It's nice to have an album that seems simple and breezy and catchy and fun, and then to just leave it there. Song for song, Different Light might be the catchiest album I've ever covered in this column. I love it dearly already, and I'm going to be blasting it all summer. But this also proves difficult to write about, since writing about how an album is "simple" and "catchy" is fucking boring. The blog gods require a sacrifice. So I went searching.
For better or worse, that search ended up at the Bangles episode of Behind the Music. This is totally a sidenote, but christ, I forgot how ADHD the editing was on this show. Every shot lasts like 0.3 seconds. I felt like I was trying to learn about the Bangles via Clockwork Orange. Give me the eye clamps, I need to know.
Since this is Behind the Music, and it needed to be as salacious as possible, the Bangles were basically presented as a group who imploded because fame made the members hate each other. There is no doubt a lot of truth to that, but I find it more interesting to think about it from a different angle.
One of the big issues that the band ran into was interlopers trying to worm their way into the Bangles' delicate chemistry, and how more often than not, the presence of those interlopers actually paid off. Like, the big hook with this band is that here are four strong women in a rock band, making music that can match the men and then some. But then consider the fact that their two biggest hits on Different Light were written by dudes; "Manic Monday" was written by Prince, who was creepily invested in Susanna Hoffs' success, and "Walk like an Egyptian" was written by the dude who made the music for 21 Jump Street. Of course that would make things uncomfortable. It might cause some doubt to weigh on your mind.
And then consider the anecdote told about the making of "Walk like an Egyptian." Producer David Kahne had all the women "audition" for the vocal parts in the song. Then, drummer Debbi Peterson's vocal part was cut without her consent, and this dude subs in a fucking drum machine instead of the band's actual drummer. Why was this dude even there? It's fucked up that Kahne was treating this world-renown band as subordinates. It absolutely breaks my heart to learn that this insanely great drum beat on this excellent song wasn't even the drummer. Ugh.
So it makes sense that the band fell apart after a short while. I love the idea that this all-girl group kicks so much ass, and they did too, and so when that started to not become the case, then of course the bottom fell out.
In my favorite pieces of music trivia, Susanna Hoffs started a faux-mod cover band in the mid-'90s called "Ming Tea" with Mike Myers (and also underrated power pop auteur Matthew Sweet). The members of Ming Tea all created fake names, and Myers' was "Austin Powers." Myers' then wife encouraged him to write a movie script based on the character. You can fill in the rest of the story from there, except for this part: the director of all three Austin Powers movies was Jay Roach, who is Susanna Hoffs' husband, and so through her husband and her bandmate, Hoffs had the unique motivation to get the band back together. After breaking up in 1989, the Bangles have made two albums in the 21st century, which is pretty cool.
It's also besides the point, I guess, since we're supposed to be talking about Different Light here. I'm just trying to give you some context. Yes, the songs here, though excellent, are also pretty simplistic. But don't let that fool you. There is a story here. That story informs the music, and gives it a bit of tension too. The Bangles almost shine too brightly.
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