Walk Like an Egyptian
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| "Walk Like an Egyptian" | ||
|---|---|---|
| Image:The Bangles Walk Like An Egyptian.jpg | ||
| Single by The Bangles | ||
| from the album Different Light | ||
| Released | December 1986 | |
| Format | Vinyl record (7") | |
| Recorded | Sunset Sound Factory (1985) | |
| Genre | Pop | |
| Length | 3:21 | |
| Label | Columbia Records | |
| Producer(s) | David Kahne | |
| Chart positions | ||
|
#1 (US, DE, NL); #3 (UK) | ||
| The Bangles singles chronology | ||
| "If She Knew What She Wants" (1986) | Walk Like an Egyptian | "Walking Down Your Street" (1986) |
- This article is about the song. For the dance that pre-dates the song see Walking like an Egyptian.
"Walk Like an Egyptian" is the name of a U.S. number-one hit from the Different Light album released by The Bangles in 1986.
Contents |
[edit] History
The song was written by Liam Sternberg 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 is possibly a reference 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. <ref>BBC Liverpool article on the Empire Theatre where Wilson, Keppel and Betty performed regularly</ref>
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.
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. <ref>Songfacts article on "Walk Like An Egyptian"</ref> 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.
"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. <ref>Stichting Nederlandse Top 40, 500 Nr. 1 hits uit de Top 40, Page 234, 9023009444</ref> 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. <ref>Billboard.com The Bangles album chart history Accessed: November 4, 2006</ref>
"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. <ref>Dutton, Jeremy & Puchert, William. "Music industry responds to terrorism". Zephyr. October 10 2001.</ref>
[edit] Track listing
| Side | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| A | "Walk Like An Egyptian" | 3:21 |
| B | "Angels Don't Fall In Love" | 3:21 |
[edit] Charts
| Chart | Date | Position | Certification |
|---|---|---|---|
| Billboard Hot 100 | December 20, 1986 | #1 (4 weeks) <ref name="billboard">Billboard.com The Bangles singles chart history Accessed: November 4, 2006</ref> | |
| United Kingdom | September 1986 | #3 <ref name="everyhit">Everyhit.co.uk UK Top 40 database Accessed: November 4, 2006</ref> | Silver <ref>BPI.co.uk Certification "Walk Like an Egyptian" Accessed: November 4, 2006</ref> |
| The Netherlands | December 6, 1986 | #1 (5 weeks) <ref>Top4000.nl Chart week 49, 1986 Accessed: November 2, 2006</ref> | Platinum <ref>NVPI.nl Dutch certification database Accessed November 4, 2006</ref> |
| Germany | December 1986 | #1 <ref>Infinity charts German Top 20 - The Chart Of December 1986 Accessed: November 2, 2006</ref> | |
| Australian Singles Chart | February 14, 1987 | #1 (2 weeks - not consecutive) | |
| Ireland | October 12, 1986 | #2 <ref name="irish">IrishCharts.ie Irish chart search (Accessed: November 2, 2006)</ref> | |
| Austria | February 1, 1987 | #6 <ref>AustrianCharts.at "Walk Like an Egyptian" page. Note: This is a biweekly chart Accessed: October 28, 2006</ref> | |
| Switzerland | January 18, 1987 | #8 <ref>SwissCharts.com "Walk Like an Egyptian" page Accessed: November 2, 2006</ref> |
[edit] 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.
[edit] References
<references/>
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
[edit] See also
[edit] External links
| Preceded by: "The Way It Is" by Bruce Hornsby and the Range | Billboard Hot 100 number one single December 20 1986 | Succeeded by: "Shake You Down" by Gregory Abbott |
