There's a whole generation of guys who grew up in love with Susanna Hoffs - I think it's pretty easy to understand why! This is an all-time classic! Check out "In Your Room" for an upbeat, fun, playful song that has some nice rock aspects.
Am pre-genX and the late 70s thru 1991 was a sweet spot, musically: start of funk, hip hop and rap. Era produced tons of unique songs and sounds. I especially revere the all-female bands, eg, The Go-Go's and The Bangles. Transcendent artists.
“Hazy shade of winter”, “Hero takes a fall,” “In your room”, “Manic Monday “, If she knew what she wants “, these are all great songs from the Bangles!
They were definitely written off as a novelty act by many critics and much of the public despite their commercial success. Or people put all the focus on Susanna while ignoring the talent of Michael Steele and the Peterson sisters.
@@suave-rider I was just thinking, for like 30 years, everyone knew the bangles. They weren't underrated. They just never capitalized on their success.
Susanna Hoffs has THE sexiest voice in modern music. They could release a recording of her reading from a diesel rig repair manual, and I would sit there sighing like a love-struck schoolboy. And on top of that, this is one of the most beautiful ballads released at the time, and the video is gorgeous. The campfire lighting on their faces is just stunning.
And she wasn't the only singer in the group. Debi Peterson and Michael Steele were better than most other bands' lead singers. They traded lead vocals on their early material. The record label pushed Susanna to the forefront because she had the looks, but the whole band had unbelievable talent. They were the total package.
Each "eternal flame" is delivered in a different way throughout this song, which keeps it from feeling repetitive. I also like the music box feel to the accompaniment.
Awesome song. Written by Suzanna Hoffs with the help of songwriting team Billy Steinberg and Tom Kelly. They also wrote Like a Virgin for Madonna and True Colors for Cyndi Lauper. In college I ran in the same group with Billy's kid Max and was able to meet him once. Really nice, quiet guy. Gifted song writer.
@@dghatt3491 What!? The Beatles never did anything like this or even remotely comparable. The Beatles would not have come close to passing the audition phase of The Voice, whereas the Bangles would have dominated. Paul is not going to have sex with you, so just retreat to your basement and fantasise elsewhere. Yes, the Bangles' harmonies are three flames wondrous, but the Beatles were not ever close vocally. Not that the Beatles were not wonderful innovators, in their field, AT THE TIME, but they were light years surpassed in execution by four innovative hot babe musicians who took Beatles music and made it SO much better. I say that to be nice but I really do not see much similarity between the Beatles and the Bangles.The Bangles are better, even if the ladies do not agree.
Brings me back to sixth grade. First slow dancing with a girl from my class. The beating of a heart. That warm nostalgic heart ache. Never will it come back.
Susanna Hoffs and her magic voice!!! BTW, the band hated "Walk Like An Egyptian", it wasn't the type of music they wanted to do but record label made them do it. "Hazy Shade of Winter" is a must react to. Also "If she knew what she wants" and "Manic Monday" ( written by Price for Susanna Hoff because he has a crush on her)
They've already reacted to Hazy Shade of Winter and Manic Monday but clearly they've forgotten. They keep referencing Walk Like an Egyptian but they never have shown their reaction to it
@@jonathangeraldrobinson720 Totally agree. An underrated song the only reached #29 on Billboard, but showcases Susanna's voice and the Bangles' harmonies.
Vicki didn't like "Eternal Flame" either. I don't know about Michael and Debbi, but Vicki said in the Behind the Music that when Susanna brought "Eternal Flame" to them, Vicki's reaction was, "This is a beautiful song... for Whitney Houston. But why are WE recording this?"
This could have turned so sappy soda-pop. But they nailed it. So romantic. This was a major slow dance song back in the day, and I still sing it to my Lady Wife sometimes. 🙂
@@lifewuzonceezr Lol!! The Bangles were just starting out then, but I knew one or their songs. Cyndi I saw as part of the FUN tour, then when she turned 50 in a much smaller venue in Montreal.
