“Manic Monday” (The Bangles)

Today’s classic song of the day for this crazy Monday morning is “Manic Monday” by the Bangles. Released in January of 1986, this was the group’s first big hit, peaking at #2 on the Billboard Hot 100. It was a Top Five hit all around the world, including Australia, Austria, Canada, Ireland, New Zealand, Norway, South Africa, Switzerland, West Germany, and the UK.

“Manic Monday” was written by the artist known as Prince, although he went by the name of Christopher for this one. Apparently Prince heard the Bangle’s first album, All Over the Place, and was so enamored of it (as he should have been; it’s a terrific album and one of my favorites) that he decided to give the girls one of his songs. That song, “Manic Monday,” was written back in 1984 and originally intended for the group Apollonia 6. When that group’s lead singer, Apollonia, had a falling out with the purple one, Prince gave the song to the Bangles instead—but not before recording his own demo of the song. Hearing that demo, you definitely know it’s a Prince song.

Bangles singer/guitarist Susanna Hoffs recalls the reaction when the group first listened to the cassette of “Manic Monday” that Prince sent to them:

 “We Bangles hovered around the cassette machine — ’cause back then, it was tape — and we were smitten with the song.”

The version that the Bangles recorded is very close to what Prince recorded, but with some minor alterations. As Ms. Hoffs relates:

“That’s one thing that we Bangles decided en masse, and were very unified in this, that we wanted to kind of make it ours — Bangle-fy it, in a sense.”

Bangle-fy it, they did, by changing a few chords here and there and dramatically altering the bridge. They also added their own unique harmonies and jangly guitars, because that was the Bangles sound. The result, obviously, worked.

“Manic Monday” was the group’s first top ten hit; as good as their prior album was, it didn’t generate any chartbusters. (I’m a huge fan of All Over the Place, which I purchased before the Bangles became big; I particularly like the tracks “Hero Takes a Fall,” “James,” and their cover of Katrina and the Waves’ “Going Down to Liverpool.”) Their second album, however, did a whole lot better. Different Light included the #1 hit “Walk Like an Egyptian,” as well as the singles “If She Knew What She Wants,” “Walking Down Your Street,” and “Manic Monday.” Additional hit singles followed, including “Hazy Shade of Winter,” “In Your Room,” and “Eternal Flame.”

The Bangles were Susanna Hoffs on rhythm guitar and vocals, Vicki Peterson on lead guitar and vocals, Michael Steele on bass and vocals, and Vicki’s sister Debi Peterson on drums and vocals. They first started playing together in December of 1980, as The Bangs. They changed their name to the Bangles a few years later and signed with Columbia Records in 1984. They had several years of chart-topping success, riding the wave of the MTV music video era, until they broke up in 1989. They got back together in 1998 to record a song for the Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me soundtrack and released a new album, Doll Revolution in 2002.

For some reason, the Bangles haven’t gotten the same retroactive respect as fellow MTV-era girl group the Go-Go’s. While I liked both groups, the Bangles were my personal favorite. I found them to be better musicians, overall, with better material—both originals and covers. I still listen to their first two albums today—and you should, too.