The Bangles
Encyclopedia
The Bangles are an American all-female band that originated in the early 1980s, scoring several hit singles during the decade.
joined sisters Vicki
and Debbi Peterson
to form a band in Los Angeles in December, 1980. The trio briefly called themselves The Colours, then renamed themselves The Supersonic Bangs, and shortly afterwards The Bangs. The band was part of the Los Angeles Paisley Underground
scene, which featured groups that played a mixture of 1960s-influenced folk-rock and jangle pop
with a more modern punk–ish/garage band
undertone.
In 1981, the threesome recorded and released a single ("Getting Out Of Hand
" b/w "Call on Me") on DownKiddie Records (their own label). In 1982, Susanna Hoffs asked long time friend Patrick Hirtz to manage the new band until his departure in 1986 to pursue a career in the culinary arts. The trio was signed to Faulty Products, a label formed by Miles Copeland.
The early Bangles line-up of Susanna Hoffs
(vocals/guitars), Vicki Peterson
(guitars/vocals), Debbi Peterson
(vocals/drums) and Annette Zilinskas
(vocals/bass) recorded an EP in 1982, and released the single "The Real World". A legal issue forced the band to change their name at the last minute so they dropped "The" and added the letters "les" to the end to become Bangles. Their first EP was retitled Bangles and released. In 1983, Faulty Products issued a 12 inch "remix" single of "The Real World" to radio and media, but another setback came as the label folded. I.R.S. Records
picked up distribution and re-issued the EP. After Zilinskas left the band to focus on her own project Blood on the Saddle
, she was replaced by Michael Steele
, formerly of the all-girl band The Runaways
, Toni & The Movers, Slow Children
and Elton Duck.
(1984), captured their power-pop roots, featuring the singles "Hero Takes a Fall" and the Kimberley Rew
-penned Beatlesque "Going Down To Liverpool
" (originally recorded by Rew's band Katrina and the Waves
). The record received good reviews, and the video for "Liverpool" featured Leonard Nimoy
, which helped to generate further publicity. This came about due to a college friendship between Hoffs and Nimoy's son Adam
, now a television producer. They received a much wider awareness serving as the opening act of Cyndi Lauper
on her Fun tour.
All this went some way to attracting the attention of Prince
, who later wrote "Manic Monday
" for the group.
"Manic Monday" went on to become a #2 hit in the US
, the UK
and Germany
, outsold at the time only by another Prince
composition, his own "Kiss
". The band's second album Different Light
(1986) was more polished than its predecessor and, with the help of the worldwide #1 hit "Walk Like an Egyptian
", saw the band firmly in the mainstream. The song was sent to them in mid-session and the group was divided about whether it would be a failure or a success. When the song was released the group was amazed to discover that it brought them a new audience of female fans, most of them very young. Commented Michael Steele to a Nine-O-One Network Magazine
writer: "When I go out now it is usually girls who recognize me."
Hoffs starred in the 1987 film, The Allnighter
, directed by her mother, Tamar Simon Hoffs
, and was critically panned. That, and the firing of their manager Miles Copeland, further exacerbated the dissent.
But they soon had another US #2 hit with a cover of Simon & Garfunkel's "A Hazy Shade of Winter" from the soundtrack of the film Less Than Zero
, and the melancholic "If She Knew What She Wants
", written by Jules Shear
, reached the U.S. Top 30 and the German Top 20.
1988's Everything was produced by Davitt Sigerson
as the band had a negative reaction to working with David Kahne on Different Light. The album was another multi-platinum smash and included their biggest-selling single, the soft ballad "Eternal Flame
". Co-writer Billy Steinberg
came up with the title after Susanna Hoffs told him about the band's visit to Graceland
, Elvis Presley
's estate in Memphis, Tennessee
. An "Eternal Flame" in memoriam to Presley is maintained on the site, but on the day the band visited, the flame had gone out and its clear-plastic enclosure was flooded. When they asked what was in the box, they were told, "That's the eternal flame." The single became another worldwide hit. Hoffs was actually naked when she recorded the song, after being convinced by Sigerson that Olivia Newton-John
got her amazing performances by recording everything while naked.
The working relationships within the band had broken down, and the members went their separate ways shortly after. Hoffs began a solo career and Vicki Peterson toured as a member of the Go-Go's
and the Continental Drifters
.
, produced by former Bangles producer David Kahne. The album spawned a minor hit "My Side of the Bed", and a Cyndi Lauper
penned "Unconditional Love", but it stalled, and Hoffs was dropped from Columbia during the recording of her second solo album. The second solo album Susanna Hoffs, released in 1996, fared better critically, but it too had disappointing sales. Hoffs married film director Jay Roach
(Austin Powers
and Meet the Parents), and their union led to the Bangles' reunion of 2000. Vicki Peterson joined and contributed songs to the New Orleans band the Continental Drifters
, which received rave reviews. Debbie Peterson had a short-lived career with Siobhan Maher under the name of Kindred Spirit, while Steele lived in semi-retirement in California.
