The song was a huge success in Europe and Latin America, topping the charts in many countries there.

[2] The story of Ma Barker is controversial, and many details on the song are based on what was told at the time, instead of recorded history.

Some differences are the fact there are no records that she introduced any of her sons to crime (the opposite is more probable), and only one of them died with her.

Similarly, their death didn't happen during a bank robbery; instead, they were found in a vacation house and died on a day-long shootout with the FBI.

With a structure similar to Boney M.'s breakthrough single "Daddy Cool", using the same gimmick percussion, alternating answer-back vocals, and a spoken mid-part, the song opened with a snarling "Freeze, I'm Ma Baker, put your hands in the air and gimme all your money".

Although it has never been officially credited, the voice was that of Linda Blake, the wife of Frank Farian's American friend Bill Swisher, who was a soldier in Germany at the time.

[citation needed] Bill Swisher performed the spoken mid-part, announcing a bulletin from the FBI.