ahh, but don't you believe them... That reminds me: Back in the early to mid 90s there was a comedy show on cable (it might have been The Kids In The Hall) that featured a sketch where two boys were arguing over the TV remote. One wanted to watch VH-1 and the other wanted to watch something else. The one who wanted to watch VH-1 said, "But VH-1 is having a Bruce Hornsby weekend!"
Ha! Reminds me of a Seinfeld episode where Kramer gives his television away so he won't spend so much time watching. Which of course results in Kramer dropping into Jerry's place constantly begging to watch his television. Underlining his willingness to watch just about anything in the listings, at one point Kramer says something like, "Look - an hour with Patrick Swayze!"
The final #1 of 1986, and the first #1 of 1987... "Walk Like An Egyptian" by the Bangles, #1 from December 14, 1986 - January 10, 1987.
I will never forget the time my family played charades and my father awkwardly did the dance from this video after drawing "egyptian" for his clue.
Not their best effort but I’m glad they got a number one. Much bigger fan of their previous LP and reunion album. And the Sweet/Hoffs ‘Under the Covers’ series is tremendous
When this song started rocketing up the charts, in the beginning I couldn't understand what the big attraction to it was. The more I heard it - the more I liked it! It's got a great dance beat to it and the lyrics are quite amusing. It was one of my top 20 favorites of 1987. This song ended up being Billboard's No. 1 song of 1987 (as so often happens, songs that are at the top during the holiday season are usually among the biggest of the year). For some reason, this song was NOT released with a picture sleeve in the US or Canada, despite the fact that the other three singles from this album were. Some chart trivia: the previous three No. 1 singles (You Give Love a Good Name, The Next Time I Fall and The Way It Is) all jumped from No. 4 to No. 1, but each stayed there only one week. When The Way It Is made the jump, Walk Like An Egyptian was right behind moving from No. 5 to No. 2, so you kind of figured it was the next No. 1.
Fun and iconic song for the band, even if as others have indicated maybe it's not technically their best work. Cute video tho, great slices of '80s New York and some funny video editing. The Bangles got the #1 hit that eluded the Go-Go's. This is also arguably one of the last big New Wave hits, although you could certainly debate if this was New Wave or just flat out pop rock. Still, it was great to get something on the more traditional-leaning rock side of the fence that wasn't obnoxiously loud or ridiculously stupid, so I'm not surprised the thing was a massive hit and really took off with the public. It's absolutely loaded with hooks and catchy moments - no slacking off here, they put in the work for this one.
This song annoyed the hell out of me at the time, but it stuck around in the charts and on the airwaves for so long that eventually I started liking it. Musical Stockholm Syndrome.
I love this one! I was hooked on the Bangles from the moment I heard Manic Monday and then worked back to their first album. It is a shame that they didn’t hit the top spot with a song they wrote and all played on (Debbie didn’t play the drums, but made up for it in the iconic video!), but it is good that they got some recognition and attention around the globe. As always a great use of harmonies, a great beat and an incredibly fun song. I have never tired of it.
Debbie was pissed that she didn't play drums on it or do a lead vocal. The song did have some controversy. Cops were angry over the "doughnut shop" line that perpetuated a mean stereotype, and Egyptians were upset because they felt it mocked their culture. So much for a fun song.
Different Light was one of the extremely few then-current albums I bought around this time (on cassette - can't recall why as I was already a confirmed vinyl junkie). I don't remember why I didn't just buy the "Walk Like an Egyptian" 45 as I didn't know any of the other songs yet, but it might have been because the tape was easier to find. I remember a friend from school saying he'd been trying to find the single and couldn't. In any case, I liked the whole album pretty well, but nothing topped "Walk Like an Egyptian", which was just about the catchiest thing I'd ever heard right about then. In the spring of 1987, I went on the eighth grade class trip to DC, ten hours on a bus, and of course I brought a bunch of tapes for the ride. This was one of them, and hearing some of those songs still evokes the joy of being away from my family for the first time ever.