, at the behest of the film's director (and Hoffs' husband) Jay Roach
. The song chosen for the album was "Get The Girl" and was released in 1999. The reunion continued with a tour in 2000. Later the same year, the group was also inducted into the Vocal Group Hall of Fame
. From 2001–2002, they were in the studio recording the album Doll Revolution
. The album, featuring such songs as "Stealing Rosemary", "Ride the Ride", "Nickel Romeo", and the single "Something That You Said", was released in early 2003. The title track, which was written by Elvis Costello
, was originally recorded for his 2002 album When I Was Cruel
. Doll Revolution was a solid comeback success in Germany after the Bangles had performed in Germany's biggest television show Wetten dass, but failed to make any impact in other important markets such as the UK, the U.S. and Australia. In July 2004, the Bangles were made Companions of the Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts
.
In 2005, the Bangles announced the departure of Michael Steele. Steele was replaced by Abby Travis
for live appearances, but Travis is not an official member of the group. On December 31, 2005, Hoffs, Travis, and the Petersons performed "Hazy Shade of Winter" in front of Times Square
and later "Eternal Flame" as part of Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve 2006
. August 2007 saw the release of their first official live DVD, Return to Bangleonia - Live in Concert. In 2008, the band toured the US with dates in Las Vegas, Louisiana, Austin, Glasgow, and Ojai. Further dates included shows in Germany, the Netherlands, and at the popular Cornbury Festival in Oxfordshire, England.
In the spring of 2009, the Bangles returned to the studio to begin work on a new album. During an interview with Music Geek Media in May 2009, Debbi Peterson indicated that the album was in the early stages of production. The album is called Sweetheart of the Sun and was released on September 27, 2011. They are touring in support of it, with dates on the East Coast, Midwest, and West Coast. Openers for the various dates include rock band Antigone Rising
and powerpop band A Fragile Tomorrow
.
for the 1985 film The Goonies
, and made a cameo appearance in Cyndi Lauper
's music video for "Goonies 'R' Good Enough". Lauper later enlisted them for backup vocals in her 1986 hit song "Change of Heart". In 1988, while recording his album Full Moon Fever
, Tom Petty
and his lead guitarist Mike Campbell called on the group to provide backing vocals for the song "Waiting for Tonight". The song never made it to the album, but instead made the compilations Playback (1995) and Anthology: Through the Years
(2000). A cover version
of "Eternal Flame
" was a 2001 UK #1 for Atomic Kitten
. In February 2001, the first-season Gilmore Girls
episode "Concert Interruptus" involved a trip to see a Bangles concert, and featured cameos and music by the band.
There were also several references to the Bangles throughout the rest of the series.
Excerpts of the songs "Hero Takes a Fall" and "Eternal Flame" were featured in the concert that the Gilmore party attended.
They also covered the Beatles
hit "Good Day Sunshine
" for the 2006 album All Together Now: Beatles Stuff for Kids of All Ages. The song "Eternal Flame" appears in the 2009 Japanese drama "Love Shuffle".
In 2009, the Bangles covered Lowen & Navarro's
"We Belong
" on "Keep The Light Alive: Celebrating The Music of Lowen & Navarro". The proceeds of the album benefit The Eric Lowen Trust, ALS Association Greater Los Angeles
, and Augie's Quest.
Several artists have referred to the Bangles in their own songs. The Saw Doctors
include an irreverent tribute to them, "I'd Love to Kiss the Bangles", on their 2003 album Play It Again Sham!.
Alternative-country artist Robbie Fulks
sings a wistful ode to "That Bangle Girl", a song identified as one of his "personal favorites", on his 2000 Very Best album.
Although Fulks never says her name, the line "When the little one took the mike, I knew I'd fallen" suggests the particular "Bangle girl" he pines for is Susanna Hoffs, the shortest member of the group and frequent lead singer.
Susanna Hoffs lent her voice for the video "We Are The Ones" supporting the presidential election campaign of Barack Obama.
Formation and early years (1981–1983)
Susanna HoffsSusanna Hoffs
Susanna Lee Hoffs is an American vocalist, guitarist and actress. She is best known as a member of the all-female pop band The Bangles.-Early life:...
joined sisters Vicki
Vicki Peterson
Vicki Peterson is an American rock musician ....
and Debbi Peterson
Debbi Peterson
Deborah Mary 'Debbi' Peterson is the younger sister of Vicki Peterson, and the drummer of the all-girl group, The Bangles...
to form a band in Los Angeles in December, 1980. The trio briefly called themselves The Colours, then renamed themselves The Supersonic Bangs, and shortly afterwards The Bangs. The band was part of the Los Angeles Paisley Underground
Paisley Underground
Paisley Underground is an early genre of alternative rock, based primarily in Los Angeles, California, which was at its most popular in the mid-1980s.- History :...
scene, which featured groups that played a mixture of 1960s-influenced folk-rock and jangle pop
Jangle pop
Jangle pop is a genre of alternative rock from the mid-1980s that "marked a return to the chiming or jangly guitars and pop melodies of the '60s" bands such as The Byrds, with their electric twelve-string guitars and power pop song structures. Mid-1980s jangle pop was a non-mainstream "pop-based...
with a more modern punk–ish/garage band
Garage band
The term garage band can refer to:* A band that performs garage rock* GarageBand, audio production software published by Apple Inc.* GarageBand.com, a website that helps publicize emerging bands...
undertone.
