Susanna Hoffs

Susanna Hoffs
Susanna Hoffs, 2008
Background information
Birth name	Susanna Lee Hoffs
Born	(1959-01-17) January 17, 1959 Los Angeles, California, USA
Origin	Los Angeles, California, USA
Genres	Rock, pop
Occupation(s)	Vocalist, guitarist, actress
Instruments	Voice, guitar, harmonica, drums, piano
Years active	1981–present
Associated acts	The Bangles, Ming Tea, Matthew Sweet
Website	www.thebangles.com www.susannahoffs.com
Notable instruments
Rickenbacker 325 Rickenbacker 350SH Signature Model Taylor Susanna Hoffs Signature Model Guild Starfire XII

Susanna Lee Hoffs (born January 17, 1959) is an American vocalist, guitarist and actress. She is best known as a member of The Bangles.

Early life

Hoffs was born in Los Angeles, California, to a Jewish family. She is the daughter of Tamar Ruth (née Simon) and Joshua Allen Hoffs, a psychoanalyst. Her mother played Beatles music for Hoffs when she was a child, and she began playing the guitar in her teens. Hoffs attended Palisades High School in Pacific Palisades, Los Angeles, graduating in 1976. While in college she worked as a production assistant and made her acting debut in the 1978 film Stony Island.

In 1980, Hoffs graduated from University of California, Berkeley with a bachelor's degree in Art. When she entered Berkeley she was a fan of classic rock bands that played in large stadiums. While a student at Berkeley, she attended the final Sex Pistols show at Winterland and a Patti Smith concert. Exposure to punk rock changed her career goal from dancer to musician in a band. She eventually joined Vicki Peterson and Debbi Peterson in what would later become the pop music group The Bangles.

Career with The Bangles

The Bangles' first recorded release was a self-titled EP in 1982 on the Faulty Products Label. The Bangles released their first full album All Over the Place in 1984 on Columbia Records. They had a moderate hit with the single "Hero Takes a Fall", but their commercial breakthrough came with the album Different Light in 1986, which produced the hit singles "Manic Monday", "If She Knew What She Wants", and "Walk Like an Egyptian".

In 1986, Hoffs co-wrote "I Need a Disguise" for the album Belinda for Belinda Carlisle, from the all-girl group The Go-Go's. With increasing fame, Hoffs also appeared on the covers of numerous magazines, and the Rickenbacker guitar company issued a Susanna Hoffs model of the 350, which she customized herself.

In 1987, Hoffs starred in the film The Allnighter, which was directed by her mother Tamar Simon Hoffs, and also featured Joan Cusack and Pam Grier. The film was critically panned, and failed at the box office. Hoffs later said: "It wasn't a great movie but the whole experience of it was great."

The Bangles released their third album Everything in 1988, with their biggest-selling single "Eternal Flame", which was co-written and sung by Hoffs. In the BBC programme "I'm in a Girl Group" Hoffs revealed she actually sang the studio recording of the song completely naked due to the producer Davitt Sigerson pranking her by telling her Olivia Newton John had done the same thing. He later told Hoffs he had been lying the whole time."

The Bangles disbanded in 1990 but in the late 1990s, Hoffs contacted the other members of The Bangles with the hope of reuniting. They recorded the single "Get the Girl" for the second Austin Powers movie in 1999. Subsequently, they announced their decision to reunite full-time in 2000. Their fourth album, Doll Revolution, was released in 2003.

Solo career

File:SusannaHoffsLiveinSydney2010.jpg

Hoffs performing live in Sydney on 22 October 2010.

Hoffs released a solo album, When You're a Boy, in 1991, which spawned a U.S Top 40 hit with "My Side of the Bed." In the UK the single landed at #44, for only 4 weeks on chart, and the album also landed decently in Europe.

Hoffs recorded another album in 1993-94, prior to leaving Columbia Records, but it went unreleased. In 1996, Hoffs released her second solo album, Susanna Hoffs. Although it received much praise in the media and yielded a minor US hit and a UK hit at #33 for 2 weeks with a cover of the Lightning Seeds single "All I Want", it still was not a big commercial success.

