In the middle of an ‘80s pop music scene that was extremely competitive, The Bangles carved out a niche all their own. They could rock you, massage the slower stuff, and even make quasi-novelty songs go down smooth.
As a matter of fact, their gleaming vocal harmonies made anything they did sound pretty good. Let’s look back at the five Bangles songs that made the biggest dents on the U.S. pop charts.
5. “In Your Room” (No. 5 in 1989)
After the massive success of their 1986 album Different Light, The Bangles took their time to get their follow-up right, sitting out ’87 except for a single that comes up a little bit later on this list. When they came back with Everything in 1988, they did so with a lead single that rocked with abandon and conjured an undeniably sultry vibe. Lead singer Susanna Hoffs co-wrote “In Your Room” with Billy Steinberg and Tom Kelly, and the trio hit upon a retro ‘60s vibe that was right in the band’s wheelhouse, while also leaning into the undeniable allure of Hoffs’ voice.
4. “Hazy Shade of Winter” (No. 2 in 1987)
To keep the momentum rolling between the albums, The Bangles knocked out a cover of a Simon & Garfunkel chestnut for the soundtrack to the movie Less than Zero. Since the movie was all about the young, decadent, and destructive, there’s just no way the band could have kept the song in its original acoustic format. (Considering the track was produced by Rick Rubin, who was at the time all about the heavy guitars, the switch to an edgier tone made sense in that respect as well.) Yet even with the harder feel, those vocals from all four members are what you remember.
3. “Manic Monday” (No. 2 in 1986)
The Bangles’ debut album (All Over the Place) received a lot of critical acclaim, but it didn’t do much in the mainstream outside some MTV exposure. It’s likely this quartet would have broken through to a wider audience anyway. But let’s not forget the solid Prince did for them in giving them “Manic Monday” on a platter. All the group had to do was simply lay their special vocal blend over a recording that Prince had pretty much assembled. The song gave them their breakout single, and there was no stopping them from there.
2. “Eternal Flame” (No. 2 in 1989)
As an act that was beholden to the ’60s, it’s fitting The Bangles relied on a songwriting team that was kind of the ’80s version of a Brill Building pair. Tom Kelly wrote the music to “Eternal Flame,” then handed it off to his partner Billy Steinberg, who teamed up with Susanna Hoffs for the lyrics. The rest of the band disliked the original demo, so this would-be hit nearly ended up unsung. Luckily, producer Davitt Sigerson didn’t let go, reworking the arrangement to make it sound like Hoffs was singing in her room to a music box, giving the song just the right level of intimacy.
1. “Walk Like an Egyptian” (No. 1 in 1986)
Who knows why some songs strike a chord? Liam Sternberg, who wrote “Walk Like an Egyptian,” didn’t have a long track record of hit singles behind him, and the original demo featured kitchen utensils for percussion. Again, the ’60s connection is there, as songs about dances were all the rage in that decade. And there’s just a little bit of social commentary in the lyrics from keeping it too lightweight. Ultimately, the credit goes to The Bangles, who sell the song to the hilt, especially Hoffs, who captured a lot of hearts with the sneaky mischief that crept into her voice in the song’s closing moments.
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