Description
Different Light is an album by The Bangles released in January 1986. It is their best known album, with a Top 5 hit single and a No. 1 hit. The albums Top 40 sound was a departure from their earlier 60s-style sound. This was the first album in which bassist Michael Steele sings lead vocals on some tracks.
Three of five singles were written by someone other than The Bangles: “Manic Monday” (written by Prince under the pseudonym Christopher),”If She Knew What She Wants” and “Walk Like an Egyptian”. The other two singles were “Following” and “Walking Down Your Street”.
Track listing:
# Title Writer(s) Length
1. “Manic Monday” “Christopher” (Prince) 3:06
2. “In A Different Light” Susanna Hoffs, Vicki Peterson 2:52
3. “Walking Down Your Street” Louis Gutierrez, Hoffs, David Kahne 3:04
4. “Walk Like an Egyptian” Liam Sternberg 3:24
5. “Standing in the Hallway” Hoffs, Kahne, Debbi Peterson, V. Peterson 2:56
6. “Return Post” Hoffs, V. Peterson 4:22
7. “If She Knew What She Wants” Jules Shear 3:49
8. “Let It Go” Hoffs, D. Peterson, V. Peterson, Michael Steele 2:32
9. “September Gurls” Alex Chilton 2:45
10. “Angels Don’t Fall in Love” Hoffs, V. Peterson 3:23
11. “Following” Steele 3:21
12. “Not Like You” Hoffs, Kahne, D. Peterson 3:06
Singles:
“Manic Monday”
Released 1986
Writer(s) Christopher
Producer(s) David Kahne
Main article: Manic Monday
“Manic Monday” was the first hit single from Different Light by the girl group The Bangles. It was written by Prince in 1984 as a duet for the Apollonia 6 album.
Chart positions
#2 US (April 1986)
#2 UK (February 1986)
“If She Knew What She Wants”
Released 1986
Writer(s) Jules Shear
Producer(s) David Kahne
Main article: If She Knew What She Wants
“If She Knew What She Wants” was the second single from Different Light and was originally recorded by Jules Shear on his 1985 Eternal Return album. The song was originally written in the first person, however the Bangles rewrote the lyrics in the third person since they were a group and considered it more appropriate.
Chart positions
#29 US (July 1986)
#20 CH (July 13, 1986)
#31 UK (April 1986)
“Walk Like an Egyptian”
Released 1986
Writer(s) Liam Sternberg
Producer(s) David Kahne
Main article: Walk Like an Egyptian
“Walk Like an Egyptian” is one of the most successful singles of The Bangles’ to date. The song was written by Liam Sternberg after seeing people on a ferry walking awkwardly to keep their balance as figures do in Ancient Egyptian reliefs.
Chart positions
#1 (4 weeks) US (December 20, 1986)
#1 DE (December 1986)
#1 (5 weeks) NL (December 6, 1986)
#3 UK (September 1986)
“Walking Down Your Street”
Released 1987
Writer(s) Louis Gutierrez,
Susanna Hoffs,
David Kahne
Producer(s) David Kahne
——————————————
Chart positions
#11 US (April 1987)
#16 UK (January 1987)
Charts
United States 1986 #2 3x Platinum
United Kingdom October 1986 #3 Platinum Originally peaked at 30 on March 1986
Norway March 1986 #4
Switzerland May 4, 1986 #16
The Netherlands 1986 #24
The Bangles
Susanna Hoffs: Vocals, guitars
Vicki Peterson: Vocals, guitars, bass
Michael Steele: Vocals, guitars, bass
Debbi Peterson: Vocals, drums, percussion, bass
Additional musicians
Rusty Anderson: Additional guitars
Barbara Chapman: Harp, Additional guitars
Mitchell Froom, David Kahne: Keyboards, synthesizers
Carlos Vega: Additional drums
They’re songs most folks of a certain age, whether or not they were fans, know like the back of their hands, of course. “Manic Monday” topped out at No. 2, kept from No. 1 only by the legend who penned it, Prince, whose “Kiss” proved infectious. “If She Knew What She Wants” didn’t do quite as well – it peaked at No. 29 – but has gone onto become one of their signature tunes. You can’t listen to either without being put into an instant good mood.
I hasten to add that they’re on Bandstand not just promoting the two singles, but their second album, Different Light, which was released on January 2, 1986. I bought it that same week from a Listening Booth in the Willow Grove Mall, though it could well have been City Lights Records in State College, depending on when winter break ended. (How’s that for narrowing it down?) I was a college junior attending the Penn State mothership, and either home – and working, working, working as much as I could at one of the mall’s department stores – or already back at University Park. I’ve written about that time before, and even chronicled my top albums of the year here – but to save you the click, here it is in a nutshell: I was (and still am) a fan of new wave, old rock, heady pop, country, bluegrass and urban folk, and plenty of additional genres, including R&B, soul and what would come to be known as Americana. I thought nothing of playing the Three O’Clock and Hank Jr. back-to-back, though I’m sure fans of each would have objected to the other’s presence on my turntable or cassette deck.
At school, I didn’t watch MTV. Hell, I didn’t watch much TV, period, and the only time I generally heard Top 40 radio was when I was selling my plasma for pocket money. And when not with a needle in my arm, or out having a good time with that pocket money, I was in my dorm room doing school work – and since my pre-law roommate preferred studying at the library, I listened to what I wanted – and, as now, often listened to things again and again and again. The result: By semester’s end, my Different Light cassette became so worn that the songs from the flip side bled through whenever I played it. (Yes, I bought it again.)
To be precise: Different Light glimmers and glistens. The production is polished, but not too polished. The melodies captivate; the beats are sure and precise; the guitars echo those of the British Invasion, and are always in service to the song; and the harmonies flow through the soul like few others.
One highlight: The album’s third single, the delightfully goofy “Walk Like an Egyptian,” which closed out 1986 at No. 1.
Another: “Return Post,” which ruminates about a long-distance relationship. One thing I love about it: The harmonies pay homage to Revolver-era Beatles. Another thing I love: whether intentional or not, the nod toward Them’s “Gloria” in the coda.
And another highlight: “Following,” a tale of obsessive love, which was penned by bassist Michael Steele.
And, finally, what turned to be the final U.S. single from the album: “Walking Down Your Street,” which reached No. 11 on the pop charts in April 1987. As I mentioned above, I rarely watched MTV in those days – so it was news to me when, a year or two ago, I discovered the video. It’s cute.
Anyway, some fans aren’t keen on Different Light, and usually cite All Over the Place as the band’s definitive work. I think the world of both, myself, and hear Different Light as an evolution of their sound. As Vicki Peterson says to Dick Clark of their music, “I think it’s always changing. It’s always growing and changing, and we’re happy with what we’re doing.”
I’ll conclude with this: At the end of ’86, I jotted down my top picks for the year.
It’s be in my theoretical Top 10 Albums of All Time list (sharing space with about 99 other entries), easy.
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