The Bangles

The Bangles were one of the touchstone bands of the 1980s, blending classic ’60s guitar pop with New Wave flair during an all-too-brief initial reign. • The Los Angeles band, which came up as part of the ’60s-influenced “Paisley Underground” scene, released three LPs from 1984 to 1988 before splitting in 1989. The foursome put out two subsequent albums after regrouping in 1998. • Singer and guitarist Susanna Hoffs formed the band in 1981 with sisters Debbi and Vicki Peterson on drums and guitar, respectively, and bassist Annette Zilinskas. After a self-titled 1982 EP, Zilinskas left the band and was replaced by former Runaways member Michael Steele. • The Bangles released five singles, including the theme from the 1985 movie The Goonies, before breaking through in 1986 with the No. 2 hit “Manic Monday,” the first single from Different Light, their second album. Prince wrote the song. • The band cemented their pop-cultural status later in 1986 with “Walk Like an Egyptian,” a No. 1 smash that spent four weeks at the top of the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart. • They continued their run of chart success in 1987 with a cover of Simon & Garfunkel’s “Hazy Shade of Winter,” which the group recorded for the Less Than Zero soundtrack. Two more Top 5 singles followed: “In Your Room” reached No. 5 in 1988, and “Eternal Flame” hit No. 1 in 1989. Both songs were from The Bangles’ 1988 album Everything. • Rising tension among the musicians prompted the band to split in 1989. They reunited in 1998 to record the song “Get the Girl” for the movie Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me. • In 2003, The Bangles released the new album Doll Revolution, named for the opening track, a version of Elvis Costello’s song “Tear Off Your Own Head (It’s a Doll Revolution).” • Bassist Michael Steele departed in 2005, leaving Hoffs and the Petersons to record their 2011 album Sweetheart of the Sun as a trio. In full-circle fashion, Annette Zilinskas rejoined The Bangles on bass in 2018.