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"Walk Like an Egyptian" is a song recorded by the American band the Bangles. It was released in 1986 as the third single from the album Different Light. It was the band's first number one single, being certified gold by the RIAA, and became Billboard's number-one song of 1987.

"Walk Like an Egyptian"
North American edition of 1986 12-inch vinyl artwork
Single by the Bangles
from the album Different Light
B-side
  • "Angels Don't Fall in Love"
  • "Not Like You"
Released1986
RecordedSunset Sound Factory (1985)
Genre
Length3:24
Label
Songwriter(s)Liam Sternberg
Producer(s)David Kahne
The Bangles singles chronology
"If She Knew What She Wants"
(1986)		 "Walk Like an Egyptian"
(1986)		 "Walking Down Your Street"
(1987)
"Everything I Wanted"
(1990)
"Walk Like An Egyptian (remix)"
(1990)
"The Eternal Mix"
(1990)
Music video
"Walk Like an Egyptian" on YouTube

Composition


Liam Sternberg said he was inspired to create the song while on a ferry crossing the English Channel. When the vessel hit choppy water, passengers stepped carefully and moved their arms awkwardly while struggling to maintain their balance, and that reminded Sternberg of the depiction of human figures in ancient Egyptian tomb paintings. He wrote the words "Walk like an Egyptian" in a notebook. Later, Sternberg looked back in the notebook, and composing the melody with a guitar, he put together an up-tempo song with lyrics about Egyptian hieroglyphs, the Nile River, crocodiles, desert sand, bazaars and hookah pipes and then segued into modern scenes of blond waitresses, school kids and police officers.[3]


Recording


Sternberg finished a demo version by January 1984 with singer Marti Jones. He offered it to Toni Basil, who turned it down.[4] Lene Lovich recorded the first version of the song, but it went unreleased when she decided to take a break from music to raise her family. David Kahne from Peer Southern Publishing was the producer of Different Light; he received a copy of the demo and liked it, especially Jones's "offhand quality".[4]

Kahne took the song to the Bangles, who agreed to record it. He had each member of the group sing the lyrics to determine who would sing each verse; Vicki Peterson, Michael Steele, and Susanna Hoffs sang lead vocals in the final version on the first, second, and third verses, respectively. Kahne disliked Debbi Peterson's leads, so she was relegated to backing vocals, which angered her and caused tension within the group. The situation was exacerbated by the use of a drum machine in place of her drumming, further diminishing her role in the song.[5] She can be seen playing the tambourine during their 1986 performance on The Old Grey Whistle Test.[6] The whistling in the song was played by a machine.[7]


Chart performance


"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 US on December 20, staying at the top of the Hot 100 for four weeks, carrying it over into January 1987. 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.[8]


Music video


The music video for "Walk Like an Egyptian" was nominated for Best Group Video at the 1987 MTV Video Music Awards.[9] It features both the Bangles performing the song at a concert and scenes of people dancing in poses similar to those depicted in the Ancient Egyptian reliefs that inspired songwriter Liam Sternberg. Most of these people were filmed on the streets of New York City, although special effects were used to modify photos of Princess Diana, Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi, and the Statue of Liberty.

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, Hoffs explained that she was 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.[10]


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. It charted at number 73 in the UK.


Airplay restrictions


"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. Snopes in researching this found that the list was simply suggestions regarding songs to be sensitive about when deciding what to play.[11][12] It was also included in a "list of records to be avoided" drawn up by the BBC during the Gulf War.[13][14][why?]



The song was used as the theme of the ending credits of the Japanese animated series JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: Stardust Crusaders (based off the manga series JoJo's Bizarre Adventure) for the first 24 episodes.[15]

The song was used in Totally Spies! The Movie.[16]

The song is used during the closing credits of Asterix & Obelix: Mission Cleopatra by Alain Chabat, one of the biggest successes in French movies history.


Accolades


Year Publisher Country Accolade Rank
1986 Hot Press Ireland "Singles of the Year" (20)[17] 4
1986 The Village Voice United States "Singles of the Year" (25)[18] 16
2003 Giannis Petridis Greece "2004 of the Best Songs of the Century"[19] *
2003 Paul Morley United Kingdom "Greatest Pop Single of All Time"[20] *
2003 Pause & Play United States "Vault of Fame" (Songs)[21] *
2005 Bruce Pollock United States "The 7,500 Most Important Songs of 1944-2000"[19] *
2009 Gilles Verlant and Thomas Caussé France "3000 Rock Classics"[19] *
2009 Radio Veronica Netherlands "Best of the 80s" (100)[22] 99

(*) indicates the list is unordered.


