BANG, YOU'RE DEAD Written By Simpson and Ashford Performed By Bette Midler

[Boogiedown]

Just stumbled upon it. Would never have thought it a song written by them.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oSQbQfyHR1k

Is Bette's the only version of this song ?

[brothadc]

Yo, when I listened to this song immediately I thought something sounds very familiar! Then I realized that Ashford & Simpson used portions of "Bang, You're Dead" and turned it into "This Game Of Love [[I'm Never Coming Down)", a song that Jennifer Holliday recorded on her first album. Check it out!


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2mnelwIV9wk

[PeaceNHarmony]

Bette should have had a hit with BYD - the live performances were very well-received during her Songs for the New Depression tour.

[reese]

I really like Bette's recording. I never heard it until just now. Interesting how they turned it into another composition that ended up being recorded by Jennifer. Or is it vice versa? I think the inner sleeve of Jennifer's album gave the composition a 1975 copyright date.

But looking back on it, A&S did a lot of going back to previous compositions and rewriting them, like they did with YOUR LOVE CAN SAVE ME aka THIS POOR HEART OF MINE, GOOD LOVIN' AIN'T EASY TO COME BY and their own I NEED YOUR LIGHT, which they recorded in two very different versions.

[daviddesper]

Although familiar with Bette's song, I had never noticed who wrote it. Interesting slice 'o' trivia. Since we are branching off into other A & S projects, didn't we once hear that Dionne Warwick did an entire album with them? If so, any chance that will ever see the light of day or were the tracks already featured somewhere else along the way?

[thommg]

From the Bette Midler Wikipedia page for her live album - ""Bang, You're Dead", which was not performed during the Cleveland show, replaced "I Sold My Heart To The Junkman" on the album because writers Nick Ashford and Valerie Simpson - who wrote the song for Bette - laid down an ultimatum that if she didn't release the song on her next album they would give it to another singer. Therefore, the song was recorded in a studio and put onto the album."

[reese]

Although familiar with Bette's song, I had never noticed who wrote it. Interesting slice 'o' trivia. Since we are branching off into other A & S projects, didn't we once hear that Dionne Warwick did an entire album with them? If so, any chance that will ever see the light of day or were the tracks already featured somewhere else along the way?

In 1973, Dionne recorded two tracks with A&S: WE NEED TO GO BACK and SOMEONE ELSE GETS THE PRIZE. Both were eventually released in 2013 on the cd WE NEED TO GO BACK: THE UNISSUED WARNER BROS. MASTERS. Another track, I TOOK MY STRENGTH FROM YOU was said to be cut as well but the cd notes say this is not true.

In 2019, Dionne re-recorded WE NEED TO GO BACK for her SHE'S BACK cd.

[Spreadinglove21]

I'm being lazy here, but do Someone Else Gets the Prize and No One Gets the Prize have any similarities?

[reese]

I'm being lazy here, but do Someone Else Gets the Prize and No One Gets the Prize have any similarities?

Just similar titles.

[Boogiedown]

Very interesting input!

I'm liking that Jennifer Holliday spin on it. Pulled back a bit. Thanks brothadc.
Bette's will take a coupe of more listens . I'm not typically big on overly frantic , extremely fast paced songs, although that was sort of Bette's forte at this point.
It didn't really sound live to me, but the production quality does seemed compressed.

I'm surprised Midler never hooked up with Paul Jabara, that's who this number reminds me of. The BANG YOU'RE DEAD line is off putting , imo, and thus far I don't understand the point of it.

[reese]

Very interesting input!

I'm liking that Jennifer Holliday spin on it. Pulled back a bit. Thanks brothadc.
Bette's will take a coupe of more listens . I'm not typically big on overly frantic , extremely fast paced songs, although that was sort of Bette's forte at this point.
It didn't really sound live to me, but the production quality does seemed compressed.

I'm surprised Midler never hooked up with Paul Jabara, that's who this number reminds me of. The BANG YOU'RE DEAD line is off putting , imo, and thus far I don't understand the point of it.

BANG YOU'RE DEAD was one of two studio recordings on Bette's live album.

[brothadc]

You got it Boogie! I totally agree with you on both parts. I like songs that have a nice groove, a nice pocket. Super fast paced songs like that sound corny and cartoonish to me! And that title is not attractive at all. I really was surprised to see that Ashford & Simpson wrote it. I would have thought that they were too cool, soulful and sophisticated to have a song title like that in their catalog!

[Jaap]

I'm surprised Midler never hooked up with Paul Jabara, that's who this number reminds me of. The BANG YOU'RE DEAD line is off putting , imo, and thus far I don't understand the point of it.

This does sound like a Paul Jabara song!

[TomatoTom123]

Well… not one of Ashford & Simpson's best songs… :p:D

[Boogiedown]

From the Bette Midler Wikipedia page for her live album - ""Bang, You're Dead", which was not performed during the Cleveland show, replaced "I Sold My Heart To The Junkman" on the album because writers Nick Ashford and Valerie Simpson - who wrote the song for Bette - laid down an ultimatum that if she didn't release the song on her next album they would give it to another singer. Therefore, the song was recorded in a studio and put onto the album."
Fascinating. A&S making such a demand on Bette. A lot of bother , artificially placing
It into her show, for a song that turned out to be a bunch of nothing.
No wonder the two never hooked up again after that .
Reese I caught your info that the song wasn’t truly a part of her act. I wonder what the other song was that was inserted?
I had noticed when first listening the [fake] crowd reception seemed so enthusiastic that it must have been s familiar song by her that I didn’t realize?

The Jennifer Holliday reinterpretation has that 80s earth wind and fire vibe.

Added I’ m so good . Just looked it up , Maurice White produced.

[reese]

Fascinating. A&S making such a demand on Bette. A lot of bother , artificially placing
It into her show, for a song that turned out to be a bunch of nothing.
No wonder the two never hooked up again after that .
Reese I caught your info that the song wasn’t truly a part of her act. I wonder what the other song was that was inserted?
I had noticed when first listening the [fake] crowd reception seemed so enthusiastic that it must have been s familiar song by her that I didn’t realize?

The Jennifer Holliday reinterpretation has that 80s earth wind and fire vibe.

The other studio side was YOU'RE MOVING OUT TODAY.

Jennifer's version is from her 1983 debut FEEL MY SOUL, produced by Maurice White.

[PeaceNHarmony]

The other studio side was YOU'RE MOVING OUT TODAY.

Jennifer's version is from her 1983 debut FEEL MY SOUL, produced by Maurice White.When I attended one of Jennifer's shows at Ashford & Simpson's Twenty Twenty club in Manhattan, BYD was her opening song. I don't recall if it was the 'original' Bette version or the re-written version.

[Levi Stubbs Tears]

I'm surprised Midler never hooked up with Paul Jabara

The campy disco song 'My Knight in Black Leather' sure has a Jabara-feel to it.

[Boogiedown]

The campy disco song 'My Knight in Black Leather' sure has a Jabara-feel to it.
Agreed!
Paul jabara’s first

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=QXkt7rPPCE0

[thommg]

When I attended one of Jennifer's shows at Ashford & Simpson's Twenty Twenty club in Manhattan, BYD was her opening song. I don't recall if it was the 'original' Bette version or the re-written version.

Jennifer's version has a totally different name - "This Game of Love [[I'm Never Coming Down)"