Rate-A-Record
Rate-A-Record: Manic Monday Edition
One song, two covers, and a crystal blue Italian stream…
The third most iconic song Prince ever wrote is one he never released as his own during his lifetime.
I had the epiphany when I saw the second person dancing and singing along to it in the middle of a grocery store aisle in the space of roughly 6 weeks.
The first was a woman not quite elderly, but old enough to have been outside the song’s target demo when it dominated Top 40 airwaves in 1986. The second, eyes closed, lithe physique undulating to the gentle rhythm, couldn’t have been older than 25. She wasn’t even a gleam in her father’s eye as the song raced up the charts. That sealed it for me.
Close to 4 decades later, “Manic Monday” by The Bangles is still a cultural mainstay. Its groggy lament of a soul-sucking return to the workplace resonates just as profoundly with Gen Z workers as it did with their Boomer parents and every generation in between.
The song was originally penned for Prince’s girl band, Apollonia 6. He snatched it back at the 11th hour to bestow upon his crush of the moment, Bangles’ singer/guitarist, Susanna Hoffs. (Not nearly as inglorious as his flatly telling Mazarati, “that one’s too good for ya’ll” when reclaiming “Kiss” for himself.)
At my first office job, I ran a Twitter account at a company that knew too little about social media to realize I shouldn’t have been allowed anywhere near the Twitter account. Each Monday, I’d began the week by tweeting out a different version of “Manic Monday.” Holy walking Egyptians, Batman, are there an ungodly number of cover versions! Every conceivable style and genre.
For my entry into Plethora of Pop’s Rate-A-Record feature, I’m exhuming the bit by pitting two follower-favorites against each other!
I’ll refer you to the inaugural article from Terry Barr for the backstory, but if you’re not familiar, Rate-A-Record works like this:
- Listen to each song.
- Rate it on a 63 point scale of 35–98 in the Comments section. (Confused? Clearly you’re not taking the same drugs the American Bandstand segment producers were when they created the scoring system.)
- Provide explanation, exposition, or seasonal brunch recipes in as appropriate.
- Highest point total wins!
- Terry will engrave the victorious artist’s name alongside champions past on the Rate-A-Record trophy, which will be submitted to the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame for preservation and display at the conclusion of the feature.
Plethora of Pop’s Rate-A-Record feature is for recreational purposes only. Please, no wagering.
Reliant K (2005)
Punk-pop rockers Reliant K bring the Bangles’ classic into the post-9/11 era. They infuse it with a freewheeling nihilism embodying the attitude of the first batch of Millennials entering a workforce with no place for them. Driven by power chords and double time drums, the song feels like a mad scramble to nowhere, but at least the guys seem to be having fun along the way.
Sonia (1999)
Like Sade, Sonia is actually a band. Also like Sade, the Japanese Bossa Nova outfit is uniquely equipped to bring tranquility to even the most chaotic moments — even a manic Monday morning. Sonia’s take on the Bangles’ staple is made for those Mondays when you unplug the alarm clock and let the post-dawn dream haze engulf you for another hour before forcing yourself to wake up just enough to send the ubiquitous “stomach thing” text your boss.
The “stomach thing” text? It’s the easiest way to bag an unscheduled day off. Vaguely mention a “stomach thing” and there will be no follow up questions. Your boss will eagerly grant you the day before you have time to double down with the gruesome details, freeing you to nestle back into the covers, crank up Sonia, and delay the mania until Tuesday.
Thanks for playing, kids! For more Rate-A-Record fun, check out the previous entries.
Paul Combs: https://readmedium.com/rate-a-record-what-score-would-you-give-these-two-songs-beb210072efe
Kevin Alexander: https://readmedium.com/rate-a-record-how-would-you-score-these-2-songs-6fd31bd68719
Arpad Nagy: https://readmedium.com/rate-a-record-a-plethora-of-pop-series-a04f5a75e136
Steven Hale: https://readmedium.com/two-women-swede-pop-singers-4d360452240d
Feel free to add on in the comments if I missed some!