Walk Like an Egyptian
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| “Walk Like an Egyptian” | |||||
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| Single by The Bangles from the album Different Light |
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| B-side | "Angels Don't Fall in Love" "Not Like You" |
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| Released | September 1, 1986 (UK) | ||||
| Format | 7" single 12" maxi |
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| Recorded | Sunset Sound Factory (1985) | ||||
| Genre | Pop rock | ||||
| Length | 3:21 | ||||
| Label | Columbia | ||||
| Writer(s) | Liam Sternberg | ||||
| Producer | David Kahne | ||||
| The Bangles singles chronology | |||||
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"Walk Like an Egyptian" is a number-one hit from the album Different Light by The Bangles in 1986.
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[edit] History
[edit] Origin
Liam Sternberg wrote the song after seeing people on a ferry walking awkwardly to keep their balance, which reminded him of figures 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][2]
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.
[edit] 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. [3] 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.
[edit] Chart performances
"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 singles chart. [4] 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. [5]
On the American Top 40 Top 100 of 1987 radio show, host Casey Kasem reported the song was added to the 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 the American Top 40 was using at the time.
The song was also the Bangles' last non-cover Top 40 hit that wasn't co-written by at least one band member. Subsequent charted singles (with the exception of "Hazy Shade of Winter", which is a cover) were co-written by Susanna Hoffs and Debbie Peterson.
[edit] Deemed inappropriate
"Walk Like an Egyptian" was one of the songs deemed inappropriate by Clear Channel following the September 11, 2001 attacks, presumably due to its reference to Egypt.[6]
[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.
- A cover recorded by Deep Forest and featuring Beverly Jo Scott can be found on the soundtrack for Astérix & Obélix: Mission Cléopâtre. It is played during the closing credits of the film.
- 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.
- This song has also been covered by the vocal rock group Rockapella.
- It was covered by The Puppini Sisters on their 2007 album The Rise and Fall of Ruby Woo.
- It was covered by Jamaican singer Wilman de Jesus.
- In 2007, KT Tunstall began performing this song while on her UK tour. A cover version of the song serves as a B-side to her single "If Only", and is also available to owners of KT's album Drastic Fantastic through the disc's Opendisc feature.
- J.B.O., a German band who does parodies of modern rock and dance songs, parodied this song, renaming it "Walk With an Erection".
- Like J.B.O., a Boston band, the Swinging Erudites, parodied this song in the mid- to late-80s as "Walk With an Erection".
[edit] Track listings
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[edit] Certifications
| Country | Certification |
|---|---|
| United Kingdom | Silver [7] |
| The Netherlands | Platinum [8] |
[edit] Charts
| Chart (1986-1987) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| U.S. Billboard Hot 100[9] | 1 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot Dance Club Play[9] | 46 |
| U.S. Hot 100 Airplay | 1 |
| U.S. ARC Weekly Top 40 | 1 |
| Australian ARIA Singles Chart | 1 |
| Austrian Singles Chart[10] | 6 |
| Belgian Singles Chart | 1 |
| Dutch Singles Chart[11] | 1 |
| French Singles Chart[12] | 15 |
| German Singles Chart[13] | 1 |
| Irish Singles Chart[14] | 2 |
| Italian Singles Chart[15] | 5 |
| Swiss Singles Chart[16] | 8 |
| UK Singles Chart[17] | 3 |
[edit] References
- ^ BBC Liverpool article on the Empire Theatre where Wilson, Keppel and Betty performed regularly
- ^ YouTube: Egyptian Sand Dance: Wilson & Keppel 1934
- ^ 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.
- ^ BPI.co.uk Certification "Walk Like an Egyptian" Accessed: November 4, 2006
- ^ NVPI.nl Dutch certification database Accessed November 4, 2006
- ^ a b allmusic.com The Bangles singles chart history Accessed: November 4, 2006
- ^ AustrianCharts.at "Walk Like an Egyptian" page. Note: This is a biweekly chart Accessed: October 28, 2006
- ^ De Top 40 van week 50 in 1986. Retrieved on 2008-03-08.
- ^ Lescharts.com "Walk Like an Egyptian" page. Accessed: April 18, 2008
- ^ Infinity charts German Top 20 - The Chart Of December 1986 Accessed: November 2, 2006
- ^ IrishCharts.ie Irish chart search (Accessed: November 2, 2006)
- ^ Hit parade Italia Hit parade Italia Accessed: May 31, 2008
- ^ SwissCharts.com "Walk Like an Egyptian" page Accessed: November 2, 2006
- ^ Everyhit.co.uk UK Top 40 database Accessed: November 4, 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
[edit] External links
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