How’s
it goin’ Dialophiles? For all of you whom happen to be of the female
persuasion, pop open your Caboodles case, snag your jelly bracelets, slip into
your hottest L.A. Gears, and tease that hair with plenty of Aqua Net! We’re
dialing it back to early ’87 tonight with the help of California’s The Bangles
and their classic up-tempo rocker “Walking Down Your Street”.
“Ooooo….
Oh, I’ve had sleepless nights. Toss and turn, wake up burning for what you
inspire…”
Pulled
from their second full-length album, 1986’s “Different Light”, “Walking
Down” just missed the top 10, settling for a #11 position in the States and #16
in the U.K. The girls really hit their stride with this LP as far as hit
singles go, with the Prince-authored “Manic Monday” hitting #2, the
Jules Shear cover “If She Knew What She Wants” reaching #29, and the
iconic “Walk Like An Egyptian” topping the charts, a success that
immediately preceded the release of “Walking Down”. (A.K.A. their OTHER
“walking” song!)
While
the lyrics of “Walking Down” describe the affection a lovesick gal has for her
intended beau, the music video tells an unrelated story. It seems the girls (as
fictional band “the Lovebeats”) were voted by their fans to open for Little
Richard, though the rock and roll pioneer ends up annoyed when the girls’ set
takes longer than he would like! Richard has a sizable role in the video, and
Randy “Cousin Eddie” Quaid cameos as a guy in a pickup truck who tries to “pick
up” the girls… unsuccessfully. (“Randy” gets “Randy”… worth a chuckle for
sure!)
“Ooooo…
Oh, how I wish you would be mine… my pulse is weak, blushing brighter than a
valentine…”
I
know it’s a visual effect that positively screams 1980s, but I seriously
dig the “glowing neon” backlit effect caused by the colored lights of the
concert venue illuminating the fringes of each of the girls’ hairdos. Each
Bangle (or Lovebeat if you prefer) has her own signature color, which seems to
radiate from within, much like an aura.
Also,
in an earlier scene, a poster for Boston’s 1976 debut LP makes an appearance on
a dressing room door. I wondered if the two bands were in direct competition
with each other back then, so I contacted my pal Greg, a fellow musicologist,
and he told me that at the time “Walking Down” was climbing the Hot 100,
Boston’s “Can’tcha Say (You Believe Me)” was doing the same. In fact,
for the weeks ending April 18th, and again on April 25th
of ’87, Boston’s single held strong to #20, and The Bangles were at their #11
peak. Both songs started to fall after that, culminating in the one and only
time the tracks shared adjacent positioning… May 30th, 1987, when
The Bangles were at #94, and Boston was at #95. The two bands were on different
labels at the time (MCA vs. Columbia), so perhaps there is some sort of deeper
Bangles/Boston connection… more research is clearly necessary.
Though
the girls’ prior single “Egyptian” was a fantastic party track, I found it
overstayed its welcome rather quickly, and I wondered then why the bubbly feel
good pop of “Walking Down” didn’t stick around nearly as long on the airwaves.
In hindsight, it’s probably because Egyptian had a better (and campier)
gimmick, and as such, was a tough act for any song to follow, no matter how
strong. However, “Walking Down” possesses a more timeless feel and theme,
harkening back to such playfully flirtatious songs like Melanie’s “Brand New
Key”, and The Partridge Family’s “I Think I Love You”. The opening “Da
da da daaaaaaa” vocal intro sets off that whole late 60s/early 70s
bubblegum tone quite nicely.
So
what are you waiting for? Jog that memory, and walk down your street with The
Bangles as your musical guides, courtesy of Kyle’s Radio Dial.
“Walking
down your street… with a love that I can’t hide… I’ve got one thing on my mind,
yeah, I’ll even sacrifice my pride…”
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