The Bangles/Susanna Hoffs: Top 50 Songs

The Bangles/ Susanna Hoffs Top 50 Songs

The all-girl group originally known as the Bangs formed in Los Angeles, California, in 1981. The lineup consisted of sisters Vicki (guitar) and Debbie Peterson (drums) with Susanna Hoffs (guitar) and Annette Zilinskas (bass). All four handled vocals. After the release of a 1982 EP entitled The Real World, Annette was replaced by Michael Steele, from the all-female band the Runaways. The group released three albums in the ‘80s before going on hiatus. They reconvened for albums in 2003 and 2011. Susanna Hoffs launched a solo career in 1991. She has released five solo albums and three collaborative albums of cover songs with Matthew Sweet. Check out the DMDB Music Maker Encyclopedia entries for the Bangles and Susanna Hoffs for more information. Click here to see other acts’ best-of lists.

Awards:

Top 50 Songs Dave’s Music Database lists are determined by song’s appearances on best-of lists, appearances on compilations and live albums by the featured act, and songs’ chart success, sales, radio airplay, streaming, and awards. DMDB Top 1%: 1. Walk Like an Egyptian (1986) DMDB Top 2%: 2. Eternal Flame (1988) DMDB Top 5%: 3. Manic Monday (1986) DMDB Top 10%: 4. Hazy Shade of Winter (1987) 5. In Your Room (1988) 6. Hero Takes a Fall (1984) 7. If She Knew What She Wants (1986) DMDB Top 20%: 8. Walking Down Your Street (1988) 9. Be With You (1988) 10. Following (1986) 11. My Side of the Bed (Hoffs, 1991) 12. Going Down to Liverpool (1984) Beyond the DMDB Top 20%: 13. All I Want (Hoffs, 1996) 14. Something That You Said (2003) 15. Something to Believe In (1988) 16. I’ll Set You Free (1988) 17. More Than Meets the Eye (1984) 18. Return Post (1986) 19. Live (1984) 20. Angels Don’t Fall in Love (1986) 21. In a Different Light (1986) 22. James (1984) 23. Restless (1984) 24. Song for a Good Son (2003) 25. All About You (1984) 26. Where Were You When I Needed You? (1984) 27. Make a Play for Her Now (1988) 28. September Gurls (1986) 29. To Sir with Love (Hoffs, 1996) 30. Glitter Years (1988) 31. Tear Off Your Own Head (It’s a Doll Revolution) (2003) 32. Trouble (Hoffs/Sweet, 2013) 33. We Belong (2009) 34. Willin’ (Hoffs/Sweet, 2009) 35. You Can Close Your Eyes (Hoffs/Sweet, 2015) 36. Sunday Morning (Hoffs/Sweet, 2006) 37. Stuck in the Middle with You (Hoffs, 1996) 38. He’s Got a Secret (1984) 39. I Will Take Care of You (2003) 40. Good Day Sunshine (2006) 41. Cinnamon Girl (Hoffs/Sweet, 2006) 42. You’re So Vain (Hoffs/Sweet, 2009) 43. Free Fallin’ (Hoffs/Sweet, 2013) 44. What’s So Funny ‘Bout Peace, Love, and Understanding (Hoffs/Sweet, 2015) 45. I Got Nothing (1985) 46. Raining (Hoffs, 2012) 47. Beekeeper’s Blues (Hoffs, 1996) 48. Only Love (Hoffs, 1991) 49. Boys Keep Swinging (Hoffs, 1991) 50. Bell Jar (1988) Resources and Related Links: DMDB Encyclopedia entry for the Bangles DMDB Encyclopedia entry for Susanna Hoffs Dave’s Music Database: “Acts’ Profile Pages and Best-of Lists” First posted 3/14/2023.

 

Bangles “Eternal Flame” hit #1

Eternal Flame Bangles

Writer(s): Susanna Hoffs, Tom Kelly, Billy Steinberg (see lyrics here) Released: January 23, 1989 First Charted: February 3, 1989 Peak: 11 BB, 11 BA, 11 CB, 12 GR, 12 RR, 12 AC, 1 CO, 14 UK, 2 CN, 13 AU, 4 DF (Click for codes to charts.) Sales (in millions): 0.5 US, 0.6 UK, 1.31 world (includes US + UK) Airplay/Streaming (in millions): 1.0 radio, 255.00 video, 467.38 streaming

Awards: Click on award for more details.

About the Song: The Bangles carved out a sound with their first two albums that was “jangly and garage-y and [a] consistently upbeat take on harmony-heavy '60s folk-rock.” SG They broke through with major chart success in 1986 with “Manic Monday” (#2) and “Walk Like an Egyptian” (#1) from their sophomore album, Different Light. When they came back in 1988 with their third album, Everything, it sported a couple of songs (“In Your Room,” “Eternal Flame”) written by band member Susanna Hoffs alongside the songwriting team of Tom Kelly and Billy Steiinberg. They’d built an impressive resume churning out #1 hits for female acts in the ‘80, including Madonna (“Like a Virgin”), Cyndi Lauper (“True Colors”), Heart (“Alone”), and Whitney Houston (“So Emotional”). “The lightly psychedelic rocker” SG “In Your Room,” the album’s lead single, was a top 5 hit. The Bangles followed it up with “Eternal Flame,” a ballad “that completely diverged from their established sound.” SG It is “a devastating four-minute prom ballad” SG that is “a monument to grand, operatic feelings.” SG Hoffs is “head over heels for somebody, but she can’t luxuriate in her own happiness because she’s too consumed with the idea that this love is a fleeting thing.” SG “Her voice cracks and quavers. She’s in anguish.” SG “The other Bangles, harmonizing behind Hoffs, sound dispassionate and ethereal, like ghosts.” SG The song grew out of the Bangles visiting Graceland and seeing an Elvis shrine that featured an eternal flame. The only problem was it was raining that day and the flame had gone out. FB When Hoffs relayed the story to Steinberg, he thought it would be a great song title. He’d also had his own experience with an eternal flame via the synagogue he went to as a kid. He said, “I remember thinking that there was this flame that could burn forever. It seemed very mysterious. It was like thinking about how far the universe goes, those little things that kids think about that blow their minds.” FB Initially the other band members rejected the song until producer Davitt Sigerson worked up a new keyboard arrangement for the song. Even then, the band’s manager, Miles Copeland, didn’t think the song was a hit. He said it would never get any play because it had no drums. SG Resources: FB Fred Bronson (2007). The Billboard Book of Number One Hits (4th edition). Billboard Books: New York, NY. Page 724. SG Stereogum (7/2/2021). “The Number Ones” by Tom Breihan Related Links: First posted 1/22/2026.