My Everything (Ariana Grande album) by no means painful; there are even moments of fun, including the thigh-high-boot swagger of summer smashes 'Problem' and 'Bang Bang,' both of which borrow their strut from coheadliners Iggy Azalea and Jessie J with Nicki Minaj, respectively." Mikael Wood, writing on behalf of the "Los Angeles Times", finds Grande in impressive form because she is "deeply cheerful yet with guns blazing, an innocent newcomer no more." Elysa Gardner, on behalf of "USA Today", writes that Grande "digs into ballads and more emotionally earnest fare" simultaneously, doing so with a "girlish playfulness... and a sense of growing confidence", and she
Bang Bang (Jessie J, Ariana Grande and Nicki Minaj song) "soulful" song, that features a "clap-heavy" production, built over "big bouncy beats and horn blasts." It's in the key of C Dorian mode, with the vocals making use of the C blues scale. The tempo is 150 BPM (Allegro). The melody of the chorus has been compared to that of "Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go" by Wham!. Rob Sheffield of "Rolling Stone" called the song a "perfect Max Martin throwdown" that "fuses Nelly's 'Country Grammar' with Wham!'s 'Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go,' which is some truly twisted pop archaeology." Carolyn Menyes from "Music Times" called the song "[a]