I saw them on that tour, too. I had never heard of the Bangles, although they were getting big on college radio at the time, but I fell in love with them and have loved them ever since.
Hands down, this is THE SIGNATURE WORK by The Bangles ..... it has a tenderness that goes straight to the Heart. It is precious, it is a MASTERPIECE ...
After more than forty years listening to music of all genres, and loving many songs from classical music, rock, metal, pop,... (almost any genre except reggaeton), I still think the same thing: that that little four-minute thing so simple and unassuming called "Eternal flame" is the most beautiful combination of notes that I think I have ever heard in my life, and probably will hear.
The Bangles were so underrated; when I hear it, this song hits me in such a way as a grown man on such a primal level of calm. I can feel my breathing slow down, deeper breaths, and my heart rate slows down, almost like how a lullaby is for a child.
FUN FACT: The bassist from The Bangles, Michael Steele, was also a founding member of the '70s all-girl rock band The Runaways (the band that spawned the careers of both Joan Jett and Lita Ford), but left the band shortly before their major label debut.
ANOTHER 80S CLASSIC AND SUPER BEAUTIFUL...FOR THAT REASON I WILL ALWAYS SAY... THAT THE MUSIC OF THE 80S WILL NEVER BE COMPARED TO THE MUSIC OF TODAY... NEVER!
This song was number one on the charts when the Bangles broke up. One of my favorites, but sad they broke up at the time. BTW Susanna Hoffs is my birthday buddy - January 17. 🙂
Sweet. Amber, regarding when you were talking about how the second time she went up to that high note and she treated it differently ... This song is in the key of G and the high note is D, but regardless, the first time she goes up there she stays in her chest voice which has more power. But the second time, with that climactic sense, you expect her to do that again but instead she goes up there and switches to her head voice, which is more airy and light (the equivalent of a guy moving up into falsetto). And then right before it totally fades out, she does it a third time, and this time she goes up there with her chest voice again. Wonderful. And I totally agree with the other recommendations to check out their Hazy Shade of Winter. You are guaranteed to love it.
This is the best song of the 1980s IMO. Its perfectly composed. Perfectly arranged. Perfectly performed. Its just as good in 2022, as it was in 1988. Im so happy you discovered this one.
This song still vividly reminds me of my late teens.........88/89 I'm 17/18 and with my first ever proper love....Andrea. This was her favourite song............We had others....Most of them were my memories of her after we split up, like 'Nothing Compares to You, If I could Turn Back Time and Say Goodbye For The Summer), but this one reminds me of our 18 months of young love.
Thank you, J and Amber. Watching the both of you has brought some happiness into my life. The funny thing is it not about the music to me, it's more about the way you can light up a room.
Oh myyy ... another romantic song. Really like this one, for reasons. Some may always keep a flame ... At any rate, yes, "In Your Room" is another really good one from The Bangles. Happy listening!
Manic Monday was a huge hit for them (written by Prince!) also Hazy Shade of Winter (Simon/Garfunkel cover) and In Your Room. Your little girls would probably also like Tear Off Your Own Head (It’s a Doll Revolution)-so fun.
Natalie Merchant & 10,000 Maniacs needs to be added to female Friday's. There MTV Unplugged is high on the list of all the unplugged concerts...'These Days' is epic
Back when this first came out, one of the guys I worked with brought this in on tape. As we were security guards who mostly sat in a guard shack all night, we listened to this song... again and again... 20, 30, 40 times, I'm not sure, but we couldn't get enough of hearing this. Still love this song. I mean, how can you not?
If you guys like the Bangles you should react to Exposé. They have some great songs that would be perfect for female Friday. Season's Change, Point of No Return, Come Go With Me, and Let Me Be the One are some of their big hits!!
“Yes, please” to all the above…!!! Also, you may want to check out “King of Anything” by Sarah Bareilles for Female Friday. If you love horns “ Cantaloop (Flip Fantasia)” by Us3 is a definite must for you, Amber.
