• twitter
  • facebook
  • instagram
  • pinterest
  • youtube
DailyBoom Your Old School Music Authority

Sunday, November 20, 2022

Daily Boom 80's Throwback: The Bangles - 'Hazy Shade of Winter'


Hang on to your hopes, my friend
That's an easy thing to say, but if your hopes should pass away
Simply pretend
That you can build them again
Look around, the grass is high
The fields are ripe, it's the springtime of my life
Ahhh, seasons change with the scenery
Weaving time in a tapestry
Won't you stop and remember me

Not every cover of an already popular hit works even if it's performed by a big name. Just ask Taylor Swift about that recent Earth, Wind & Fire cover. But when it does work, it usually helps to spin the song in a completely different direction, one that introduces it to a new audience.The Bangles version of "Hazy Shade of Winter" did exactly that. It was released in 1987 as part of the Less Than Zero soundtrack, but if you were a longtime Bangles fan, then you knew that they had been playing the song live since the early 80's.

The song, originally done by Simon and Garfunkel back in 1966, has a great arrangement that allows each of the ladies to shine- something that was important to them at the time. They also filmed a slick futuristic video to go along with it and that gave the song an even sharper edge. The Bangles spent the mid-80's fighting for the same band credibility that the men were being given because they could rock out just as much as the guys. "Hazy Shade of Winter" seemed to really be a breakthrough for them.

 Do you remember the video?