"Manic Monday" | ||||
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US 7-inch single
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Single by The Bangles | ||||
from the album Different Light | ||||
B-side | "In a Different Light" (in North America, Brazil, South America, Central America, Caribe, Europe, Africa, Asia and Oceania). | |||
Released | January 27, 1986 | |||
Format | 7" single, 12" | |||
Recorded | 1985; Sunset Sound Factory | |||
Genre | Pop rock | |||
Length | 3:06 | |||
Label | Discos CBS; Columbia Records | |||
Songwriter(s) | Christopher (Prince) | |||
Producer(s) | David Kahne | |||
The Bangles singles chronology | ||||
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"Manic Monday" is a song by the American pop rock band The Bangles, and the first single released from their second studio album, Different Light (1986). It was written by American musician Prince, using the pseudonym "Christopher". Originally intended for the group Apollonia 6 in 1984, he offered the song to The Bangles two years later. Lyrically, it describes a woman who is waking up to go to work on Monday, wishing it were still Sunday where she could relax.
The song, which was released on Monday January 27, 1986 by Columbia Records, received generally positive reviews from music critics and some comparisons with The Mamas & the Papas' "Monday, Monday". It became The Bangles' first hit, reaching number two in the United States and the United Kingdom, as well as in Austria, Canada, Germany and Ireland, and peaked within the top five of New Zealand, Norway and Switzerland. It was later certified silver in the UK by the British Phonographic Industry (BPI). The song has been covered by a number of other artists.
Prince wrote "Manic Monday" in 1984, and recorded it as a duet for the band Apollonia 6's self-titled album; however, he eventually pulled the song. Two years later, he offered the single to The Bangles under the pseudonym "Christopher", a character he played in the 1986 film Under the Cherry Moon. It was rumored by various writers that after Prince listened to the band's 1984 debut album All Over the Place, he gave the song to Bangles rhythm guitarist Susanna Hoffs, so that in return she would sleep with him.
Debbi Peterson explained in an interview with MTV UK in 1989 about why Prince gave them the song: "[Prince] really liked our first album. He liked the song 'Hero Takes a Fall', which is a great compliment, because we liked his music. He contacted us, and said, 'I've got a couple of songs for you. I'd like to know if you're interested,' and of course we were. One of the songs Prince brought to the group was 'Manic Monday', written under the pseudonym of Christopher." Peterson talked about the evolution of what Prince brought them: "It was a Banglefication of a Prince arrangement. He had a demo, that was very specifically him. It was a good song, but we didn't record it like 'This is our first hit single! Oh my God! I can feel it in my veins!' We just did the song, and the album, and then sat back and thought about it."