The first four singles by The Bangles – Vicki Peterson, Debbi Peterson, Michael Steele and Susanna Hoffs – had been completely ignored by Top 40 radio. But on January 27, 1986, a Monday, Columbia Records released “Manic Monday,” the first single from a new album, Different Light.
The songwriter is credited as Christopher (no last name). Turns out “Christopher” was really Prince (who, of course, famously didn’t use his own last name – Nelson – in his credits). “Manic Monday” was embraced by radio and it raced up the singles chart and, in a you-can’t-make-this-stuff-up bit of irony, stalled at #2. At #1? Prince and the Revolution’s “Kiss”!
“Manic Monday” was the first of five Top 5 hits that the Bangles enjoyed; their “Walk Like an Egyptian” and “Eternal Flame” were both #1 smashes. (“Hazy Shade of Winter” hit #2 and “In Your Room” peaked at #5.) Different Light would go on to sell over three million albums.
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Related: The Bangles perform a rare concert, in 2018
Some of you no doubt shared Best Classic Bands‘ schoolboy crush of doe-eyed lead singer Susanna Hoffs, born Jan. 17, 1959.
But The Bangles weren’t just pretty looks; they could rock. Enjoy our Classic Video…
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Want more? Watch them perform the song acoustically, years later
