April 8: Susanna Hoffs and the Bangles

The Bangles became the third “girl group” in American history (with the Supremes and the Shirelles) to achieve multiple number-one hits when their song, “Eternal Flame,” peaked on this date in 1989. The song was co-written by Bangles guitarist Susanna Hoffs, the Jewish member of the quartet, and was inspired by the eternal flame at gravesite of Elvis Presley, which the Bangles saw visiting Graceland, and the eternal flame (ner tamid) at a Palm Springs synagogue that was attended by co-writer Billy Steinberg as a child. The Bangles’ other big hits were “Walk Like an Egyptian,” “Manic Monday,” and “Hazy Shade of Winter.” The band broke up in 1989 but reunited a decade later. Hear “Eternal Flame” by looking below.

“I think the culture today is very, very different from what it was in the ’60s, and I feel lucky that I grew up at a time when I had these very strong female role models.” —Susannah Hoffs