<\/p>\n
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0The Bangles had a lot going for them when they broke into the big time in the 1980s.\u00a0 One burden they did not have to carry was that of being the first all female rock band (see Vixen, The Runaways, The Go-Gos, etc).\u00a0 Earlier all-female rock bands were viewed as a novelty and most had a short shelf life.\u00a0 The Bangles followed a succession of popular bands and were viewed as \u2018the next one to make it big\u2019.\u00a0 There was some \u2018baggage\u2019 they had to tote when they began to get noticed, but we will get to that later.\u00a0 With three albums released in the four year span from 1984-1988, they got a lot of exposure on MTV and moved a lot of records.\u00a0 Then came <\/span>Walk Like an Egyption.<\/span><\/i>\u00a0 There isn\u2019t a band out there that doesn\u2019t make a misstep in their career and I may be the only person who, at the time, thought it was a mistake.\u00a0 The video was quirky and fun, but it seemed to be a step back for a band that was trying to show everyone that they were, indeed, a serious rock band.\u00a0 It just goes to show what I knew.\u00a0 I had to amend my thinking when the song went No. 1 and The Bangles became a worldwide sensation.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0The band came together in the usual Los Angeles way.\u00a0 In 1980, the Peterson sisters were in a band called Those Girls (Vicki on guitar and vocals, Debbie supplying vocals and drums).\u00a0 When Lynn Elkind departed their band, she placed an ad in a weekly local newspaper (<\/span>The Recycler<\/span><\/i>) \u00a0 seeking members for her new band.\u00a0 Susanna Hoffs (who ironically had placed her own ad in the same paper) called to talk to her but ended up on the line with Vicki instead.\u00a0 They found they had much in common.\u00a0 Hoffs and Elkind did finally connect but their musical connections were not at all in sync.\u00a0 In 1981, the Petersons, Hoffs and Those Girls bass player Amanda Hills played together until Hills left.\u00a0 Annette Zilinskas had answered Hoffs\u2019 ad before Susanna joined Those Girls.\u00a0 When Hills departed, Zilinskas got the call to replace her and the band renamed themselves Colours.\u00a0 Another name change (to The Bangs) soon followed.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0They were a perfect fit in a collection of bands that were playing a mixture of 1960s influenced rock.\u00a0 The movement became known as L.A. ‘s \u2018Paisley Underground\u2019.\u00a0 When The Bangs recorded an E.P. and released the single <\/span>The Real World <\/span><\/i>in 1982, they discovered there was another band out there also called The Bangs.\u00a0 The other group would not give up the name without compensation so the E.P. was issued as The Bangles.\u00a0 When their label folded in 1983, I.R.S. Records picked up their distribution.\u00a0 About the same time as the band was picked up by I.R.S.,\u00a0 Zilinskas left to work on her own projects.\u00a0 Former Runaways bass player Michael Steele joined The Bangles in time to take part in their first full length L.P. on Columbia Records (<\/span>All Over the Place<\/span><\/i> – released in 1984).<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0The Bangles\u2019 power-pop sound got them noticed, particularly for the tracks <\/span>Hero Takes a Fall<\/span><\/i> and <\/span>Going Down to Liverpool.<\/span><\/i>\u00a0 The latter song had been written by Kimberley Rew and had been previously released by her band Katrina and The Waves (best known for their one big hit <\/span>Walking on Sunshine<\/span><\/i>).\u00a0 The video for <\/span>Liverpool<\/span><\/i> got quite a bit of attention partly because <\/span>Star Trek\u2019s<\/span><\/i> Leonard Nimoy made an appearance in it. \u00a0 The Hoffs and Nimoy families were close\u00a0 which led to him appearing in the video for the song.\u00a0 Opening for Cindy Lauper on her <\/span>Fun Tour<\/span><\/i> gained an even larger audience leading into their second album.\u00a0 One of their new fans turned out to be a fellow musician from Minnesota named Prince Rogers Nelson who just happened to name his Chanhassen, MN estate and studio \u2018Paisley Park\u2019.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Prince offered them a song he had originally written for a band he was mentoring called Apollonia 6.\u00a0 The Bangles took one listen to a cassette tape of the song and knew they had to record it, but it had to be done their way.\u00a0 Talking to <\/span>USA Today<\/span><\/i>, Debbi Peterson said, \u201cIt was such a thrill to learn that Prince was a fan of ours.\u201d\u00a0 Vicki agreed and described his involvement beyond writing the song:\u00a0 \u201cI put my foot down that we\u2019re making our own record.\u00a0 When Prince came to one rehearsal, he listened to me playing the keyboard riff on my guitar.\u00a0 He gave a thumbs up and walked out of the studio.\u201d\u00a0 Apparently he agreed with how they rearranged his song to suit their style and the success of <\/span>Manic Monday<\/span><\/i> added an exclamation point to his confidence in The Bangles.<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Prince was known for giving songs to bands he felt a connection with.