My Top 1000 Songs #785: Manic Monday
[I've been writing up my Top 1000 songs on a daily basis--you can see them all in descending order by hitting the All My Favorite Songs tag.]
Imagine writing a song like "Manic Monday" and thinking, nah, just gonna give this one away. Takes some cojones, sure; but mostly takes the confidence that you're coming up with so many other great songs, you don't even need to bother with something that sounds like a drop-dead perfect hit.
Man, Prince was on a freakin' tear in the mid-80s.
Anyway, I think he did the right thing. The Bangles, who recorded it for 1985's breakthrough Different Light, make it their own, most notably via Susanna Hoffs' entrancing vocals abetted by top tier harmonies, not to mention that nifty harpsichord (from guest keyboardist Mitchell Froom). Prince's original demo eventually saw light of day on 2019's posthumous Originals collection, and, sure, it's fantastic, probably would've been even better if he gave it the full Prince production treatment--but the Bangles (have I mentioned those harmonies? oh, and Susanna Hoffs?) elevate it to a different level.Live 2008:Prince original:Green Day's Billy Joe Armstrong did a bang-up cover (with Hoffs) during those dark Covid days:
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