seth Rogen/Evan Goldberg movie The Interview.[12] It topped the iTunes Reggae Chart.[13]
References
- ↑ "Sister Nancy's 'Bam Bam' - Discover the Sample Source". WhoSampled. Retrieved 15 July 2017.
- 1 2 3 4 Sister Nancy & Producer Winston Riley's Son Talk 'Bam Bam' Sample on Kanye West's 'The Life of Pablo', Billboard, 2016-02-16
- ↑ "The 30-Year Journey of Sister Nancy, Jamaica’s First Female Dancehall Star". Genius. Retrieved 15 July 2017.
- ↑ "Sister Nancy's 'Bam Bam' - Discover the Sample Source". WhoSampled. Retrieved 15 July 2017.
- ↑ Warren, Emma (2007-08-12). "Bobby Kray, Tales From a Skinny White Boy". The Observer. Retrieved 2008-07-15.
- ↑ Small, Elle J (2007-08-31). "Bobby Kray - Tales From A Skinny White Boy". BBC. Retrieved 2008-07-15.
- ↑ HOT 97 (17 May 2017). "Sister Nancy Speaks On Her Beginnings & Opens Up On Reggae/Dancehall Today". Retrieved 15 July 2017 – via YouTube.
- ↑ "Bam Bam by Sister Nancy on WhoSampled". WhoSampled. Retrieved 15 July 2017.
- ↑ "Kat Deluna - Bum Bum Feat. Trey Songz". Hot New Hip Hop. March 30, 2015. Retrieved May 26, 2015.
- ↑ "Kanye West feat. Rihanna and Swizz Beatz's 'Famous' - Discover the Sample Source". WhoSampled. Retrieved 15 July 2017.
- ↑ "Jay-Z feat. Damian Marley's 'Bam' - Discover the Sample Source". WhoSampled. Retrieved 15 July 2017.
- ↑ Campbell, Howard (2014) "Nancy's Interview Pays Off", Jamaica Observer, 31 December 2014. Retrieved 1 January 2015
- ↑ "Bam Bam tops iTunes charts", Jamaica Observer, 17 January 2015. Retrieved 18 January 2015