I used to sing this to my daughter when she was an infant & toddler when she'd go through episodes of night terrors & organ spasms for hours on end...holding her to my chest so she could feel my heart beat & the vibrations of my singing... this was her most requested song. She used to call it "Mama's song". When the lyric says "say my name..." Ness would call back "mamaaaa" in her tiny voice 🥰🥺
When I was younger I always thought oh, that's a nice song. Now that I am older I realize that this song is full of hope, fear, and the joy of being with that one you cannot be without. Truly amazing on all levels.
One of my personal favorite Bangles songs is "Following", written and performed by bassist Michael Steele. It's a very haunting and rather disturbing song. You ought to give it a listen.
I love all of them and they all are really talented, and bring something vital to the band, but yeah, I always thought Michael was the best songwriter, singer, and musician. The most interesting songs on Different Light, Everything, and Doll Revolution were mostly Michael's in my opinion. She played a lot of guitar on their records, too. I really like "Complicated Girl" and "Glitter Years" off Everything, and "Between the Two," "Song for a Good Son," and "Nickel Romeo" off Doll Revolution.
Good choice. Love the Bangles. Another all girl group is Exposé. They had a couple of great albums. Seasons Change , What You Don’t Know Won’t Hurt You, Point of No Return and others.
Massive hit in Brazil in 89 when it was included in a soap opera’s soundtrack, but it didn’t need a lot of promotion as the song itself is so beautiful. An 80’s classic for sure.
Bangles - In your Room - Hazy Shade of Winter (They Wanted to be known as the Girl Rock n Roll Group) and these are the songs that best represent them!
@@jamesmcdaniel9601 Funny you mentioned it actually. I'm not sure I can pick between the two, so I usually don't lol. Most of the time, if I listen to one, I listen to the other right after. They've always been sort of a package deal to me.
Eternal Flame is a really good song, but putting it into historical perspective, it also caused a bit of drama in the band. It's here where the other members of the band started to feel like The Bangles had become Susanna Hoffs and The Bangles, they felt she was getting lead status in the group, which started some jealousy and communication started to break down. They broke up after this album, which is a shame, because the last thing they recorded was "Hazy Shade of Winter" for the Less Than Zero soundtrack, and the session had gone so well, it seemed like they were all on the same page, finally. Then Susanna Hoffs, with too many people in her ear telling lies about the band, pretty much left the band for a solo career that went nowhere. After 10 years they did reform, realizing that the whole drama was really other people pitting them against each other.
MANY bands with multiple women, have collapsed from this dueling ego issue. I even knew TWO IRL that did. So I do not believe it was just other people's fault. It was certainly their fault as well. For whatever reason, women can't handle any shifts in which of them gets the spotlight.
@@patsk8872 That's fair, all I have to go by are interviews from their Behind The Music documentary, and that is always subject to their interpretation of events. I'm bristling a bit at the notion it's exclusively a female problem, but I honestly can't think of any male examples to give in response.
@@Wungolioth I agree. I think it was less that it was an all-female band and so their egos clashed than that their record label was playing them against each other. They put Susanna out front and told her they'd make her a solo star. They also told Michael the same thing, that she was the most talented one in the band and they'd make HER a solo star. Then the band broke up and they never offered Michael a record deal and she basically quit the music biz for 20 years because of how they treated her. I wouldn't be surprised if similar shenanigans had been going on with Vicki and Debbi. I think if their record label hadn't gotten greedy and decided they could get at least two solo stars in place of one band, and played them against each other to try to make that happen, the Bangles would have stayed together at least a bit longer. And then Susanna's solo career wasn't nearly as big as anything she did with the Bangles, Michael basically disappeared after the way the record company treated her, and Vicki and Debbi went off to do side projects that never had any significant commercial success.
@@Wungolioth How about Steve Perry and Gregg Rollie? How about Michael McDonald and Tom Johnston? How about Rodger Waters and David Gilmour? How about the boys in Oasis? How about Mick Jones and Joe Strummer? Lots of male examples of egos busting up bands.