In 1981, the threesome recorded and released a single ("Getting Out Of Hand
Getting out of Hand
"Getting Out Of Hand" is the debut single by American female band The Bangles, released in 1981 and produced by the band themselves.The group was named at the time The Bangs, and its line-up consisted of Susanna Hoffs, Debbi Peterson and Vicki Peterson...
" b/w "Call on Me") on DownKiddie Records (their own label). In 1982, Susanna Hoffs asked long time friend Patrick Hirtz to manage the new band until his departure in 1986 to pursue a career in the culinary arts. The trio was signed to Faulty Products, a label formed by Miles Copeland.
The early Bangles line-up of Susanna Hoffs
Susanna Hoffs
Susanna Lee Hoffs is an American vocalist, guitarist and actress. She is best known as a member of the all-female pop band The Bangles.-Early life:...
(vocals/guitars), Vicki Peterson
Vicki Peterson
Vicki Peterson is an American rock musician ....
(guitars/vocals), Debbi Peterson
Debbi Peterson
Deborah Mary 'Debbi' Peterson is the younger sister of Vicki Peterson, and the drummer of the all-girl group, The Bangles...
(vocals/drums) and Annette Zilinskas
Annette Zilinskas
Annette Zilinskas is an American musician and singer of Lithuanian ancestry who was the original bass guitarist for The Bangles then later lead vocalist with Blood on the Saddle. She was also a member of L.A...
(vocals/bass) recorded an EP in 1982, and released the single "The Real World". A legal issue forced the band to change their name at the last minute so they dropped "The" and added the letters "les" to the end to become Bangles. Their first EP was retitled Bangles and released. In 1983, Faulty Products issued a 12 inch "remix" single of "The Real World" to radio and media, but another setback came as the label folded. I.R.S. Records
I.R.S. Records
I.R.S. Records was a record label, started in the United States in 1979 by Miles Copeland III along with Jay Boberg and Carl Grasso. Miles was also the manager of Wishbone Ash, The Police, and later, Sting, as well as other bands. I.R.S. was the sister label of Copeland's Illegal Records .I.R.S...
picked up distribution and re-issued the EP. After Zilinskas left the band to focus on her own project Blood on the Saddle
Blood on the Saddle
Blood on the Saddle was a cowpunk band from Los Angeles formed in 1981. They released three albums before splitting up in 1987, with the band's only constant member Greg Davis forming a new line-up in the 1990s, releasing a final album in 1995.-History:...
, she was replaced by Michael Steele
Michael Steele (musician)
Michael Steele is an American bassist, guitarist, songwriter, and singer. She performed with The Bangles and numerous other bands.-Career:Steele began her professional career as Micki Steele in the teen-girl band The Runaways, among the first all-female rock groups.Steele's stay in the Runaways was...
, formerly of the all-girl band The Runaways
The Runaways
The Runaways were an American all-girl rock band that recorded and performed in the second half of the 1970s. The band released four studio albums and one live set during its run. Among its best known songs: "Cherry Bomb", "Queens of Noise", "Neon Angels On the Road to Ruin", "California Paradise"...
, Toni & The Movers, Slow Children
Slow Children
Slow Children was a New Wave pop group from the early 1980s. Their three most popular songs were "President Am I", "Spring in Fialta" and "Vanessa Vacillating". The two primary performers were Pal Shazar and Andrew Chinich.-Audio sample:-External links:*...
and Elton Duck.
Career peak (1984–1986)
The Bangles' full-length debut album on Columbia, All Over the PlaceAll Over the Place
For other meanings of the phrase, see All Over the Place All Over the Place was The Bangles' first full length album for Columbia Records. Released in 1984, the sound is lively and shows more Bangles collaboration and less keyboard overdubs that were used later on their more commercially successful...
(1984), captured their power-pop roots, featuring the singles "Hero Takes a Fall" and the Kimberley Rew
Kimberley Rew
Kimberley Rew is an English rock and roll singer-songwriter and guitarist. He is best known as a member of Katrina and the Waves 1981 to 1999 and of Robyn Hitchcock's Soft Boys 1978 to 1981...
