Walk Like an Egyptian

"Walk Like an Egyptian"
Single by The Bangles
from the album Different Light
B-side	"Angels Don't Fall in Love" "Not Like You"
Released	September 1, 1986 (UK)
Format	7" single, 12" maxi
Recorded	Sunset Sound Factory (1985)
Genre	Rock
Length	3:24
Label	Columbia Bangle-a-lang Music
Writer(s)	Liam Sternberg
Producer	David Kahne
The Bangles singles chronology
"If She Knew What She Wants" (1986) "Walk like an Egyptian" (1986) "Walking Down Your Street" (1986) "Everything I Wanted" (1990) "Walk Like An Egyptian (remix)" (1990) "The Eternal Mix" (1990) Alternative cover 1990 reissue cover

"Walk Like an Egyptian" is a number-one hit from the album Different Light by The Bangles in 1986.

The song is in chromatic-minor with a tonic major chord.

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 the old paintings on the tombs/They do the sand dance don't you know". The reference to the sand dance possibly refers to a music hall routine performed by Wilson, Keppel and Betty where Wilson and Keppel danced around in the postures portrayed on the reliefs wearing the fez while Betty watched.

Sternberg offered his song to Toni Basil, who turned it down. David Kahne, the producer of Different Light, took the song to the Bangles who agreed to record it.^{[citation needed]} Kahne had each member of the group sing the lyrics to determine who would sing each verse, with Susanna Hoffs, Vicki Peterson and Michael Steele each singing lead vocals on a verse in the final version. Kahne did not like any of Debbi Peterson's leads and she was relegated to backing vocals. This angered Peterson and caused tension within the group as she felt the rest of the group wasn't being supportive to her, which was worsened by fact that the drumming in the song is done by a drum machine instead of Peterson, further diminishing her role in the song^{[citation needed]}.

"Walk Like an Egyptian" was one of the songs deemed inappropriate by Clear Channel following the September 11, 2001 attacks.

Chart performances

"Walk Like an Egyptian" was released as the third single from Different Light. It debuted on the Billboard Hot 100 in September 1986. The song reached a peak of number three on the UK Singles Chart in November 1986 and reached number one in the U.S. on December 20, staying at the top of the Hot 100 for four weeks, carrying it over into January 1987. The song is the first song by an all-female group playing their own instruments to top the Billboard singles chart. The success of the song and "Manic Monday" propelled Different Light to number two on the Billboard 200 chart, making it the group's most successful album.

On the American Top 40 Top 100 of 1987 radio show, host Casey Kasem reported the song was added to the album as a joke, to which he added, "Some joke. Here's the punchline: The Bangles' sand dance of the ancient pharaohs walks away with the pyramid prize of the year!" contrasting how the song was added to the album with how popular it became, as it topped the year-end Billboard Hot 100 singles chart, which is the chart the American Top 40 was using at the time.

The song was also the Bangles' last non-cover Top 40 hit that wasn't co-written by at least one band member. Subsequent charted singles (with the exception of "Hazy Shade of Winter", which is a cover) were co-written by Susanna Hoffs and Debbie Peterson.

Music video

The music video for "Walk Like an Egyptian" was nominated for Best Group Video in the 1987 MTV Video Music Awards. It featured people dancing in a pose similar to the pose depicted in the Ancient Egyptian reliefs that inspired songwriter Liam Sternberg; while most of them are ordinary people, some famous figures were depicted dancing in that same pose through the use of simple special effects, like Lady Diana and Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi. In a popular scene from the video, Hoffs was filmed in a close-up where her eyes moved from side to side, looking left and right. When asked about the scene in an interview with online magazine PlanetOut.com, Hoffs explained that she was actually looking at individual audience members during the video shoot, which took place with a live audience. Looking directly at individual audience members was a technique she used to overcome stage fright, and she was unaware that the camera had a close-up on her while she was employing this technique, switching between one audience member on her left and one on her right.

