The Bangles - "If She Knew What She Wants"

(Debuted May 10, 1986, Peaked #29, 14 Weeks on the Chart)

While The Bangles enjoyed several hits during the last half of the 1980s before splitting up, their bigger hits ("Walk Like an Egyptian," "Manic Monday," "Hazy Shade of Winter," "Eternal Flame") tend to get spotlighted at the expense of the others. That's a shame, because they had more Top 40 hits that should get some love, too. That's one of the reasons I started writing 80s Music Mayhem, and this is one of those tunes.

"If She Knew What She Wants" was written by Jules Shear, who had recorded it on his 1985 LP The Eternal Return. In that version, he sang the lyrics in the first person, but when The Bangles covered the song, the "I" was changed to "he" rather than changing the gender of the subject. After the success of "Manic Monday," it was released as a followup single. Personally, I'm as amazed that "If She Knew What She Wants" stopped at #29 as I am that "Walking Down Your Street" met a similar lack of respect on the heels of "Walk Like an Egyptian" the next year.