\u00a0 <\/span>Manic Monday<\/span><\/i> came to The Bangles because he liked their first album.\u00a0 In 2023, Hoffs told Sam Delaney, \u201cThe Bangles were very lucky to meet Prince.\u00a0 He\u2019s been watching the video on MTV for our early single <\/span>Hero Takes a Fall <\/span><\/i>and he loved our song.\u00a0 We all played different roles in the video and I happened to be dressed like a French maid, which he apparently liked, too.\u00a0 So he started showing up at our gigs and getting on stage with us to perform these supernatural guitar solos.<\/span><\/p>\n When he invited us to record <\/span>Manic Monday<\/span><\/i> and had left a note with the cassette saying he thought it would be perfect for us.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Prince knew what he was talking about as the single went to No. 2 worldwide.\u00a0 <\/span>Manic Monday<\/span><\/i> was only kept out of the No. 1 spot by Prince\u2019s own song, <\/span>Kiss.<\/span><\/i>\u00a0 <\/span>Manic Monday<\/span><\/i> came off their 1986 release <\/span>Different Light<\/span><\/i>, the album that would prove to be their big commercial breakthrough.\u00a0 The LP was more polished than their previous record and when <\/span>Walk Like an Egyptian <\/span><\/i>went to No. 1, it pulled <\/span>Different Light<\/span><\/i> to No. 2 on the <\/span>Billboard Hot 200<\/span><\/i> chart.\u00a0 Hoffs admits that there were plenty of rumors about them (meaning her relationship with Prince) but she has never tried to cash in on any of the speculation beyond saying, \u201cHe was good to The Bangles.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0The one thing Hoffs claims she wasn\u2019t aware of at the time was the divide that began to open in the band when their next hit, <\/span>Eternal Flame,<\/span><\/i> reached No. 1 on the <\/span>Billboard Hot 100<\/span><\/i> (where it remained for 10 weeks in 1989).\u00a0 Co-written by Hoffs, the power ballad didn\u2019t capture the Peterson sister\u2019s attention at first.\u00a0 Debbi told <\/span>USA Today<\/span><\/i>, \u201cAt that point, we were starting to break apart and we didn\u2019t feel like we were getting respect from each other.\u00a0 Don\u2019t get me wrong – it\u2019s a beautiful song.\u00a0 But to me it sounded like Susanna solo;\u00a0 it didn\u2019t sound like a band song.\u201d\u00a0 Vicki added, \u201c[I] Recognized the beauty and craft of the song, and knew it was a hit – just not for The Bangles.\u00a0 I can be a little bit stubborn and I sort of chafed because it felt like it wasn\u2019t us.\u00a0 Ultimately we made it \u2018us\u2019, and I am grateful my stubbornness didn\u2019t get in the way of it being produced.\u201d\u00a0 After hearing Peterson\u2019s thoughts about <\/span>Eternal Flame, <\/span><\/i>it sounds like I can also forgive my initial doubts about <\/span>Walk Like an Egyptian.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0It is amazing how resentment can override success and derail a band.\u00a0 The more the focus seemed to fall on Hoffs, the faster the interband relationships disintegrated.\u00a0 In her book, <\/span>Eternal Flame<\/span><\/i> (Grand Central Publishing, 2025), author Jennifer Otter Bickerdike notes their break up came after the 1989 <\/span>Everything Everywhere Tour.\u00a0 <\/span><\/i>Bickerdike says, \u201cThere was a harsh band meeting – set up with Hoffs, Steele, managers and press agents – that cemented their demise . . . it seemed to be more of an ambush of the Petersons [than a band meeting].\u201d\u00a0 One can sense that if the sisters were already feeling pushed aside by Hoffs\u2019 growing stature, a meeting like this would have been more than enough to underscore their growing disenchantment with how things were going.<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Vicki confided to Bickerdike, \u201cI knew there was a lot of distress in the band and that last tour was quite rough.\u00a0 There was a storm that chased us all across the U.S. and metaphorically it was like the cloud was following us.\u201d\u00a0 Debbi added her two cents worth:\u00a0 \u201cMaybe Vicki and I were in denial of things getting really that bad.\u00a0 It really was a shocker . . . I remember there being a big box of tissues and crying so much.\u00a0 It [the last band meeting] was so emotionally upsetting and devastating.\u201d\u00a0 When they went their separate ways, Hoffs began a solo career.\u00a0 Vicki Peterson toured as a member of the Continental Drifters and as a fill-in member of The Go-Go\u2019s.\u00a0 Steele formed a short lived band called Crash Wisdom while The Bangles catalog would become new additions to the Classic Rock Radio format.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0It would take ten years and the recording of a song for the soundtrack of one of Mike Myers\u2019 <\/span>Austin Powers<\/span><\/i> movies to get them together again.\u00a0 Hoffs\u2019 husband Jay Roach directed the film and had chosen a song from 1999 for them to record (<\/span>Get The Girl<\/span><\/i>).\u00a0 This led to The Bangles\u00a0 touring again in 2000 and their induction into the Vocal Group Hall of Fame.