1990 re-release

In 1990, "Walk Like an Egyptian" was re-issued as a single in the UK to promote the Bangles' Greatest Hits album. It featured new remixes for the song called Ozymandias Remix. With the group having parted ways by then, little promotion was made and it charted at a poor #73 in the UK.

2011 Egyptian Revolution

During the 2011 Egyptian Revolution the song enjoyed a surge in popularity among the younger population of protesters. Many support videos on the video-sharing website YouTube feature the song as background music or in another important manner.

Cover versions

• A version by The Chipettes, done in their signature style, can be found on their 1988 album Born to Rock.
• In the summer of 1989, Henry Mancini conducted the Utah Symphony in a concert at Snowbird Ski Resort performing the song from an orchestrated arrangement that he wrote.
• In 1995 the German Metal band J.B.O. recorded a spoof version called "Walk With an Erection" for their album "Explizite Lyrik"
• Joe Queer and The Nobodys covered the song for a hidden track on the 1998 compilation CD Hopelessly Devoted to You Too Vol. 2 from Hopeless Records.
• A cover recorded by Deep Forest and featuring Beverly Jo Scott can be found on the soundtrack for the 2002 French film Astérix & Obélix: Mission Cléopâtre. It is played during the closing credits of the film.
• A cover recorded by the Egyptian singer Hakim, featuring a singer named Cleopatra is included on the 2004 album Desert Roses 3.
• The song was covered by Dominican singer Wilman de Jesus in 2006.
• It was covered by The Puppini Sisters on their 2007 album The Rise and Fall of Ruby Woo.
• A German language cover of the song was done by the German punk rock band Die Ärzte ("Geh'n wie ein Ägypter"; the title is a literal translation), which also features the Incredible Hagen on vocals. It was the first track and the first single from their 1987 album Ist das alles? (13 Höhepunkte mit den Ärzten). The woman on the cover is Die Ärzte's mascot Gwendoline (from "Sweet Gwendoline").
  Although a video wasn't officially released, there is a video done for it. It was revealed in 2008 in an MTV-show about their videography, along with the video of "Bitte bitte". In the video, Bela and Farin play children, whom parents have put to bed to go out themselves. When they're gone, Bela and Farin get up and a party ensues. When the parents come back, they're in the bed again.
• Bassnectar released a remixed version in February 2011 commemorating the revolution in Egypt.
• The defunct Grand Rapids, MI Pop-Punk band Molly covered the song on their album Sex Sells.
• The Italian rock band Linea 77 produced a metal version of this track.
• The song was covered by Israeli Mediterranean Surf Rock band Boom Pam, released in August 2011.
• 2006 the french Girlband L5 covered the song for their Best Of-album.

Live cover performances

• In 2007, KT Tunstall began performing this song while on her UK tour. A cover version of the song serves as a B-side to her single "If Only", and is also available to owners of KT's album Drastic Fantastic through the disc's Opendisc feature.
• A version by The Feeling can be heard on the 2007 compilation album, The Saturday Sessions: The Dermot O'Leary Show.

Sampling

• American producer Diplo remixed "Walk Like an Egyptian" with the beat from British artist M.I.A.'s song "Fire Fire" on their debut collaboration Piracy Funds Terrorism in 2004.
• The British rock group The Laddz used the tone of the song for support of the England national football team in a chant called "Chant Like an English Fan". The single, written by Anthony Donnelly and Richard Eyre was originally written for the 2006 FIFA World Cup and was re-released for the 2010 World Cup.