Track listings



Charts



Certifications and sales


Certifications and sales for "Walk Like an Egyptian"
Region CertificationCertified units/sales
Canada (Music Canada)[58] Gold 50,000^
Netherlands (NVPI)[59] Platinum 100,000^
United Kingdom (BPI)[60] Silver 250,000^
United States (RIAA)[61] Gold 500,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.


See also



References


  1. Lamb, Bill. "Kelly Clarkson – Never Again". About.com. Archived from the original on March 6, 2012. Retrieved February 15, 2014.
  2. Breihan, Tom (January 25, 2021). "The Number Ones: The Bangles' "Walk Like an Egyptian"". Stereogum. Retrieved October 10, 2022. ...“Walk Like An Egyptian” was still getting burn at functions like that. That’s the power of a good novelty song.
  3. Price, Mark J. (September 22, 2021). "Akron native's song 'Walk Like an Egyptian,' a smash hit for the Bangles, is still catchy after 35 years". Akron Beacon Journal. Retrieved November 9, 2021.
  4. Bronson, Fred (2003). The Billboard Book of Number 1 Hits (5 ed.). Random House Digital. p. 656. ISBN 0-8230-7677-6.
  5. Alter, Gaby (September 1, 2009). "Classic Tracks: The Bangles' "Walk Like an Egyptian"". Mix. Retrieved February 15, 2014.
  6. The Old Grey Whistle Test Vol. 3 (DVD). BBC Video. 2006.
  7. Peterson, Vicki (November 9, 2018). "Vicki Peterson of the Bangles". Songfacts (Interview). Interviewed by Carl Wiser. Retrieved January 25, 2020.
  8. "Bangles – Awards". AllMusic. Retrieved February 15, 2014.
  9. "1987 Video Music Awards". MTV. Retrieved September 1, 2009.
  10. Stewart, Jenny (August 8, 2009). "PlanetOut Talks to Susanna Hoffs". PlanetOut.com. Archived from the original on August 12, 2009.
  11. Mikkelson, David (March 29, 2011). "Clear Channel Banned Songs". Snopes.com. Retrieved June 6, 2018.
  12. Murphy, Heather (September 17, 2001). "It's the End of the World as Clear Channel Knows It". Slate. Retrieved October 16, 2011.
  13. Kirby, Mark (2000). Sociology in Perspective. Heinemann. p. 164. ISBN 0-435-33160-4.
  14. "Unfit for Auntie's airwaves: The artists censored by the BBC". The Independent. December 14, 2007. Retrieved February 15, 2014.
  15. Komatsu, Mikikazu (January 10, 2015). "Pat Metheny Group's 1987 Song "Last Train Home" Featured as New ED Song for "JoJo's Bizarre Adventure"". Crunchyroll. Retrieved January 22, 2015.
  16. "Various Artists – Totally Spies Bof". AllMusic. All Media Network. Retrieved March 2, 2015.
  17. "Hot Press Albums of the Year 1986: The Critics' Choice". Hot Press. Retrieved March 26, 2014 – via Rocklist.net.
  18. "Village Voice - Pazz & Jop Lists > 1986: Singles". The Village Voice. Retrieved March 26, 2014 – via Rocklist.net.
  19. "Bangles – Walk Like an Egyptian". Acclaimed Music. Retrieved March 26, 2014.
  20. "Paul Morley". Retrieved March 26, 2014 – via Rocklist.net.
  21. "Songs". Pause & Play. Archived from the original on August 2, 2003.
  22. "Radio Veronica". Retrieved March 26, 2014 – via Rocklist.net.
  23. Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970-1992. St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. p. 26. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
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  25. "Bangles – Walk Like An Egyptian" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50. Retrieved February 15, 2014.
  26. "Top RPM Singles: Issue 0766." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved May 30, 2014.
  27. "Billboard – Hits of the World". Billboard. Vol. 98, no. 50. December 13, 1986. p. 56. ISSN 0006-2510.
  28. Pennanen, Timo (2006). Sisältää hitin - levyt ja esittäjät Suomen musiikkilistoilla vuodesta 1972 (in Finnish) (1st ed.). Helsinki: Tammi. ISBN 978-951-1-21053-5.
  29. "Bangles – Walk Like An Egyptian" (in French). Les classement single. Retrieved February 15, 2014.
  30. "The Irish Charts – Search Results – Walk Like an Egyptian". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved February 15, 2014.
  31. Oricon Chart Book: Artist Series 1968-1987 (in Japanese). Tokyo: Original Confidence. 1988. ISBN 978-4871310215.
  32. "Nederlandse Top 40 – week 49, 1986" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40. Retrieved February 15, 2014.
  33. "Bangles – Walk Like An Egyptian" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved February 15, 2014.
