Meaning of “Walk Like An Egyptian” by The Bangles

Stripped down to its very basic element, “Walk Like An Egyptian” is a dance song. And the “Egyptian” theme is not based on The Bangles having any particular affinity for the African country of Egypt. Rather the track’s writer, Liam Sternberg, penned it after observing people walking uneasily, in an attempt to keep their balance, aboard a ferry. According to him, this reminded him of figures displayed on Ancient Egyptian hieroglyphs.

Thus the first third of the track in particular is set in Egypt (and in a more-general sense the Middle East), by referencing items such “gold crocodiles” and “hookah pipes”. But overall, this song is global in its approach, as The Bangles also give shoutouts to Japan, Russia, China and of course their home country, the United States, though indirectly.

And overall, there isn’t any extreme amount of depth to what they are saying. Rather they are either claiming that the people in these different locales “walk like an Egyptian” or are encouraging them to do so, with the titular phrase actually alluding to a dance move.

Facts about “Walk Like an Egyptian”

• “Walk Like an Egyptian” has been featured on innumerable television shows, movies and even videogames since it was first released on 2 January 1986 as part of The Bangles second album, Different Light.
• At the 1987 MTV Video Music Awards, the video for this track also received a nomination for Best Group Video. However, it lost the award to U2’s hit “With or Without You”.
• Three members of The Bangles (Vicki Peterson, Michael Steele and Susanna Hoffs) each sang a verse on this song.
• “Walk Like an Egyptian” was written by Liam Sternberg and produced by David Kahne.
• According to author Michael Lewis, when US President Donald Trump won the election in 2016, the first head of state to call and congratulate him was Abdel Fattah el-Sissi, the President of Egypt. And Trump allegedly responded by referencing this song.

Chart Success and Certifications

This classic proved to be extremely popular and The Bangles’ biggest hit. For instance, it reached number 1 on record charts in the following countries:

•  Australia
• Belgium
• Canada
• Germany
• The Netherlands
• South Africa
• Spain

Furthermore, and most importantly, it reached number 1 on prestigious Billboard Hot 100. It was so successful that it stayed at number 1 on the Hot 100 for as many as 4 weeks. At the end of the day, it was considered the top song of 1987 in the United States.

By topping the Billboard Hot 100, “Walk Like an Egyptian” became the first song ever to do so by an all-female band who actually played all of the instruments.

And what about in the United Kingdom? How did it perform there? It was also considered a success there since it peaked at number 3 on the UK Singles Chart.

Regarding its certification, “Walk Like an Egyptian” below are the certifications it received:

• Platinum in the Netherlands
• Gold in Canada and the United States
• Silver in the United Kingdom