Walk Like An Egyptian The Bangles

Walk Like an Egyptian Album: Different Light (1986)
by The Bangles

The songwriter Liam Sternberg wrote this. He got the idea when he was on a ferry boat and saw people struggling to keep their balance. The way they held out their arms and jerked around made it look like they were doing Egyptian movements, and if the boat moved suddenly, they would all topple over.

Sternberg was part of a vibrant '70s music scene in Akron, Ohio, where he wrote and produced for the almost-famous Jane Aire & The Belvederes and Rachel Sweet. That gritty city is the antithesis of Los Angeles, but by the mid-'80s Akron was in musical decline and LA was where it was happening, so that's where he pitched his demos. The "Walk Like An Egyptian" demo, with a vocal by Marti Jones, got the attention of Bangles producer David Kahne, who had them record the song.
The biggest hit for the Bangles, "Walk Like An Egyptian" gave them a new level of notoriety, but not the kind they wanted. Formed in 1981, they wrote their own songs and were a big part of the Los Angeles Paisley Underground movement, which included eclectic acts like Rain Parade and The Dream Syndicate. These Paisley bands did well with critics but never broke big, except the Bangles.

Their first album, released in 1984, had a '60s sound with lots of clever, well-constructed songs written by their guitarists, Susanna Hoffs and Vicki Peterson. It did well and earned them a spot opening for Cyndi Lauper. Their second album, Different Light, was their breakthrough, but the big hits were songs written by outsiders. First came "Manic Monday," written by high-profile Bangles fan Prince. Then "If She Knew What She Wants," written by Jules Shear.

Then came "Walk Like An Egyptian," a goofy romp written by another outside writer that the band didn't think would get released as a single because it was "too weird." It shot to #1 and became a sensation, but the group's rock pedigree took a hit. Suddenly they were known for this quasi-novelty song instead of their own compositions.

The song does have their stamp on it though: every Bangle could sing, and three of them get a verse on "Egyptian." The guitar riff is also their distinctive sound, something Vicki Peterson had been developing for a while (check out "He's Got a Secret" from their first album).

The Bangles didn't have a problem with the song itself, but when it made them famous it also made them miserable - they were burned out and their friendships fractured. The hits kept coming ("Eternal Flame," "In Your Room") until they couldn't it anymore; they broke up in 1989 at the peak of their powers.

Hoffs launched a solo career that didn't get very far, and Vicki Peterson joined a roots-rock band called the Continental Drifters. In the late '90s, after enough water had passed under the bridge, the Bangles re-united. They still had some bitter feelings about "Walk Like An Egyptian," which came out in a VH1 Behind The Music where they talked about the song as a catalyst for their demise. But as years went by, the song took on a feeling of nostalgia and the group made peace with it.

"These days I feel very differently about it than I did in the '90s, because to me it was such an odd moment," Vicki Peterson told Songfacts in 2018. "I actually loved doing it. I thought the song was brilliant, in the strangest way. I had fun recording it, minus a few hiccups here and there, because it wasn't a great time for us. But, the song itself, I thought, 'OK, we will never write anything like this. This takes the record to another level, so let's absolutely do this.'"

She added: "It's so fun to do live because of how it's received by our audience: They are completely in love and having a blast. It reminds them of that time in high school, that time in college, whatever it is that connects to a moment of sheer fun and joy and silliness and dance moves. So, at this point in time, when we do it, I just have a blast."

All members except drummer Debbi Peterson sang a verse. Peterson was originally supposed to sing the whole thing, but producer David Kahne had each member audition the lyrics to determine who would sing what verse. Debbi's sister Vicki Peterson got the first verse, bass player Michael Steele (a girl, despite the name) the second, and Susanna Hoffs the third.
This was offered to Toni Basil, but she turned it down. The Bangles needed one more song to complete their album, so they took it.

The difficult recording process caused a lot of tension within the band, which tried to share the spotlight in equal measure (literally: they insisted on four spotlights on stage). Leaving Debbi Peterson out of this one was a pivotal moment for the Bangles, who instead of standing up to producer David Kahne and insisting she have a part in the song, allowed her to be left out. They used a different producer (Davitt Sigerson) on their next album, but the fissures got deeper when Susanna Hoffs became the focus of their look and sound. Their chemistry turned combustible, leading to their 1989 breakup.

In the US, this was the #1 song of 1987 according to Billboard's year-end chart. It held the top spot for four weeks.
The video for this song made the band superstars, as it aired in heavy rotation on MTV. The Bangles became darlings of the network, but early on they weren't sold on the medium. Here are some quotes from 1985 where they kvetch:

Debbi Peterson: "When you listen to a record you can imagine what they look like and what they were doing when they recorded, but when you see the video it ruins it for you."

Susanna Hoffs: "I wish they could be more like movies. I wish they could somehow fulfill you, bring you through an experience."

Bangles drummer Debbi Peterson didn't perform on this song at all; percussion was done with a drum machine. When they performed it live, which you can see in the video, Debbi abandoned her drum kit and moved out front with a tambourine as a backing track played the drums.

The famous whistling after the guitar solo was machine made, according to Vicki Peterson. In concert, Debbi would mime it.
Bangles bass player Michael Steele was a member of The Runaways, a groundbreaking all-female rock band of the '70s that never had a hit - their story was made into a movie in 2010. Steele was the second Runaway to become a hitmaker, following Joan Jett, whose 1981 cover of "I Love Rock And Roll" was a monster hit. Lita Ford became the third member to make it big when "Kiss Me Deadly" reached #12 US in 1988.

"Walk Like an Egyptian" was one of the songs which were claimed to have been banned by Clear Channel following the September 11, 2001 attacks. It was also included in a "list of records to be avoided" drawn up by the BBC during the Gulf War.

Walk Like an Egyptian
The Bangles
All the old paintings on the tomb
They do the sand dance, don't you know
If they move too quick (oh way oh)
They're falling down like a domino

All the bazaar men by the Nile
They got the money on a bet
Gold crocodiles (oh way oh)
They snap their teeth on your cigarette

Foreign types with the hookah pipes say
Way oh way oh, way oh way oh
Walk like an Egyptian

The blonde waitresses take their trays
They spin around and they cross the floor
They've got the moves (oh way oh)
You drop your drink
Then they bring you more

All the school kids so sick of books
They like the punk and the metal band
When the buzzer rings (oh way oh)
They're walking like an Egyptian

All the kids in the marketplace say
Way oh way oh, way oh way oh
Walk like an Egyptian

Slide your feet up the street
Bend your back
Shift your arm, then you pull it back
Life is hard you know (oh way oh)
So strike a pose on a Cadillac

If you wanna find all the cops
They're hanging out in the donut shop
They sing and dance (oh way oh)
They spin the clubs, cruise down the block

All the Japanese with their yen
The party boys call the Kremlin
And the Chinese know (oh way oh)
They walk the line like Egyptian

All the cops in the donut shop say
Way oh way oh, way oh way oh
Walk like an Egyptian
Walk like an Egyptian

Written by: Liam Hillard Sternberg