Walk Like an Egyptian: Difference between revisions
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Walk Like an Egyptian is a U.S. number-one hit from the album Different Light by The Bangles in 1986.
History
Origin
Liam Sternberg wrote the song after seeing people on a ferry walking awkwardly to keep their balance as figures do 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. The music video for "Walk Like an Egyptian" similarly featured people dancing in such a pose. [1]
The perception that ancient Egyptians normally walked in such a way has been reflected in other items of popular culture such as the song "King Tut" performed by comedian Steve Martin and the King Tut Strut. Ancient Egyptian sculptures reflect the subjects walking normally.
Decision to record
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. [2] 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.
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 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. [3] The success of the song and "Manic Monday" propeled Different Light to number two on the Billboard 200 chart, making it the group's most successful album. [4]
On the American Top 40 Top 100 of 1987 radio show, host Casey Kasem reported the song was added to 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 American Top 40 was using at the time.
Deemed inappropriate
"Walk Like An Egyptian" was one of a List of songs deemed inappropriate by Clear Channel following the September 11, 2001 attacks, presumably due to its reference to Egypt. [5]
Track listing
| Sid | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| A | "Walk Like An Egyptian" | 3:21 |
| B | "Angels Don't Fall In Love" | 3:21 |
Charts
| Chart | Date | Position | Certification |
|---|---|---|---|
| Billboard Hot 100 | December 20, 1986 | #1 (4 weeks) [6] | |
| United Kingdom | September 1986 | #3 [7] | Silver [8] |
| The Netherlands | December 6, 1986 | #1 (5 weeks) [9] | Platinum [10] |
| Germany | December 1986 | #1 [11] | |
| Australian Singles Chart | February 14, 1987 | #1 (2 weeks - not consecutive) | |
| Ireland | October 12, 1986 | #2 [12] | |
| Austria | February 1, 1987 | #6 [13] | |
| Switzerland | January 18, 1987 | #8 [14] |
Covers
The British rock group The Laddz use the tone of the song for support of the England National Football Team for the 2006 FIFA World Cup in a chant called "Chant Like an English Fan."
Another cover of the song was done by the German punk rock band Die Ärzte who wrote German lyrics to the original melody and called their cover "Geh'n wie ein Ägypter" which also features The Incredible Hagen on vocals.
The Italian rock band Linea 77 produced a metal version of this track.
A cover recorded by Eric Mouquet and Deep Forest Featuring Beverly Jo Scott can be found on the soundtrack for Astérix & Obélix: Mission Cléopâtre.
There is also a cover recorded by the Egyptian singer Hakim, featuring a singer named Cleopatra. This cover is included on the album Desert Roses 3.
References
- ^ BBC Liverpool article on the Empire Theatre where Wilson, Keppel and Betty performed regularly
- ^ Songfacts article on "Walk Like An Egyptian"
- ^ Stichting Nederlandse Top 40, 500 Nr. 1 hits uit de Top 40, Page 234, 9023009444
- ^ Billboard.com The Bangles album chart history Accessed: November 4, 2006
- ^ Dutton, Jeremy & Puchert, William. "Music industry responds to terrorism". Zephyr. October 10 2001.
- ^ Billboard.com The Bangles singles chart history Accessed: November 4, 2006
- ^ Everyhit.co.uk UK Top 40 database Accessed: November 4, 2006
- ^ BPI.co.uk Certification "Walk Like an Egyptian" Accessed: November 4, 2006
- ^ Top4000.nl Chart week 49, 1986 Accessed: November 2, 2006
- ^ NVPI.nl Dutch certification database Accessed November 4, 2006
- ^ Infinity charts German Top 20 - The Chart Of December 1986 Accessed: November 2, 2006
- ^ IrishCharts.ie Irish chart search (Accessed: November 2, 2006)
- ^ AustrianCharts.at "Walk Like an Egyptian" page. Note: This is a biweekly chart Accessed: October 28, 2006
- ^ SwissCharts.com "Walk Like an Egyptian" page Accessed: November 2, 2006
Additional sources used:
- All Music Guide 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