-penned Beatlesque "Going Down To Liverpool
Liverpool
Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough of Merseyside, England, along the eastern side of the Mersey Estuary. It was founded as a borough in 1207 and was granted city status in 1880...
" (originally recorded by Rew's band Katrina and the Waves
Katrina and the Waves
Katrina and the Waves was an English pop rock band, best known for their 1985 hit "Walking on Sunshine" and their 1997 Eurovision Song Contest victory with the song "Love Shine a Light".-Pre-history: The Waves and Mama's Cookin' :...
). The record received good reviews, and the video for "Liverpool" featured Leonard Nimoy
Leonard Nimoy
Leonard Simon Nimoy is an American actor, film director, poet, musician and photographer. Nimoy's most famous role is that of Spock in the original Star Trek series , multiple films, television and video game sequels....
, which helped to generate further publicity. This came about due to a college friendship between Hoffs and Nimoy's son Adam
Adam Nimoy
Adam B. Nimoy is an American television director. Nimoy is the son of actor Leonard Nimoy and his first wife, actress Sandra Zober.-Career:...
, now a television producer. They received a much wider awareness serving as the opening act of Cyndi Lauper
Cyndi Lauper
Cynthia Ann Stephanie "Cyndi" Lauper is an American singer, songwriter, actress and LGBT rights activist. She achieved success in the mid-1980s with the release of the album She's So Unusual and became the first female singer to have four top-five singles released from one album...
on her Fun tour.
All this went some way to attracting the attention of Prince
Prince (musician)
Prince Rogers Nelson , often known simply as Prince, is an American singer, songwriter, musician, and actor. Prince has produced ten platinum albums and thirty Top 40 singles during his career. Prince founded his own recording studio and label; writing, self-producing and playing most, or all, of...
, who later wrote "Manic Monday
Manic Monday
"Manic Monday" is a song by the American pop rock band The Bangles, and the first single released from their second studio album Different Light . It was written by Prince, using the pseudonym "Christopher". Originally intended for the group Apollonia 6 in 1984, he offered the song to The Bangles...
" for the group.
"Manic Monday" went on to become a #2 hit in the US
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, the UK
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
and Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, outsold at the time only by another Prince
Prince (musician)
Prince Rogers Nelson , often known simply as Prince, is an American singer, songwriter, musician, and actor. Prince has produced ten platinum albums and thirty Top 40 singles during his career. Prince founded his own recording studio and label; writing, self-producing and playing most, or all, of...
composition, his own "Kiss
Kiss (song)
In 1988 Art of Noise released a cover of the song, featuring Tom Jones on vocals. The song became the band's biggest hit to that point, reaching number eighteen on the U.S. dance charts and number five on the UK Singles Chart, higher than the original in that country...
". The band's second album Different Light
Different Light
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 album's Top 40 sound was a departure from their earlier 60s-style sound...
(1986) was more polished than its predecessor and, with the help of the worldwide #1 hit "Walk Like an Egyptian
Walk Like an Egyptian
"Walk Like an Egyptian" is a number-one hit from the album Different Light by The Bangles in 1986.-Origin:Liam Sternberg wrote the song after seeing people on a ferry walking awkwardly to keep their balance, which reminded him of figures in Ancient Egyptian reliefs. The opening lyrics state, "All...
", saw the band firmly in the mainstream. The song was sent to them in mid-session and the group was divided about whether it would be a failure or a success. When the song was released the group was amazed to discover that it brought them a new audience of female fans, most of them very young. Commented Michael Steele to a Nine-O-One Network Magazine
Nine-O-One Network Magazine
Nine-O-One Network Magazine was a bi-monthly music magazine published in Memphis, Tennessee, from 1986 to 1989.-Beginnings:The magazine originated during the heralded 1986 “Class of '55” recording session in Memphis with Johnny Cash, Jerry Lee Lewis, Roy Orbison, and Carl Perkins. Producer Chips...
writer: "When I go out now it is usually girls who recognize me."
Friction
There was friction among band members after music industry media began singling out Hoffs as the lead singer of the group, a result of Columbia Records releasing mostly singles on which Hoffs sang lead vocal. In fact, singing duties on the group's albums were evenly divided among all of the band's members, all of whom wrote or co-wrote their songs.Hoffs starred in the 1987 film, The Allnighter
The Allnighter (film)
The Allnighter is a 1987 American comedy film directed by Tamar Simon Hoffs, released on May 1, 1987. The movie stars Susanna Hoffs, Dedee Pfeiffer, Joan Cusack and Pam Grier.-Background:...
, directed by her mother, Tamar Simon Hoffs
Tamar Simon Hoffs
Tamar Simon Hoffs is an award-winning American film director, writer, and producer, best known for directing the indie films Red Roses and Petrol and Pound of Flesh , both starring Malcolm McDowell.-Life and career:...
, and was critically panned. That, and the firing of their manager Miles Copeland, further exacerbated the dissent.