\u00a0 A new album, <\/span>Doll Revolution<\/span><\/i>, was recorded at Icon Recording Studios between 2001 and 2002.\u00a0 The title track had\u00a0 been written and recorded by Elvis Costello in 2002.\u00a0 <\/span>Doll<\/span><\/i> was a solid album but failed to make much headway in big markets like the U.K, U.S., and Australia.\u00a0 In July of 2004, none other than Sir Paul (McCartney) himself presented the band with \u2018honorary rock\u2019n\u2019roll diplomas\u2019 from his LIverpool Institute for Performing Arts.\u00a0 The Bangles were back.<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Michael Steele left in 2005 after disputes with her bandmates over touring and recording.\u00a0 Steele\u2019s touring replacement was Abby Travis.\u00a0 Sessions for <\/span>Sweetheart of the Sun <\/span><\/i>began in 2009 and the album was released in September of 2011 (followed by tour dates from coast to coast).\u00a0 A small reunion of Paisley Underground bands in December 2013 found them sharing a bill with The Dream Syndicate, Three O\u2019Clock, and Rain Parade.\u00a0 Two shows were held – one at the Fillmore in San Francisco and another at the Fonda Theater in Los Angeles (the second being a benefit show).\u00a0 A celebration of the Whisky a Go Go\u2019s fiftieth anniversary put them on that venerable stage in West Hollywood, CA in January of 2014.\u00a0 Original bassist Annette Zilinskas joined the band for several live shows in 2014 and came back as a full time member in 2018.\u00a0 This marked the first time all the original members played together since 1983.<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Writing The Bangles story was no minor undertaking for Bickerdike.\u00a0 She had previously written a biography about Velvet Underground singer Nico and had studied the fandom of Britney Spears.\u00a0 Her Bangles research included hundreds of hours of interviews with Hoffs and the Petersons that stretched over a five year period (Steele declined to participate).\u00a0 Obviously, the core band members felt it was time to revisit their story but as Peterson noted, \u201cWe do stay in touch [with Steele], but she\u2019s been able to compartmentalize and move on in her life.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0An interesting side story in the book was introduced when Bickerdike wrote, \u201c the book was about]…the quartet\u2019s evolution from The Bangs to musicians balancing their role as video vamps with serious artistry.\u201d\u00a0 The previously mentioned \u2018baggage\u2019 was uncovered during her exhaustive research.\u00a0 The author was struck by, \u201cthe rampant sexism applied to The Bangles which is now shrugged off as \u2018a product of the era\u2019.\u00a0 The way they were treated by the music world was appalling,\u00a0 That was a massive revelation.\u00a0 They got signed for songwriting, harmonizing, and playing instruments, but from the first time their demo was brought into an A&R meeting, there is the perception that they can\u2019t sing or play because they\u2019re women.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0The Peterson\u2019s admitted finding out what was being said about the band back in the day was news to them now.\u00a0 Even though it was decades old news, it still stung them to find out how they were perceived.\u00a0 Debbi responded, \u201cWe didn\u2019t know what was going on behind the scenes with management.\u00a0 Sneaky meetings . . . and then there were these quotes from people I thought were our friends.\u201d\u00a0 Vicki added she understands everyone has their own recollections of past events but she was curious to read about, \u201cPeople from the label and management and how they saw our operation.\u00a0 I was so focused on making everything OK that I didn\u2019t see what was going on.\u201d\u00a0 Knowing all of this back then would only have hastened the band\u2019s demise, but who knows for sure.\u00a0 The negative atmosphere may also have pulled them together to fight against a common foe.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Speculation about what might have happened in the past is moot at this juncture.\u00a0 The Bangles\u00a0 evolved, broke up for a decade, and then came back with a vengeance.\u00a0 Not very many groups get that second chance and The Bangles are smart enough to know this.\u00a0 Their website (<\/span>thebangles.com<\/span><\/a>) is currently promoting Bickerdike\u2019s book and hocking the usual band related gear.\u00a0 While they do not have any shows listed for 2025 as of this writing, the website endnote says, \u201c2025 finds The Bangles continuing their legacy of delighting and inspiring old and new generations of fans worldwide.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n Top Piece Video:\u00a0 The Bangles live on Letterman in 1984 –\u00a0Hero Takes A Fall & Going Down to Livwepool<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0The Bangles had a lot going for them when they broke into the big time in the 1980s.\u00a0 One burden they did not have to carry was that of being the first all female rock band (see Vixen, The Runaways, The Go-Gos, etc).\u00a0 Earlier all-female rock bands were viewed as a novelty and most 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