TS: The Bangles' "If She Knew What She Wants" vs "Manic Monday"

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Their lesser hit vs one of their biggest hit. "If She Knew.."'s luminosity has increased over the years, while overexposure has casued most of the bloom to wither off "Manic Monday"'s delicate buds.

"If She Knew..." features some fantastic call-and-response harmonies that act as the adult corrective to the gush of Susannah Hoffs' lead vocal. Typically solid, understated Debbi Peterson drumming, a great solo from sister Vicki...and it's played only at supermarkets and taco shops across the land.

― Alfred Soto (Alfred Soto), Friday, 23 September 2005 22:19 (twenty years ago)

I thought "Manic Monday" was Hoffs' solo. Also, it's written by Prince.

― Spencer Chow (spencermfi), Friday, 23 September 2005 22:30 (twenty years ago)

I think "Manic Monday" is a better tune. Not as good as "Rasberry Beret," though.

― Tim Ellison (Tim Ellison), Friday, 23 September 2005 22:31 (twenty years ago)

All their biggest hits were written by other people.

― Alfred Soto (Alfred Soto), Friday, 23 September 2005 22:35 (twenty years ago)

They seemed like they had songwriting talent, though. I never had their albums, but their first ep has some good songs like "The Real World" and "I'm in Line."

― Tim Ellison (Tim Ellison), Friday, 23 September 2005 22:38 (twenty years ago)

Speaking of Prince's mid-to-late eighties psychedelic stuff, anyone ever heard "Neon Telephone," the song he wrote for the Three O'Clock? (I heard it once and don't remember it.)

― Tim Ellison (Tim Ellison), Friday, 23 September 2005 23:10 (twenty years ago)

Manic Monday. When I was a tiny man I only had one piece of music, which was
a Greatest Hits of the 80's tape. Manic Monday followed Elton John's "I Don't Want
to Go On with You Like That". The 1-2 combo was unbeatable, and probably caused
by father to love me a little less every day he heard me blasting it in the basement.

― Zach S, Saturday, 24 September 2005 00:22 (twenty years ago)

Can I choose "Following" instead?

― brittle-lemon (brittle-lemon), Saturday, 24 September 2005 01:13 (twenty years ago)

All their biggest hits were written by other people.

True dat, except for "In Your Room," a Top 10er.

And Zach, I love you a little less for loving IDWTGOWYLT.

p.s. I'll take "If She Knew": the latter hasn't aged well, in part due to hearing bad karaoke renditions.

― Joseph McCombs (Joseph McCombs), Saturday, 24 September 2005 01:49 (twenty years ago)

I feel like I've heard "Manic Monday" soundtracking a million cutesy movie/tv scenes, yet I can't think of a single one.

― JC-L (JC-L), Saturday, 24 September 2005 02:24 (twenty years ago)

Both are crushed by their biggest, and best, hit, "Walk Like an Egyptian" -- chromatic power chord scale at the end of this is one of the top Bangles recorded moments. In fact, "Manic Monday" is weaker than any single but "Eternal Flame" -- "Going Down to Liverpool," and "Hazy Shade of Winter" are much better as are numerous album tracks, including aforementioned "Following," "Silence," "James," "September Gurls" obv., "How is the Air Up There?"...

― Guayaquil (eephus), Saturday, 24 September 2005 04:39 (twenty years ago)

And "Doll Revolution" from the new record, too.

― Guayaquil (eephus), Saturday, 24 September 2005 04:40 (twenty years ago)

I've always thought "Going Down to Liverpool" is their best single. I find the chorus of "If She Knew What She Wants" kinda irritating - Hoff's whiney voice doesn't normally bother me, but here it does. Oh, and I too think their cover of "Hazy Shade of Winter" is great, better than the Simon & Garfunkel original.

― Tuomas (Tuomas), Saturday, 24 September 2005 04:48 (twenty years ago)

they just toured Australia or might still be here.
my faves are "in your room" and "be wih you".
also hoffs did agreat version o flightning seeds"all i wnat" cyndi laupers"unconditional love" and david bowies"boys keep swinging" that debut had "heart of stone" too.
i am waiting for a bangles dvd with susanna hoffs solo videos too.

― retroman, Saturday, 24 September 2005 04:54 (twenty years ago)

As mentioned above, "Going Down to Liverpool" tops them both.

Gun to my head, though, I'll go with "Manic Monday." Hearing Jules Shear's own version of "If She Knew..." has likely tainted enjoyment of that song for me forever.

― Johnny Fever (johnny fever), Saturday, 24 September 2005 04:54 (twenty years ago)

"Hero Takes a Fall" was better than "Going Down to Liverpool," though.

― Tim Ellison (Tim Ellison), Saturday, 24 September 2005 05:12 (twenty years ago)

Speaking of Prince's mid-to-late eighties psychedelic stuff, anyone ever heard "Neon Telephone," the song he wrote for the Three O'Clock? (I heard it once and don't remember it.)

