Why did Prince give away ‘Manic Monday’?
As a new band, winning over the affection of a superstar can change the course of their career and give them a necessary break. For The Bangles, this happened when Prince unexpectedly gifted the group with ‘Manic Monday’, a song which became a giant hit and introduced the band to a mainstream audience.
Before Prince handed the song to the band, he’d only met The Bangles once, and the entire experience was a whirlwind. The group caught Prince’s eye when he was idly sitting at home watching MTV and saw the video for their track, ‘Hero Takes A Fall’, which instantly made Prince determined to work with the band.
Shortly afterwards, Prince attended a show by The Bangles in Los Angeles to see if they were the real deal. ‘The Purple One’ was impressed by what he witnessed at the concert and started work on a mixtape of songs he’d written which he believed were perfect for the Susanna Hoffs-led group, which featured ‘Manic Monday’ and ‘Jealous Girl’.
“It was just kind of magical,” Hoffs later told NPR of the band’s relationship with Prince. “To have this artist who is so brilliant decide that he wanted to come see the Bangles play, and jump on stage and perform with us — it was like the Prince had come to the ball and asked us to dance with him, you know what I mean? There was a fairy tale aspect to it.”
Meanwhile, during a conversation with the Associated Press, Hoffs expressed her sorrow for never thanking Prince for his creation, which changed everything for The Bangles: “I feel so sad just thinking that. As an adult I wanted to thank him and I just didn’t get around to it.”
“It’s like to this day, that song, I’ll always love singing it. And I love that it’s such a universal theme, and that it … resonates with people in a really deep way,” Hoffs continued. “I can still picture being in that dark room in the recording studio. The moment that I started singing it — it felt so right. My gratitude from that moment until, cut to all these many years later, is so deep.”
Prince remained close to the group for a while and regularly turned up at their shows. Additionally, according to Hoffs, they also jammed together occasionally. However, why did Prince integrate himself into The Bangles’ life, give them a hit record, and then depart?
Many have previously suggested Prince wanted to be romantically involved with Hoffs, which is why he gave her ‘Manic Monday’. Despite his rumoured romantic intentions, nothing happened between the pair, which could explain why they drifted apart.
Considering Prince’s reputation for being a lothario, it’s feasible that he’d give away ‘Manic Monday’ solely because he wanted to grow close to Hoffs. On the other hand, perhaps he felt compelled to write for the group after being drawn to their artistry. Such as many stories surrounding the life of Prince, mystery will always prevail.
