There were a whole lot of pharaohs walking the earth in 1986. Even Princess Di and the Statue of Liberty were striking poses. The craze was all thanks to one of the year’s defining songs – the Bangles’ Walk Like an Egyptian – and its MTV video. “Those moves still follow us,” says guitarist Vicki Peterson. “But fun as it is, I remember thinking the label would never have the balls to release it as a single, because it's just too weird!”But really, at a time when Madonna and Phil Collins ruled the charts, the Bangles were kind of weird themselves. Four friends who were “obsessed with the Beatles, jangly guitars and harmony singing,” their 1984 debut All Over the Place had landed as a charming throwback. “It had a glorified garage band sound,” Peterson says. “With Different Light, we embraced sonic techniques and production values that were more of the moment. Also, I think there was our own ambition plus pressure from the label to get more commercial success. So they were pleased when Prince offered us Manic Monday, because that was a stake they could put in the ground.”The Purple One was a fan. “He would come to our shows and sit in,” Peterson says. “We’d get a note from the tour manager – ‘Prince is here and would love to play with you.’ It was like, ‘What? Here, my take my guitar, please!’”
