Song · The Bangles
“If she knew what she wants” by The Bangles
From the album Different Light (1985)
“If she knew what she wants” by The Bangles appears on 1 radio countdown from 1 station in 2003. It was first released in 1985 on the album Different Light. Its best result is #1731 on the Fred XM Top 2044 Songs of All-Time (July 2003). In the combined RockLists rankings it is #6,777 alternative song of all time.
Watch
Video from YouTube (TheBanglesVEVO). Pressing play loads YouTube's player. Watch on YouTube
Jules Shear wrote "If She Knew What She Wants" and introduced it on his own 1985 album, The Eternal Return, but it took the Bangles to turn it into a Top 40 hit. They cut it for Different Light, and Columbia sent it out as the follow-up to "Manic Monday", with David Kahne producing and David Leonard mixing. Susanna Hoffs and Vicki Peterson play guitars, Michael Steele bass and Debbi Peterson drums.
Hoffs carries the lead through a call-and-response arrangement, and the song is a mid-tempo ballad about wanting to make someone happy who, as Shear saw it, keeps changing their mind. Bittersweet, plaintive and wistful are the words people reach for, and they fit: it's a pretty record with a sore heart.
Written with AI assistance from RockLists chart data, MusicBrainz and Wikipedia.
RockLists rankings
Alternative & Modern Rock
All Rock Formats
All-time and decade countdowns
| Year | # | Station | Countdown | of |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2003 | 1731 | Fred (XM 44) | Fred XM Top 2044 Songs of All-Time (July 2003) | 2044 |
Comments
Log in or create a free account to join the conversation about "If she knew what she wants" by The Bangles.
No comments yet. Be the first to share your thoughts.