But they soon had another US #2 hit with a cover of Simon & Garfunkel's "A Hazy Shade of Winter" from the soundtrack of the film Less Than Zero
Less Than Zero (film)
Less Than Zero is a 1987 American drama film loosely based on Bret Easton Ellis' novel of the same name. The film stars Andrew McCarthy as Clay, a college freshman returning home for Christmas to spend time with his ex-girlfriend Blair and his friend Julian , who is also a drug addict...
, and the melancholic "If She Knew What She Wants
If She Knew What She Wants
"If She Knew What She Wants" is a song by Jules Shear released on his 1985 album The Eternal Return. The song was later and famously covered by The Bangles on their 1986 album Different Light.-Variations:...
", written by Jules Shear
Jules Shear
Jules Mark Shear is a US singer, songwriter, and guitarist born in Pittsburgh in 1952. Although he has had only one minor hit as a performer , he has recorded almost 20 albums to date...
, reached the U.S. Top 30 and the German Top 20.
1988's Everything was produced by Davitt Sigerson
Davitt Sigerson
Davitt Sigerson is an American novelist whose first career was in the music business. Sigerson was a record producer, singer, songwriter, record company executive, and journalist.He went to school and Oxford University in the UK...
as the band had a negative reaction to working with David Kahne on Different Light. The album was another multi-platinum smash and included their biggest-selling single, the soft ballad "Eternal Flame
Eternal Flame (song)
"Eternal Flame" is a song by The Bangles from their 1988 album Everything. It became a hit single, when released in 1989, peaking at number one in the charts in nine countries, including Australia, the United Kingdom, and the United States. It was written by popular songwriters Billy Steinberg and...
". Co-writer Billy Steinberg
Billy Steinberg
William Endfield "Billy" Steinberg is an American songwriter. He has achieved most of his success as part of a song writing team, most notably with Tom Kelly. He has also co-written several hit songs with Rick Nowels.-Biography:...
came up with the title after Susanna Hoffs told him about the band's visit to Graceland
Graceland
Graceland is a large white-columned mansion and estate that was home to Elvis Presley in Memphis, Tennessee. It is located at 3764 Elvis Presley Boulevard in the vast Whitehaven community about 9 miles from Downtown and less than four miles north of the Mississippi border. It currently serves as...
, Elvis Presley
Elvis Presley
Elvis Aaron Presley was one of the most popular American singers of the 20th century. A cultural icon, he is widely known by the single name Elvis. He is often referred to as the "King of Rock and Roll" or simply "the King"....
's estate in Memphis, Tennessee
Memphis, Tennessee
Memphis is a city in the southwestern corner of the U.S. state of Tennessee, and the county seat of Shelby County. The city is located on the 4th Chickasaw Bluff, south of the confluence of the Wolf and Mississippi rivers....
. An "Eternal Flame" in memoriam to Presley is maintained on the site, but on the day the band visited, the flame had gone out and its clear-plastic enclosure was flooded. When they asked what was in the box, they were told, "That's the eternal flame." The single became another worldwide hit. Hoffs was actually naked when she recorded the song, after being convinced by Sigerson that Olivia Newton-John
Olivia Newton-John
Olivia Newton-John AO, OBE is a singer and actress. She is a four-time Grammy award winner who has amassed five No. 1 and ten other Top Ten Billboard Hot 100 singles and two No. 1 Billboard 200 solo albums. Eleven of her singles and 14 of her albums have been certified gold by the RIAA...
got her amazing performances by recording everything while naked.
The working relationships within the band had broken down, and the members went their separate ways shortly after. Hoffs began a solo career and Vicki Peterson toured as a member of the Go-Go's
The Go-Go's
The Go-Go’s are an all-female American rock band formed in 1978. They made history as the first all-female band that both wrote their own songs and played their own instruments to top the Billboard album charts....
and the Continental Drifters
Continental Drifters
The Continental Drifters was an American rock band, formed in Los Angeles, California in 1991 and dissolved in New Orleans, Louisiana about a decade later...
.
Break-up
Hoffs released a solo album When You're a BoyWhen You're a Boy
When You're a Boy is the debut solo album by Susanna Hoffs. It begins with the Billboard Top 40 single "My Side of the Bed", includes the track "Unconditional Love" , and ends with a cover of "Boys Keep Swinging", the 1979 song written by David Bowie and Brian Eno.The album peaked at #83 on the...
, produced by former Bangles producer David Kahne. The album spawned a minor hit "My Side of the Bed", and a Cyndi Lauper
Cyndi Lauper
Cynthia Ann Stephanie "Cyndi" Lauper is an American singer, songwriter, actress and LGBT rights activist. She achieved success in the mid-1980s with the release of the album She's So Unusual and became the first female singer to have four top-five singles released from one album...
penned "Unconditional Love", but it stalled, and Hoffs was dropped from Columbia during the recording of her second solo album. The second solo album Susanna Hoffs, released in 1996, fared better critically, but it too had disappointing sales. Hoffs married film director Jay Roach
Jay Roach
Matthew Jay Roach is an American film director and producer, best known for directing the Austin Powers films and Meet the Parents.-Life and career:...
