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TL;DR:

  • Prince gave The Bangles “Manic Monday” even though he intended it for another band.
  • A member of The Bangles discussed what it was like to perform the song while Prince was present.
  • One of his songs prevented “Manic Monday” from becoming a No. 1 hit.
Prince wearing a collar
Prince | Mark Junge / Contributor

Prince wrote songs for other artists, including The Bangles’ “Manic Monday.” Notably, the singer intended the song for another band. Subsequently, The Bangles’ Susanna Hoffs discussed singing the song for the superstar.

The Bangles’ ‘Manic Monday’ was initially intended for a group connected to Prince’s ‘Purple Rain’

During a 2021 interview with Vulture, The Bangles’ Hoffs was asked to name the best song of the band’s career. She said “Hazy Shade of Winter” was the group’s best track while expressing her love for some of their other songs.

“Oh gosh, that’s a tough call, because there were some songs like ‘Manic Monday’ — which was written by Prince and he gave that song to us — which were very special,” she said.

Notably, Prince did not write “Manic Monday” for The Bangles. He initially intended the girl group Apollonia 6 to perform the song. Notably, a member of Apollonia 6 — Apollonia Kotero — co-starred in Prince’s film Purple Rain.

The Bangles’ Susanna Hoffs discussed singing the song when Prince was present

Subsequently, Hoffs discussed an endearing memory of the Purple One. “I have a really fond memory of the first time I was alone in the darkened room with him in the studio,” she said. “I felt like, Can he see that we’re rolling red light fever? I really sang ‘Manic Monday’ for the first time at that moment.”

She discussed Prince’s relationship with her group. “I remember Prince even before that, when he had discovered us through ‘Hero Takes a Fall,'” she recalled. 

“I mean, it was a song written by a couple of gals sitting in a literal garage with two guitars, and Prince is now playing it on his own tours and he is making it his own?” she added. “And elevating it? I’m like right there now, watching [him] play.”

Related

Phil Collins Changed This Song so It Wouldn’t Sound Too Much Like Prince’s ‘1999’

‘Manic Monday’ was so close to becoming a No. 1 single in the United States

The connection between “Manic Monday” and Prince did not end there. According to The Billboard Book of Number 1 Hits, “Manic Monday” hit No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100. The song was prevented from reaching the top of the chart by Prince and the Revolution’s “Kiss.” This makes the Purple One one of a handful of elite songwriters to occupy the top two spots, joining the ranks of Paul McCartney and John Lennon.

Green Day’s Billie Joe Armstrong covered “Manic Monday” as part of his covers album No Fun Mondays. The album featured cover songs he uploaded to his band’s YouTube channel, often on Mondays.

“Manic Monday” is one of The Bangles’ most famous songs and it made chart history.

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