  34. "Bangles – Walk Like An Egyptian". Top 40 Singles. Retrieved February 15, 2014.
  35. "South African Rock Lists Website SA Charts 1969 – 1989 Acts (B)". Rock.co.za. Retrieved May 31, 2013.
  36. Salaverri, Fernando (September 2005). Sólo éxitos: año a año, 1959–2002 (in Spanish) (1st ed.). Spain: Fundación Autor-SGAE. ISBN 84-8048-639-2.
  37. "Bangles – Walk Like An Egyptian". Swiss Singles Chart. Retrieved February 15, 2014.
  38. "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved February 15, 2014.
  39. "Different Light – Awards". AllMusic. Retrieved February 15, 2014.
  40. "CASH BOX Top 100 Singles – Week ending DECEMBER 20, 1986". Cash Box. Archived from the original on October 2, 2012.
  41. "Offiziellecharts.de – Bangles – Walk Like An Egyptian". GfK Entertainment charts. Retrieved February 15, 2014.
  42. "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved February 15, 2014.
  43. "Jaaroverzichten 1986" (in Dutch). Ultratop. Hung Medien. Retrieved February 15, 2014.
  44. "Top 100-Jaaroverzicht van 1986" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40. Retrieved February 15, 2014.
  45. "Jaaroverzichten – Single 1986" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Hung Medien. Retrieved February 15, 2014.
  46. "January to December 1986 > Top 100 Singles" (PDF). Music Week. January 24, 1987. p. 24. Retrieved April 11, 2022.
  47. Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970-1992. St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. p. 439. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
  48. "Jaaroverzichten 1987" (in Dutch). Ultratop. Hung Medien. Retrieved February 15, 2014.
  49. "Top 100 Singles of '87". RPM. Vol. 47, no. 12. Library and Archives Canada. December 26, 1987. Archived from the original on October 5, 2013. Retrieved February 15, 2014.
  50. "European Charts of the Year 1987: Singles" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 4, no. 51/52. December 26, 1987. p. 34. Retrieved May 2, 2022.
  51. "Top 100-Jaaroverzicht van 1987" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40. Retrieved February 15, 2014.
  52. "Jaaroverzichten – Single 1987" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Hung Medien. Retrieved February 15, 2014.
  53. "End of Year Charts 1987". Official New Zealand Music Chart. Retrieved May 2, 2021.
  54. "Top 20 Hit Singles of 1987". Rock.co.za. Retrieved February 15, 2014.
  55. "Top 100 Hits for 1987". The Longbored Surfer. Retrieved February 15, 2014.
  56. "Top 100 Single-Jahrescharts: 1987". Offiziellecharts.de (in German). GfK Entertainment charts. Archived from the original on May 9, 2015.
  57. "Hot 100 60th Anniversary". Billboard. Retrieved February 22, 2020.
  58. "Canadian single certifications – Bangles – Walk Like an Egyptian". Music Canada.
  59. "Dutch single certifications – Bangles – Walk Like an Egyptian" (in Dutch). Nederlandse Vereniging van Producenten en Importeurs van beeld- en geluidsdragers. Enter Walk Like an Egyptian in the "Artiest of titel" box.
  60. "British single certifications – Bangles – Walk Like an Egyptian". British Phonographic Industry.
  61. "American single certifications – Bangles – Walk Like an Egyptian". Recording Industry Association of America.

На других языках

[de] Walk Like an Egyptian

Walk Like an Egyptian ist ein Lied von The Bangles aus dem Jahr 1986, das von Liam Sternberg geschrieben und von David Kahne produziert wurde. Es erschien auf dem Album Different Light.
- [en] Walk Like an Egyptian

[es] Walk Like an Egyptian

«Walk Like an Egyptian» (en español, Camina como un Egipcio) es un canción interpretado por la banda estadounidense The Bangles. Fue lanzada el 1 de septiembre de 1986 como el tercer sencillo del álbum Different Light (1986). La canción fue certificada por la Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) como disco de platino, por vender 1.000.000 de copias en Estados Unidos.

[ru] Walk Like an Egyptian

«Walk Like an Egyptian» — песня, ставшая самым большим хитом в карьере американской группы The Bangles. Вошла в их второй студийный альбом Different Light (1986). Кроме того, в том же 1986 году была издана отдельным синглом. (Это был третий сингл с того альбома.)


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