(Austin Powers
Austin Powers (film series)
The Austin Powers series is a series of action-comedy films written by and starring Mike Myers as the title character, directed by Jay Roach and distributed by New Line Cinema...
and Meet the Parents), and their union led to the Bangles' reunion of 2000. Vicki Peterson joined and contributed songs to the New Orleans band the Continental Drifters
Continental Drifters
The Continental Drifters was an American rock band, formed in Los Angeles, California in 1991 and dissolved in New Orleans, Louisiana about a decade later...
, which received rave reviews. Debbie Peterson had a short-lived career with Siobhan Maher under the name of Kindred Spirit, while Steele lived in semi-retirement in California.
Re-form
The band started drifting back together in 1998. and officially re-formed to record a song for the soundtrack of Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged MeAustin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me
Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me, released in 1999, is the second film in the Austin Powers series that began with 1997's Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery and continued with Austin Powers in Goldmember. The film was directed by Jay Roach, co-written by Mike Myers and screenwriter...
, at the behest of the film's director (and Hoffs' husband) Jay Roach
Jay Roach
Matthew Jay Roach is an American film director and producer, best known for directing the Austin Powers films and Meet the Parents.-Life and career:...
. The song chosen for the album was "Get The Girl" and was released in 1999. The reunion continued with a tour in 2000. Later the same year, the group was also inducted into the Vocal Group Hall of Fame
Vocal Group Hall of Fame
The Vocal Group Hall of Fame was organized to honor outstanding vocal groups throughout the world. It is headquartered in Sharon, Pennsylvania, United States. It includes a theater and a museum....
. From 2001–2002, they were in the studio recording the album Doll Revolution
Doll Revolution
Doll Revolution is the first album of original material by The Bangles since 1988's Everything. It was released in 2003 on Koch Records....
. The album, featuring such songs as "Stealing Rosemary", "Ride the Ride", "Nickel Romeo", and the single "Something That You Said", was released in early 2003. The title track, which was written by Elvis Costello
Elvis Costello
Elvis Costello , born Declan Patrick MacManus, is an English singer-songwriter. He came to prominence as an early participant in London's pub rock scene in the mid-1970s and later became associated with the punk/New Wave genre. Steeped in word play, the vocabulary of Costello's lyrics is broader...
, was originally recorded for his 2002 album When I Was Cruel
When I Was Cruel
When I Was Cruel is Elvis Costello's 20th album, recorded in 2001 and 2002 and released in the US by Island Records on 23 April 2002. Although officially a solo Costello album, this was the first album to feature his new band, The Imposters, whose only difference from his previous band, The...
. Doll Revolution was a solid comeback success in Germany after the Bangles had performed in Germany's biggest television show Wetten dass, but failed to make any impact in other important markets such as the UK, the U.S. and Australia. In July 2004, the Bangles were made Companions of the Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts
Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts
The Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts is, despite its young age, one of the United Kingdom's leading institutions for the performing arts. The university is situated in the English city of Liverpool...
.
In 2005, the Bangles announced the departure of Michael Steele. Steele was replaced by Abby Travis
Abby Travis
Abby Travis is an American musician, songwriter, and performer. She is the daughter of Alice Travis Germond, the current Secretary of the Democratic National Committee and Emmy award winning cameraman Larry Travis.Abby Travis began her performance career in 1986 as the bassist in Los Angeles band...
for live appearances, but Travis is not an official member of the group. On December 31, 2005, Hoffs, Travis, and the Petersons performed "Hazy Shade of Winter" in front of Times Square
Times Square
Times Square is a major commercial intersection in the borough of Manhattan in New York City, at the junction of Broadway and Seventh Avenue and stretching from West 42nd to West 47th Streets...
and later "Eternal Flame" as part of Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve 2006
Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve
Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve with Ryan Seacrest is a television program that airs every New Year's Eve on ABC. It has been hosted by Dick Clark since its first airing on Sunday, December 31, 1972. Ryan Seacrest has been the program's co-host since the December 31, 2005 telecast...
. August 2007 saw the release of their first official live DVD, Return to Bangleonia - Live in Concert. In 2008, the band toured the US with dates in Las Vegas, Louisiana, Austin, Glasgow, and Ojai. Further dates included shows in Germany, the Netherlands, and at the popular Cornbury Festival in Oxfordshire, England.
