The songwriter Liam Sternberg wrote this. He got the idea when he was on a ferry boat and saw people struggling to keep their balance. The way they held out their arms and jerked around made it look like they were doing Egyptian movements, and if the boat moved suddenly, they would all topple over.

The biggest hit for the Bangles, "Walk Like An Egyptian" gave them a new level of notoriety, but not the kind they wanted. Formed in 1981, they wrote their own songs and were a big part of the Los Angeles Paisley Underground movement, which included eclectic acts like Rain Parade and The Dream Syndicate. These Paisley bands did well with critics but never broke big, except the Bangles.

Their first album, released in 1984, had a '60s sound with lots of clever, well-constructed songs written by their guitarists, Susanna Hoffs and Vicki Peterson. It did well and earned them a spot opening for Cyndi Lauper. Their second album, Different Light, was their breakthrough, but the big hits were songs written by outsiders. First came "Manic Monday," written by high-profile Bangles fan Prince. Then "If She Knew What She Wants," written by Jules Shear.

Then came "Walk Like An Egyptian," a goofy romp written by another outside writer that the band didn't think would get released as a single because it was "too weird." It shot to #1 and became a sensation, but the group's rock pedigree took a hit. Suddenly they were known for this quasi-novelty song instead of their own compositions.

"These days I feel very differently about it than I did in the '90s, because to me it was such an odd moment," Vicki Peterson told Songfacts in 2018. "I actually loved doing it. I thought the song was brilliant, in the strangest way. I had fun recording it, minus a few hiccups here and there, because it wasn't a great time for us. But, the song itself, I thought, 'OK, we will never write anything like this. This takes the record to another level, so let's absolutely do this.'"

All members except drummer Debbi Peterson sang a verse. Peterson was originally supposed to sing the whole thing, but producer David Kahne had each member audition the lyrics to determine who would sing what verse. Debbi's sister Vicki Peterson got the first verse, bass player Michael Steele (a girl, despite the name) the second, and Susanna Hoffs the third.

This was offered to Toni Basil, but she turned it down. The Bangles needed one more song to complete their album, so they took it.

The difficult recording process caused a lot of tension within the band, which tried to share the spotlight in equal measure (literally: they insisted on four spotlights on stage). Leaving Debbi Peterson out of this one was a pivotal moment for the Bangles, who instead of standing up to producer David Kahne and insisting she have a part in the song, allowed her to be left out. They used a different producer (Davitt Sigerson) on their next album, but the fissures got deeper when Susanna Hoffs became the focus of their look and sound.

In the US, this was the #1 song of 1987 according to Billboard's year-end chart. It held the top spot for four weeks.

The video for this song made the band superstars, as it aired in heavy rotation on MTV. The Bangles became darlings of the network, but early on they weren't sold on the medium. Here are some quotes from 1985 where they kvetch:

LYRICS:
All the old paintings
on the tombs
They do the sand dance
don't you know?

If they move too quick
(oh way oh)
They're falling down like
a domino

All the bazaar men
by the Nile
They got the money
on a bet

Gold crocodiles
(oh way oh)
They snap their teeth on
your cigarette

Foreign types with the
hookah pipes say
(Way oh way oh,
way oh whey oh)
Walk like an Egyptian

The blonde waitresses
take their trays
They spin around and
they cross the floor

They've got the moves
(oh way oh)
You drop your drink, then
they bring you more

All the school kids so
sick of books
They like the punk and
the metal bands

When the buzzer rings
(oh way oh)
They're walking like
an Egyptian

All the kids in the
marketplace say
(Way oh way oh,
way oh way oh)
Walk like an Egyptian

Slide your feet up the street,
bend your back
Shift your arm then
you pull it back

Life is hard you know
(oh way oh)
So strike a pose on
a Cadillac

If you wanna find
all the cops
They're hanging out in
the donut shop

They sing and dance
(oh way oh)
They spin the clubs,
cruise down the block

All the Japanese
with their yen
The party boys call
the Kremlin

And the Chinese know
(oh way oh)
They walk the line like
Egyptians

All the cops in the
donut shop say
(Way oh way oh,
way oh way oh)
Walk like an Egyptian
Walk like an Egyptian

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