Never heard The Three O'Clock's version but the demo, with (I think) Wendy/Lisa/Prince singing, is a great tune. As is "Teacher, Teacher", which I think comes from that same period when Prince was all about his paisley.

― Jay Vee (Manon_70), Saturday, 24 September 2005 06:08 (twenty years ago)

All Over Their Place is still their best album, but Different Light has album tracks (the great "Following," "In a Different Light," "Walking Down Your Street") that pwn all over "Manic Monday."

― Alfred Soto (Alfred Soto), Saturday, 24 September 2005 12:38 (twenty years ago)

Much as I love If She Knew, it has Bad Grammar, so Manic Monday

― Mädchen (Madchen), Saturday, 24 September 2005 14:30 (twenty years ago)

tough one! both songs are so good. i really love the bridge in "if she knew..." so ill go with that for now.

― maria tessa sciarrino (theoreticalgirl), Saturday, 24 September 2005 14:36 (twenty years ago)

"Walking Down Your Street" was a single.

PS: "Manic Monday", although "If She Knew..." is awesome.

― The Ghost of Black Elegance (Dan Perry), Saturday, 24 September 2005 15:59 (twenty years ago)

"Walking Down Your Street" was a single.

PS: "Manic Monday", although "If She Knew..." is awesome.

-- The Ghost of Black Elegance (djperr...), September 24th, 2005.

Yeah, my mistake. Wasn't Little Richard in the video?

― Alfred Soto (Alfred Soto), Saturday, 24 September 2005 18:47 (twenty years ago)

"If She Knew What She Wants", it's easily their best record for me. I like "Going Down to Liverpool", but their version always just makes me want to hear the original.

― Burr (Burr), Monday, 26 September 2005 02:26 (twenty years ago)

ten years pass...

'Manic Monday', of course!

― WHERE'S JIM!? (Turrican), Saturday, 23 April 2016 23:53 (ten years ago)

― The burrito of ennui (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Saturday, 23 April 2016 23:58 (ten years ago)

I've been playing the hell outta the Apollonia demo of MM since I discovered its existence a couple of days ago:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8da5Ls7RZWQ

― rhymes with "blondie blast" (cryptosicko), Sunday, 24 April 2016 00:33 (ten years ago)

I love Prince but "Manic Monday" really not his finest moment, or the Bangles'

― Guayaquil (eephus!), Sunday, 24 April 2016 04:37 (ten years ago)

it's a great song!

― wizzz! (amateurist), Sunday, 24 April 2016 04:53 (ten years ago)

crypto, thanks so much for that. It is a GREAT song. The bridge of the Bangles version sounds like the Supremes.

― timellison, Sunday, 24 April 2016 06:10 (ten years ago)

On the one hand, not my personal favorite or his or theirs, and a bit overplayed perhaps. On the other hand, yes a great song, in his new wave/power pop mode akin to "When You Were Mine" or "I Could Never Take The Place Of Your Man."

― PiL Communication (James Redd and the Blecchs), Sunday, 24 April 2016 13:59 (ten years ago)

You know what's interesting? The verse goes back and forth between the I and IV chords, and then when they go to V, the melody is still on that third scale degree. I've been playing it at home the last few days.

― timellison, Monday, 25 April 2016 01:50 (ten years ago)

Will investigate when I have a chance.

― PiL Communication (James Redd and the Blecchs), Monday, 25 April 2016 01:55 (ten years ago)

"If She Knew What She Wants" feels very Prince to me.

― billstevejim, Monday, 25 April 2016 02:21 (ten years ago)

That one's Jules Shear, though.

― Ⓓⓡ. (Johnny Fever), Monday, 25 April 2016 02:22 (ten years ago)

Something about the call and response chorus feels that way to me. I didn't realize it was a cover.

― billstevejim, Monday, 25 April 2016 02:31 (ten years ago)

Ha was meaning to make a joke on the RIP thread that Jules Shear was going to be pulling his songs from Bangles and Cyndi Lauper records as well.

― PiL Communication (James Redd and the Blecchs), Monday, 25 April 2016 02:34 (ten years ago)

lol

― Ⓓⓡ. (Johnny Fever), Monday, 25 April 2016 02:36 (ten years ago)

http://www.theguardian.com/music/musicblog/2016/apr/24/he-was-a-huge-fan-how-prince-became-the-patron-of-the-psychedelic-underground

Have to admit I kind of like the part of the story where Prince is like "it's fine if you want to use my track and just sing over it" and Vicki Peterson is like "great song, dude, we'll take it, but actually we're a band and we play our own stuff"

― Guayaquil (eephus!), Tuesday, 26 April 2016 01:23 (ten years ago)

btw for anyone interested i have watched several bangles videos today and i can confirm that, yes, susannah hoffs was very attractive.

― wizzz! (amateurist), Tuesday, 26 April 2016 01:42 (ten years ago)

Thanks for clearing that up

― PiL Communication (James Redd and the Blecchs), Tuesday, 26 April 2016 10:16 (ten years ago)

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