"Bucky Done Gun" is the third single from M.I.A.

M.I.A. (artist)

Mathangi "Maya" Arulpragasam , better known by her stage name M.I.A. , is an English singer-songwriter, rapper, record producer, painter and director of Sri Lankan Tamil descent. Her compositions combine elements of hip hop, electronica, dance, alternative and world music. M.I.A...

's critically acclaimed album Arular

Arular

Arular is the 2005 debut album by British musician M.I.A. Originally set for a September 2004 release, the album was delayed due to problems obtaining permission to use samples. Arular was finally released in the US on 22 March 2005 and a month later in the UK with a slightly different track...

. It is written by Maya Arulpragasam and Wesley Pentz and produced by Diplo, with additional production by A. Brucker, P. Byrne and Wizard. The track samples heavily from Deize Tigrona

Deize Tigrona

Deize Tigrona is a Brazilian funk carioca musician. Born in the São Conrado neighborhood of Rio de Janeiro, Deize worked as a house cleaner until her music career became successful. Her song “Injeção” was used as the basis for the M.I.A. song "Bucky Done Gun". Recently she has performed both with...

's baile funk song "Injeção." Both "Injeção" and "Bucky Done Gun" sample the horns from "Gonna Fly Now

Gonna Fly Now

"Gonna Fly Now", also known as "Theme from Rocky", is the theme song from the movie Rocky, composed by Bill Conti with lyrics by Carol Connors and Ayn Robbins, and performed by DeEtta Little and Nelson Pigford...

" (the theme song from Rocky

Rocky

Rocky is a 1976 American sports drama film directed by John G. Avildsen and both written by and starring Sylvester Stallone. It tells the rags to riches American Dream story of Rocky Balboa, an uneducated but kind-hearted debt collector for a loan shark in the city of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania...

), composed by Bill Conti

Bill Conti

William "Bill" Conti is an American film music composer who is frequently the conductor at the Academy Awards ceremony.-Early life and career:...

.

M.I.A. performed the song on 3 May 2005 on Jimmy Kimmel Live!. "Bucky Done Gun" was included in the soundtrack of NBA Live 06

NBA Live series

The NBA Elite is series of basketball video games, published by EA Sports. There has not been any entry in the series on a home console since 2009. In November 2010, development of the franchise was moved from EA Canada studio to Florida-based Tiburon studio...

, but renamed and re-edited as "Bucky Done."

Music video

The music video

Music video

A music video or song video is a short film integrating a song and imagery, produced for promotional or artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a marketing device intended to promote the sale of music recordings...

 for "Bucky Done Gun" was directed by Anthony Mandler

Anthony Mandler

Anthony Mandler is a commercial and music video director, who has written and directed music videos for several artists. His most notable and frequent collaborator is Rihanna...

. It features Arulpragasam rapping aggressively against a desolate wasteland, erratically interspersed with scenes of her performing live in an underground nightclub, filmed in an artsy, guerrilla style. The video is also mixed with images of teenagers throwing grenades of smoking colour at buildings; Arulpragasam's live backup singer Ms. Cherry provocatively grinding against a chain-linked fence and giggling children playing in dirty streets and damp landscapes.

Song title meaning

In an interview with Ashlene Nand, M.I.A. was asked "what the hell does “Bucky Done Gun” mean?". Her response was:

I don’t know!! (Laughs) I really don’t know. At the time, the concept that I was thinking of was how far we are going to go with gangster culture in rap music. That’s really what I was thinking about. I was thinking about 50 Cent

50 Cent

Curtis James Jackson III , better known by his stage name 50 Cent, is an American rapper, entrepreneur, investor, record producer, and actor. He rose to fame with the release of his albums Get Rich or Die Tryin and The Massacre . Get Rich or Die Tryin has been certified eight times platinum by...

. It started off as Public Enemy and ended with 50 Cent. What was that journey (for rap music) and how did that happen? In London, Bucky is a slang

London slang

London slang is a mixture of words and phrases from around the globe. It reflects the diverse ethnic and cultural makeup of the city's population. Because London occupies such a dominant economic position in the United Kingdom, slang originally unique to the city has spread across the UK....

 word for gun. It’s a real British, grime

Grime (music)

Grime is a style of music that emerged from Bow, East London, England in the early 2000s, primarily as a development of UK garage, dancehall, and hip hop...

 word. So I was thinking, what is the aftermath of gangster rap? Were they going to get into therapy?

CD 2/maxi

1. "Bucky Done Gun" – 3:45
2. "Bucky Done Gun" [DJ Marlboro's Funk Carioca remix] – 2:37
3. "Bucky Done Gun" [¥£$ Productions's remix] – 3:26
4. "Bucky Done Gun" [ DaVinChe
   DaVinChe
   DaVinChe is a British Record producer and songwriter from South London, England.His notable works include Kano’s “Brown Eyes" and "P's and Q's” and Tinchy Stryder's “Something About Your Smile” and "Breathe".-Biography:...
   
    remix] – 3:00
5. "Bucky Done Gun" [instrumental] – 3:46
6. "Bucky Done Gun" [a capella] – 3:17

12" vinyl single

1. "Bucky Done Gun" – 3:45
2. "Bucky Done Gun" [DaVinChe remix] – 3:00
3. "Pull Up the People" [D'Explicit remix] – 3:35

Personnel

• Maya Arulpragasam - main performer, artwork
• A. Brucker - final mix and production
• P. Byrne - final mix and production
• Diplo - producer
• Wizard - programming, mixing and additional production

Charts

Chart (2005)	Peak
U.K. Singles Chart	88