In the spring of 2009, the Bangles returned to the studio to begin work on a new album. During an interview with Music Geek Media in May 2009, Debbi Peterson indicated that the album was in the early stages of production. The album is called Sweetheart of the Sun and was released on September 27, 2011. They are touring in support of it, with dates on the East Coast, Midwest, and West Coast. Openers for the various dates include rock band Antigone Rising
Antigone Rising
Antigone Rising is an all-female New York City based rock band. Their music is influenced by classic rock from the 1970s such as The Eagles and Fleetwood Mac, mixed with pop overtones and at times folk and country elements...
and powerpop band A Fragile Tomorrow
A Fragile Tomorrow
A Fragile Tomorrow is an indie rock/jangle pop band from Charleston, South Carolina, formerly from Montgomery, New York The group formed in 2003 and included brothers Sean Kelly, Dominic Kelly, and Brendan Kelly. In 2006, bassist Shaun Rhoades joined the group. The band has put out three albums...
.
In popular culture
The Bangles have contributed to many other artists' works and to compilations. They provided the song "I Got Nothing" for the soundtrack albumThe Goonies: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack
The Goonies: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack was the soundtrack album released in conjunction with the 1985 film The Goonies. The album is known primarily because it included song "The Goonies 'R' Good Enough" by singer Cyndi Lauper, who had a cameo in the film...
for the 1985 film The Goonies
The Goonies
The Goonies is a 1985 American adventure-comedy film directed by Richard Donner. The screenplay was written by Chris Columbus from a story by executive producer Steven Spielberg. The premise surrounds a band of pre-teens who live in the "Goon Docks" neighborhood of Astoria, Oregon hoping to save...
, and made a cameo appearance in Cyndi Lauper
Cyndi Lauper
Cynthia Ann Stephanie "Cyndi" Lauper is an American singer, songwriter, actress and LGBT rights activist. She achieved success in the mid-1980s with the release of the album She's So Unusual and became the first female singer to have four top-five singles released from one album...
's music video for "Goonies 'R' Good Enough". Lauper later enlisted them for backup vocals in her 1986 hit song "Change of Heart". In 1988, while recording his album Full Moon Fever
Full Moon Fever
Full Moon Fever is the first solo album by Tom Petty, though it features contributions from several members of his backing band, the Heartbreakers, along with fellow members of the Traveling Wilburys. The record shows Petty exploring his musical roots with nods to his influences...
, Tom Petty
Tom Petty
Thomas Earl "Tom" Petty is an American singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist. He is the frontman of Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers and was a founding member of the late 1980s supergroup Traveling Wilburys and Mudcrutch. He has also performed under the pseudonyms of Charlie T...
and his lead guitarist Mike Campbell called on the group to provide backing vocals for the song "Waiting for Tonight". The song never made it to the album, but instead made the compilations Playback (1995) and Anthology: Through the Years
Anthology: Through The Years
Anthology: Through the Years is a double compilation album featuring the best of Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers. It contains a new song, "Surrender", written by Petty during the You're Gonna Get It! sessions, but recorded in 2000 especially for this release...
(2000). A cover version
Cover version
In popular music, a cover version or cover song, or simply cover, is a new performance or recording of a contemporary or previously recorded, commercially released song or popular song...
of "Eternal Flame
Eternal Flame (song)
"Eternal Flame" is a song by The Bangles from their 1988 album Everything. It became a hit single, when released in 1989, peaking at number one in the charts in nine countries, including Australia, the United Kingdom, and the United States. It was written by popular songwriters Billy Steinberg and...
" was a 2001 UK #1 for Atomic Kitten
Atomic Kitten
Atomic Kitten were an English girl group from Liverpool, first established in 1997. Created by Andy McCluskey, the final line-up, and most commercially successful, consisted of Natasha Hamilton, Liz McClarnon, and Jenny Frost...
. In February 2001, the first-season Gilmore Girls
Gilmore Girls
Gilmore Girls is an American family comedy-drama series created by Amy Sherman-Palladino, starring Lauren Graham and Alexis Bledel. On October 5, 2000, the series debuted on The WB and was cancelled in its seventh season, ending on May 15, 2007 on The CW...
episode "Concert Interruptus" involved a trip to see a Bangles concert, and featured cameos and music by the band.
There were also several references to the Bangles throughout the rest of the series.
Excerpts of the songs "Hero Takes a Fall" and "Eternal Flame" were featured in the concert that the Gilmore party attended.
They also covered the Beatles
The Beatles
The Beatles were an English rock band, active throughout the 1960s and one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music. Formed in Liverpool, by 1962 the group consisted of John Lennon , Paul McCartney , George Harrison and Ringo Starr...
hit "Good Day Sunshine
Good Day Sunshine
"Good Day Sunshine" is a song by The Beatles on the 1966 album Revolver. It was written mainly by Paul McCartney and credited to Lennon–McCartney. Leonard Bernstein praised the song for its construction in a 1967 CBS News documentary...
" for the 2006 album All Together Now: Beatles Stuff for Kids of All Ages. The song "Eternal Flame" appears in the 2009 Japanese drama "Love Shuffle".
