Bonnie and Clyde’s Lasting Impact on Music

How an outlaw couple’s two-year rampage inspired decades’ worth of great music.

Written by Tiana Woodard

Photo courtesy of Brettman Archive

The sheriff crumples to the floor with as much force as the bullet used to take his life. And the gun wielder, a young man with a cold countenance, rushes him and his partner-in-crime to their getaway vehicle. A fiery-haired gun moll keeps a watchful eye behind their Ford V-8, as the sight of the murder fades into view. Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow, after nearly two years on the run, had evaded the police force’s merciless grip once again.

Little did anyone, especially Bonnie and Clyde themselves, know that crimes like these would become the muse of an entire realm of music. Decades after their deaths in 1934, Great Depression-era outlaws Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow’s influence still finds its way into some of our most beloved hits.

During their short lives, images like the one described above did not inspire verses of song, but instead sparked feelings of terror. At the pinnacle of their notoriety, Bonnie and Clyde weren’t seen as a revolutionary, ride-or-die power couple; they were viewed as threats to the American public. Bonnie and Clyde, along with the rest of the Barrow Gang, are believed to have committed 13 murders, nine of the victims being police officers.

Newspaper clippings from the era show that American media outlets painted Bonnie and Clyde with an unflattering brush. The unconventional “gunwoman companion” was met with disapproval from many Americans, as Parker failed to meet societal expectations of the ideal 1930s woman. Journalists painted an equally menacing image of Parker’s partner-in-crime; some outlets emphasized “the Texas terrorist’s” role in sullying Bonnie’s prim and proper image, writing that he taught her to shoot a pistol.

Law enforcement and fearful citizens alike wanted the lawbreaking duo dead or alive. Citizens nationwide held their breath at the height of the gang’s reign of terror across the central US, fearing they’d cross paths with the deadly pair next.

Years after their gruesome deaths, Bonnie and Clyde made one of their first re-emergences in mainstream media with the Academy Award-winning biographical film of the same name. Its international success prompted the first few musical renditions of the outlaws’ story, starting with English band Georgie Fame and the Blue Flames’ “The Ballad of Bonnie and Clyde” in 1967. Fame uses the song’s unique instrumentation to accurately recount the outlaws’ eventful lives, more so than the lyrics. Police sirens, gunshots, and car chases accompany piano, trombones, a banjo, bass, trumpets, and drums in typical  1930s fashion.

French artists Serge Gainsbourg and Brigitte Bardot’s 1968 “Bonnie and Clyde” is another of the earliest recounts of the couple’s lives. Largely based off the final poem Parker wrote before her death, Gainsbourg’s and Bardot’s duet deviates little from historical fact. With Gainsbourg’s serenading baritone and Bardot’s seductive purr, this French interpretation added a more sexual perspective to the outlaws’ disputed history. The youth counterculture of the late 1960s gravitated towards such musical releases, admiring the sheer lawlessness and societal rejection Bonnie and Clyde exuded.

Recounts of Bonnie and Clyde’s turbulent relationship finally made their way back to the States in the 1990s in hip-hop and R&B. In fact, there are  so many rap hits entitled “Bonnie and Clyde” that they’re often titled by release year. Late West Coast hip hop legacy Tupac kicked off this hip hop trend with “‘Me and My Girlfriend,” who the icon dubs “‘96 Bonnie and Clyde” in the song’s refrain. Eminem followed with his darker, haunted “‘97 Bonnie and Clyde.” Jay-Z and Beyonce came together for a ‘03 version years later, and the Bonnie and Clyde motif, was the influence for the couple’s “On The Run” tours. While these songs’ lyrics don’t stay true to the outlaws’ original story, they still emulate the undying love that the young lovers had for each other. Bonnie and Clyde, without a doubt, inspired the ride-or-die mentality found in many hip hop hits.

Pop rock artists such as The 1975 also adopted this ride-or-die persona in their own addictive releases, most notably “Robbers.” Discussing the song, lead vocalist and rhthymic guitarist Matty Healy said that couples like Bonnie and Clyde fascinated him as a teenager. The song’s steady rhythm amid Healy’s emotional vocals make a soundly statement about the late outlaws: through a robbing and killing spree of utter chaos, their love still remained.

As the years following Bonnie and Clyde’s final shootout grow, musical ties to the couple have become more subtle. Nevertheless, they’re still there. With distance, society’s fascination with the dangerous duo grows fonder. And with each musical release, their striking narrative is warped more and more — whether for better or worse is up to debate. Still, no one can deny the powerful impact of music’s allusions to the classic outlaw couple.