Appearances in other media

• In the "420" episode of Family Guy, Carter Pewterschmidt sings his own version of this song.
• The advertisements for a Chilean lotto-like game called "La Piramide", used a cover version with altered lyrics to reflect on the name of the game.
• Mary-Kate Olsen and Ashley Olsen, dressed as Egyptians, sing their own version of the song.
• In The Super Mario Bros. Super Show episode, "The Ten Koopmandments", the song is featured when Mario, Luigi, Princess Toadstool and Toad are being chased by a Goomba mummy and being attacked by a Cobrat and a Phanto.
• The song was made available to download for Rock Band on November 17, 2009.
• In the episode "The Way We Almost Weren't" from Hannah Montana, Miley's mother sings a line from the song while wearing headphones.
• A condensed version of the song is used in the Bill Maher film Religulous in a sequence showing the similarities between Jesus and the Egyptian God, Horus.
• The song was played on the April 5, 2010 episode of Dancing with the Stars, with Jake Pavelka and Chelsea Hightower dancing the quickstep to it.
• The song was featured in Totally Spies! The Movie when Sam, Clover & Alex move around like Egyptians while trying to hide from the Principal.
• The song (with original video) can be selected in the video games Dance Dance Revolution Universe 2 and Just Dance 2
• Quoted extensively in the song Hora Bucharestu vs Narodno Kolo by Estradasphere
• In the first chapter of the manga series Mai, the Psychic Girl, the main protagonist Mai Kuju sings the chorus to the song while she is taking a bath and again while walking to her room wearing a towel.

Track listings

1985 release

7" single

1. "Walk Like an Egyptian" (3:21)
2. "Angels Don't Fall in Love" (3:21)

12" maxi

1. "Walk Like an Egyptian" (extended dance mix) (5:48)
2. "Walk Like an Egyptian" (dub mix) (5:17)
3. "Walk Like an Egyptian" (a capella mix) (2:47)

1986 release

7" single

1. "Walk Like an Egyptian" (3:21)
2. "Not Like You" (3:05)

12" maxi

1. "Walk Like an Egyptian" (extended dance mix) (5:48)
2. "Walk Like an Egyptian" (dub mix) (5:17)
3. "Walk Like an Egyptian" (a cappella mix) (2:47)
4. "Angels Don't Fall in Love" (3:21)

Charts and sales

Peak positions

Chart (1986/87)	Peak position
Australian Singles Chart	1
Austrian Singles Chart	6
Dutch Singles Chart	1
French Singles Chart	15
German Singles Chart	1
Irish Singles Chart	2
Italian Singles Chart	5
New Zealand Singles Chart	2
Swiss Singles Chart	8
UK Singles Chart	3
U.S. Billboard Hot 100	1
U.S. Billboard Hot Dance Music/Maxi-Singles Sales	15
U.S. Billboard Hot Dance Club Play	46
Chart (1990)	Peak position
UK Singles Chart	73

End of year charts

End of year chart (1986)	Position
Dutch Top 40	63
UK Singles Chart	23
End of year chart (1987)	Position
Dutch Top 40	64
Billboard Top 100	1

Certifications

Country	Certification
United States	Gold
United Kingdom	Silver
Netherlands	Platinum

Chart successions

Preceded by "The Way It Is" by Bruce Hornsby	Hot 100 Airplay List of number-one Hot 100 Airplay hits December 27, 1986 – January 17, 1987	Succeeded by "Shake You Down" by Gregory Abbott
Preceded by "In the Army Now" by Status Quo	German number-one single December 19, 1986 – January 9, 1987	Succeeded by "Showing Out (Get Fresh at the Weekend)" by Mel & Kim
Preceded by "The Way It Is" by Bruce Hornsby and the Range	Billboard Hot 100 number-one single December 20, 1986 - January 10, 1987	Succeeded by "Shake You Down" by Gregory Abbott
Preceded by "Funkytown" by Pseudo Echo "You Keep Me Hangin' On" by Kim Wilde	Australian (ARIA) number-one single February 9, 1987 February 23, 1987	Succeeded by "You Keep Me Hangin' On" by Kim Wilde

See also

• Tutting

References

Additional sources used:

• Allmusic song review
• Jay Warner, On This Day in Music History: Over 2000 Popular Music Facts Covering Every Day of the Year Hal Leonard 2004 ISBN 0-634-06693-5 pages 272, 321, 356

External links

• The Bangles' official website