Walk Like an Egyptian

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Chart positions
Explanation of the data
Singles
Walk Like an Egyptian ( The Bangles )
  DE 1Template: Infobox chart placements / maintenance / NR1 link 11/24/1986 (15 weeks)
  AT 6th 01/01/1987 (18 weeks)
  CH 8th 01/04/1987 (19 weeks)
  UK 3 09/13/1986 (19 weeks)
  US 1Template: Infobox chart placements / maintenance / NR1 link 09/27/1986 (23 weeks)
Walk like an Egyptian ( Die Ärzte feat. The Incredible Hagen)
  DE 44 08/17/1987 (5 weeks)
Walk ... (The Dog) Like an Egyptian ( Jode feat. Yo-Hans)
  UK 48 December 19, 1998 (2 weeks)
Walk Like an Egyptian (Re-release) ( The Bangles )
  UK 73 06/09/1990 (2 weeks)

Walk Like an Egyptian is a 1986 song by The Bangles , written by Liam Sternberg and produced by David Kahne. It appeared on the album Different Light .

history

Sternberg wrote the song after seeing some workers on a ferry trying to keep their balance while carrying objects. This reminded him of an ancient Egyptian relief . A reference to inspiration can also be found in the opening line: “All the old paintings on the tombs / They do the sand dance don't you know” (German: “All the old paintings on the tombs / They dance the sand dance, you know you again.

The song was originally written for Toni Basil , but she refused. So David Kahne passed the song on to The Bangles. The vocals are divided up so that Susanna Hoffs , Vicki Peterson and Michael Steele always sing a verse. However, Kahne was only able to fit Debbi Peterson into the background vocals because he did not find her singing suitable. Petersen wasn't happy with her small role, however, as well as the fact that Kahne had the song played on a drum machine. The way they see themselves, The Bangles were a garage pop band that taught themselves their instruments. In their opinion, the calculated influence of the producer harmed the chemistry in the band.

The lyrics had a Neumann U47 , an API - preamplifier added and a 1176 blackface. The vocal recordings were recorded as a whole and in one take, not one after the other as was common at the time. Because of the good harmony in the group, no overdubs were needed, but some vocal tracks were doubled to create a richer sound. The Bangles adopted this approach for their later publications.

Music video

In the music video, the Bangles give a concert, while people can be seen in the background and later the Statue of Liberty , who according to the lyrics of the song "walk like an Egyptian". In 1987, the video for which was MTV Video Music Awards nominated but lost to Sledgehammer by Peter Gabriel .

Music genre

The song was built around a drum machine beat. Guitar and bass add rock elements to the song . The singing of Hoffs, Peterson and Steele alternates in verse and chorus and provides variety in the song. Percussion and a gong are supposed to create an exotic feeling. Unlike her earlier songs, the production is smooth and honed. The text of Walk Like an Egyptian deals, in addition to a humorous text about the Egyptian running style, derived from the hieroglyphics , also about international understanding and calls on the warring nations in the Cold War to dance together “like the Egyptians”.

reception

Walk Like an Egyptian was released worldwide on September 1, 1986. It became a number one hit in the United States , Canada , Australia , Germany , the Netherlands, and Belgium . In mid-1990, the song was re-released along with remix versions after the band broke up, but only reached number 73 in Great Britain . In Germany, a popular cover version by the doctors with German-language lyrics was released as a single and on their best-of album Ist all that? .

Even today, the song is a radio standard that is played on most stations. After the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001 , however, it was not played on many American radio stations for a while on the recommendation of Clear Channel Communications .

Well-known cover versions

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Sources for Bangles chart placements: DE AT CH UK US
  2. ↑ Geh'n like an Egyptian (Doctors feat. The Incredible Hagen) in the German charts
  3. Jump up ↑ Walk… (The Dog) Like an Egyptian (Jode feat. Yo-Hans) in the UK charts
  4. ↑ a b c Classic Tracks: The Bangles' "Walk Like an Egyptian". Mixonline.com, September 1, 2009, accessed February 12, 2011 .
  5. ↑ Music video on MyVideo.de
  6. ↑ release date
  7. ↑ Eliza Truitt: It's the End of the World as Clear Channel Knows It.Slate.com, September 17, 2001, accessed February 12, 2011 .