Different Light

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Different Light
Studio album by The Bangles
Released January 1986 (U.S.)
March 3, 1986 (U.K.)
Recorded Summer-Autumn, 1985
Genre Rock
Length 38:48
Label Columbia
CK-40039
Liberation Australia
Producer David Kahne
The Bangles chronology
All Over the Place
(1984)		 Different Light
(1986)		 Everything
(1988)
Music sample
"Manic Monday"
Professional ratings
Review scores
Source Rating
Allmusic 3/5 stars [1]
Robert Christgau B[2]
The Phoenix 2.5/5 stars [3]
Rolling Stone (favorable)[4]
Rolling Stone Album Guide 2.5/5 stars[5]
Slant Magazine 4/5 stars[6]
Wiki letter w.svg This table needs to be expanded using prose. See the guideline for more information.

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. 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),[7] "If She Knew What She Wants" and "Walk Like an Egyptian". The other two singles were "Following" and "Walking Down Your Street".

The 2008 reissue CD on the Wounded Bird Records label (WOU 4039) adds a bonus track: "Walk Like An Egyptian" (Extended Dance Mix).

Contents

[edit] Track listing

No. 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" (cover of Jules Shear, 1985) Jules Shear 3:49
8. "Let It Go"   Hoffs, D. Peterson, V. Peterson, Michael Steele 2:32
9. "September Gurls" (cover of Big Star, 1974) 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

[edit] Singles

[edit] Manic Monday

"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) [8]
  • #2 UK (February 1986) [9]

[edit] If She Knew What She Wants

"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) [8]
  • #20 CH (July 13, 1986) [10]
  • #31 UK (April 1986) [9]

[edit] Walk Like an Egyptian

"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) [8]
  • #1 DE (December 1986) [11]
  • #1 (5 weeks) NL (December 6, 1986) [12]
  • #3 UK (September 1986) [9]

[edit] Walking Down Your Street

"Walking Down Your Street"
Released 1987
Writer(s) Louis Gutierrez,
Susanna Hoffs,
David Kahne
Producer(s) David Kahne
Main article: Walking Down Your Street

"Walking Down Your Street" is the fourth single from Different Light.
Chart positions
  • #11 US (April 1987) [8]
  • #16 UK (January 1987) [9]

[edit] Personnel

[edit] The Bangles

  • Susanna Hoffs: Vocals, guitars
  • Vicki Peterson: Vocals, guitars
  • Michael Steele: Vocals, guitars, bass
  • Debbi Peterson: Vocals, drums, percussion

[edit] Additional musicians

[edit] Production

  • Produced by David Kahne
  • Engineers: Tchad Blake, David Leonard, Peggy McLeonard
  • Assistant engineers: Dave Glover, Mike Kloster
  • Mixing: David Leonard

[edit] Charts

Country Date Peak position Certification Comments
United States 1986 #2 [13] 3x Platinum  
United Kingdom October 1986 #3 [9] Platinum [14] Originally peaked at 30 on March 1986
Norway March 1986 #4 [15]    
Switzerland May 4, 1986 #16 [16]    
Netherlands 1986 #24    

[edit] Album cover variations

The covers of the most of the album's U.S. cassette pressings and the sheet music songbook only show 12 (out of 16) of the "different" snapshots, eliminating the third column to best fit the rectanglular layout of cassette cases and book.

The back cover of European-made CDs replicates the back cover of the vinyl LP edition, with all 16 snapshots and the track index at the top. The back cover of the U.S. version, however, only shows the first column of 4 snapshots, with the track index list occupying the rest of the space - a rare deviation for Columbia's CD issues during the 1980s.

[edit] References

  1. ^ Deming, Mark. Different Light at Allmusic. Retrieved 4 April 2007.
  2. ^ Christgau, Robert. "The Bangles > Consumer Guide Reviews". Robert Christgau. http://www.robertchristgau.com/get_artist.php?id=1378&name=The+Bangles. Retrieved 28 April 2008. 
  3. ^ Moses, Mark (February 16, 1986). "Off the record". The Phoenix (Phoenix Media/Communications Group). 
  4. ^ Fissinger, Laura (March 13, 1986). "The Bangles Different Light > Album Review". Rolling Stone (469). Archived from the original on 8 February 2008. http://web.archive.org/web/20080208134743/http://www.rollingstone.com/artists/thebangles/albums/album/301864/review/5940772/different_light. Retrieved 26 July 2007. 
  5. ^ Brackett, Nathan with Hoard, Christian, eds. (2004). "The Bangles". The New Rolling Stone Album Guide. London: Fireside. pp. 43–44. ISBN 0-7432-0169-8. http://books.google.com/books?id=t9eocwUfoSoC&lpg=PA547&dq=rolling%20stone%20the%20bangles&client=firefox-a&pg=PA43#v=onepage&q&f=false. Retrieved 12 October 2011. 
  6. ^ Cinquemani, Sal (September 23, 2003). "The Bangles Different Light > Album Review". Slant Magazine. http://www.slantmagazine.com/music/review/the-bangles-different-light/331. Retrieved 23 October 2007. 
  7. ^ Stichting Nederlandse Top 40, 500 Nr. 1 hits uit de Top 40, Page 234, 9023009444
  8. ^ a b c d Billboard.com The Bangles singles chart history Accessed: November 4, 2006
  9. ^ a b c d e Everyhit.co.uk UK Top 40 database Accessed: November 4, 2006
  10. ^ SwissCharts.com "If She Knew What She Wants" page. Accessed: November 4, 2006
  11. ^ Infinity charts German Top 20 - The Chart Of December 1986 Accessed: November 2, 2006
  12. ^ Top4000.nl Chart week 49, 1986 Accessed: November 2, 2006
  13. ^ Billboard.com The Bangles album chart history Accessed: November 4, 2006
  14. ^ BPI.co.uk Certification Different Light Accessed: November 4, 2006
  15. ^ NorwegianCharts.com Different Light page. Accessed: October 29, 2006
  16. ^ SwissCharts.com Different Light page. Accessed: November 4, 2006

Additional sources used:

  • www.aurealm.com/bangdisc.htm (No longer online)

[edit] External links

The Bangles
Studio albums
Extended plays
Compilations
Singles
Videography
Related articles
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