This Track was the Number 1 Song of 1987! Do you Remember it?
If you’ve got some jelly bracelets and spandex, or your old “Frankie Says” shirt, this would be a good time to put them on. That’s because we’re going back in time to the ’80s.
To 1987, to be exact. For many people, that was the year that they let out their inner King Tut.
It was 1987 that saw the release of the Bangles hit “Walk Like an Egyptian.” You’re smiling already and you haven’t even started the video!
This was a quintessential ’80s song filled with full-out guitar solos, pitch-perfect harmonies, and of course tambourines. As you’ll see in the video, it also spawned a short dance craze.
Even Prince Charles and Diana joined in — although, based on that quality video editing, it was probably without their knowledge.
Plenty of others joined in, though, and even today echoes of this song at its attendant craze ripple through the music world.
“Walk Like an Egyptian” hit the top of the charts as Casey Kasem would have pronounced that year. It was not their only hit, though.
Over the next few years, they also had the top ten hits “Manic Monday,” “Hazy Shade of Winter,” and “Eternal Flame.” All of these were mainstays on the radio and of course MTV.
The group formed in 1981 and after a few lineup changes settled into the now-classic lineup of Michael Steele, Susanna Hoffs, Debbi Peterson, and Vicki Peterson.
To some, the all-female lineup was a bit of a novelty, but the women worked hard to prove they deserved their spot on the stage.
Their musicianship earned them an early fan in Prince who in fact gave them the song “Manic Monday” to record!
The band went from these highs to the friction that often plagues many touring artists. As the decade ended, the group disbanded.
They cited lack of breaks as the reason for their disintegration. Apparently they worked through their time together and got burned out.
They came together again in the ’90s thanks to Austin Powers! Jay Roach, director of the film, is married to Susanna Hoffs and he convinced the band to reunite for the film’s soundtrack.
That set the wheels in motion and before long they were working together again, last releasing an album in 2011 – “Sweetheart of the Sun.”
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