This song always makes me want to listen to "The Flame" by Cheap Trick, another slow song by a group that was known for rocking that was released less than 1 year earlier and was also on the radio at the same time. The late 80s was rife with fire metaphors.
I think your kids playing "walk like an Egyptian" as much as kids are prone to do has had you forget the other Bangles reactions you have done? (3 songs a day, no way anyone could remember everything.) You were just as shocked by how hard rocking "Hazy Shade of Winter" was when you reacted to it. You, also really loved Debbi Peterson's drumming -with cowbell! From pop to ballads to hard hitting rock, they are pretty diverse. :-) I would suggest "Hero takes a fall" from their debut album for your next bangles reaction.
My sister used this in her wedding. This was just such a sweet song and a radio favorite. The girls loved the songs and the guys loved Susannah Hoffs. Lol Hazy Shade of Winter is my favorite though
I’m going to keep pushing for THE WARNING ( 3 sisters from Mexico) “Disciple, Money, or their cover of Metallica’s enter sandman with Alessia Cara “. These girls are the future of Rock n Roll
I think I've recommended Lone Justice before. Maria McKee was the lead singer and she's amazing. She would be a great one for Female Friday. The band only had two albums but she's still performing solo. Here are some LJ recommendations: "Shelter": ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-jvo9MbTkUbE.html "Sweet, Sweet Baby (I'm Falling)": ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-nNf-1DJCrPc.html "Dreams Come True (Stand Up and Take It)": ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-tFgpmCHQHk8.html "I Found Love": ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-W7MNAWuoo9g.html
Ahhhhh I love this song. Taking me back to junior high school and young love 💕 I highly recommend checking out their song A Hazy Shade of Winter. Amazing!! Really shows their vocal power but the guitar riff is bad ass!!
This song came out in 1988 and I was 13 years old! I had been in love with her since the Bangles first had a video on MTV and this song did not change how I felt!
Love this band. They are all great. They probably resented that SH got so much attention. She's the lead singer - her voice is great. And she almost looks the same now as she did 35 years ago. Ageless.
Love this. Check an early cover they did which is my favorite: "Going Down to Liverpool". The original was by Katrina and the Waves, of 'Walking on Sunshine' fame, and was written by their guitarist Kimberly Rew. You've hit their novelty song; you've hit their power ballad; now check out their more normal pop-rock side with Liverpool. It's catchy as hell and fun. You'll be humming it for days after. Peace from SF
Agreed. "Eternal Flame" and "Walk Like an Egyptian" were their biggest commercial hits, but I think they are possibly THE two songs that are least representative of what kind of band they really were and what their aesthetic was. All Over The Place was their best album. Even though they didn't write "Manic Monday," I *do* think it sounds like a Bangles song because of the arrangements, although the piano as the lead instrument is not typical of their style. But "If She Knew What She Wants," "Hazy Shade of Winter," "In Your Room," "Going Down to Liverpool," and "Hero Takes a Fall" are MUCH more representative of their sound. There are also some great, great songs on Doll Revolution, the album they made in the early 2000s after being apart for so long.
This song always makes me sigh and remember a different time, before grunge and screamo, and when hip-hop was still old-school style. Gotta second the motion about a generation of boys (and many girls) first crush being Susanna Hoffs. Mine was Olivia Newton-John, but when the Bangles came along Susanna knocked her off the throne.
Eternal Flame by The Bangles was my favorite cousins song. She could sing this word for word and she sounded IDENTICAL to Susanna Hoffs. Sadly her and my aunt tragically died to a drunk driver in August 1991, a month and a week before her 15th birthday. I go visit their grave, as often as I can, and play this song a couple of times.
Oh Susanna Hoffs, She was beautiful then and even more stunning now, The band, The Bangles are just a really good band and back then not many all female bands were as successful as them, Takes me back to my late teens, early twenties. (Loving Sigh!)