In 2009, the Bangles covered Lowen & Navarro's
Lowen & Navarro
Lowen & Navarro is a songwriting team composed of Eric Lowen and Dan Navarro, who met in Los Angeles, California in the 1980s. They wrote the song "We Belong", which became a major hit for Pat Benatar in 1984. Starting in 1990, they released a number of records of their own...
"We Belong
We Belong
"We Belong" is a 1984 single from Pat Benatar's sixth studio album Tropico. It matched the success of "Love Is a Battlefield" on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart in the U.S., peaking at number five, and reaching number three on Billboard's Top Rock Tracks chart and the top 40 on its Adult...
" on "Keep The Light Alive: Celebrating The Music of Lowen & Navarro". The proceeds of the album benefit The Eric Lowen Trust, ALS Association Greater Los Angeles
ALS Association
The ALS Association is an American non profit organization that raises money for research and patient services, promotes awareness about and advocates in state and federal government on issues related to amyotrophic lateral sclerosis , also known as Lou Gehrig's disease...
, and Augie's Quest.
Several artists have referred to the Bangles in their own songs. The Saw Doctors
The Saw Doctors
The Saw Doctors are an Irish rock band. Formed in 1986 in Tuam, County Galway, they have achieved eighteen Top 30 singles in Ireland, including three number ones. Their first number one, "I Useta Lover," topped the Irish charts for nine consecutive weeks in 1990, and still holds the record for the...
include an irreverent tribute to them, "I'd Love to Kiss the Bangles", on their 2003 album Play It Again Sham!.
Alternative-country artist Robbie Fulks
Robbie Fulks
Robbie Fulks is an American alternative country artist originally from Pennsylvania but who is a longtime Chicago, Illinois resident...
sings a wistful ode to "That Bangle Girl", a song identified as one of his "personal favorites", on his 2000 Very Best album.
Although Fulks never says her name, the line "When the little one took the mike, I knew I'd fallen" suggests the particular "Bangle girl" he pines for is Susanna Hoffs, the shortest member of the group and frequent lead singer.
Susanna Hoffs lent her voice for the video "We Are The Ones" supporting the presidential election campaign of Barack Obama.
Band members
- Susanna HoffsSusanna HoffsSusanna Lee Hoffs is an American vocalist, guitarist and actress. She is best known as a member of the all-female pop band The Bangles.-Early life:...
– vocals/guitars - Vicki PetersonVicki PetersonVicki Peterson is an American rock musician ....
– vocals/guitars - Debbi PetersonDebbi PetersonDeborah Mary 'Debbi' Peterson is the younger sister of Vicki Peterson, and the drummer of the all-girl group, The Bangles...
– vocals/drums - Annette ZilinskasAnnette ZilinskasAnnette Zilinskas is an American musician and singer of Lithuanian ancestry who was the original bass guitarist for The Bangles then later lead vocalist with Blood on the Saddle. She was also a member of L.A...
– vocals/bass guitar (1982–1983) - Michael SteeleMichael Steele (musician)Michael Steele is an American bassist, guitarist, songwriter, and singer. She performed with The Bangles and numerous other bands.-Career:Steele began her professional career as Micki Steele in the teen-girl band The Runaways, among the first all-female rock groups.Steele's stay in the Runaways was...
– vocals/bass guitar/guitars (1983–2005)
Discography
- Bangles (1982) (EP)
- All Over the PlaceAll Over the PlaceFor other meanings of the phrase, see All Over the Place All Over the Place was The Bangles' first full length album for Columbia Records. Released in 1984, the sound is lively and shows more Bangles collaboration and less keyboard overdubs that were used later on their more commercially successful...
(1984) - Different LightDifferent LightDifferent 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 album's Top 40 sound was a departure from their earlier 60s-style sound...
(1986) - EverythingEverything (The Bangles album)-The Bangles:*Susanna Hoffs: Lead & Backing Vocals, Guitars, Percussion*Vicki Peterson: Lead & Backing Vocals, Lead & Rhythm Guitars, Mandolin, Multi-Instruments*Michael Steele: Bass, Lead & Backing Vocals, Guitars, Percussion, Multi-Instruments...
(1988) - Greatest HitsGreatest Hits (The Bangles album)-The Bangles:*Susanna Hoffs – rhythm guitar, percussion, vocals*Vicki Peterson – lead guitar, mandolin, electric sitar, vocals*Debbi Peterson – drums, percussion, vocals*Michael Steele – bass guitar, vocals-Additional musicians:...
(1990) - Doll RevolutionDoll RevolutionDoll Revolution is the first album of original material by The Bangles since 1988's Everything. It was released in 2003 on Koch Records....
(2003) - Sweetheart of the Sun (2011)
External links
- The Bangles official website
- The Bangles Discography
- [ Allmusic.com Entry]
- 'The Bangles' Vocal Group Hall of Fame Page