Hoffs recorded a cover of "The Look of Love" for the soundtrack of the first Austin Powers movie Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery and a cover of the song "Alfie" for the soundtrack of the third Austin Powers in Goldmember. She recorded a cover of the Oingo Boingo song "We Close Our Eyes" for the Buffy The Vampire Slayer soundtrack. She is also responsible for the song "Now and Then", from the 1995 film of the same name.

Hoffs also contributed a song to the film Red Roses and Petrol (written and directed by Tamar Simon Hoffs) titled "The Water is Wide." The song can be heard in the closing credits and is available on the film's soundtrack. In February 2009, Hoffs appeared on stage at the Key Club in Los Angeles, singing with thenewno2, the "post-Bristol" psychedelic blues band led by Dhani Harrison.

In December 2011, Hoffs provided an original song for use in promoting Visit South Walton, the tourism promotion agency for Walton County, Florida (formerly identified as the Beaches of South Walton). The song, "This is the Place", will be used in advertising and marketing the popular coastal area that comprises fifteen beach communities.

File:Susanna Hoffs 2007.jpg

Hoffs performing at The House of Blues in Cleveland, Ohio, on August 30, 2007

Hoffs self-released her third solo album of new material (the first since her 1996's self-titled album) called Someday via Vanguard Records on July 17, 2012. The set was produced by Mitchell Froom and is influenced by the music of the 1960s. American Songwriter gave Someday a rating of 4.5 out of 5 stars and described it as "easily and undeniably Hoffs’ most definitive musical statement to date."

Hoffs is mentioned in "I'd Love to Kiss the Bangles" by The Saw Doctors. Robbie Fulks wrote about her in "That Bangle Girl," which appears on his album The Very Best of Robbie Fulks.

Ming Tea

Mike Myers, Matthew Sweet, and Hoffs formed the faux British 1960s band Ming Tea after Myers' Saturday Night Live stint in the early 1990s. They all adopted pseudonyms for the band, with Hoffs using the name Gillian Shagwell and Myers creating Austin Powers. This group made a number of club and television performances and had a minor hit with the song "BBC". Myers's then wife Robin Ruzan encouraged him to write a film based on the character. The result was Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery, directed by Hoffs' husband Jay Roach. Ming Tea performed in all three Austin Powers films.

Sid n Susie

In 2006, Hoffs teamed up with fellow Ming Tea rocker Matthew Sweet; under the name "Sid n Susie," they recorded fifteen cover versions of classic rock songs from the 1960s and 1970s for an album titled Under the Covers, Vol. 1. The album was released in April 2006. On July 18, they appeared on Late Night with Conan O'Brien to promote the album and tour. The duo released another album Under the Covers, Vol. 2 on July 21, 2009, which included covers of songs by Fleetwood Mac, Carly Simon, Rod Stewart and others. In 2012 Under the Covers, Vol 3 was released.

In 2013, Hoffs collaborated with Sweet and Tim Robbins for a cover of the traditional "Marianne" for the Sea shanty-compilation Son of Rogues Gallery: Pirate Ballads, Sea Songs & Chanteys.

Personal life

In 1993, Hoffs married Jay Roach, the director of the Austin Powers movies and Meet the Parents, and producer of The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. She has two sons. Roach converted to Judaism upon marrying Hoffs.

She is a vegetarian.

Hoffs is known to have been friends with Adam Nimoy, the son of the late Star Trek veteran Leonard Nimoy, which led to Leonard's appearance in the music video for the Bangles' 1984 hit Going Down to Liverpool.

Discography

Albums

Date	Title	US Chart	Notes
Solo
1991	When You're a Boy	83
1996	Susanna Hoffs	-
2012	Someday	-
2012	Some Summer Days (EP)	-
2012	From Me To You (EP)	-
With The Bangles
1982	Bangles	-
1984	All Over the Place	80
1986	Different Light	2
1988	Everything	15
1990	Greatest Hits	97
2003	Doll Revolution	-
2011	Sweetheart of the Sun	148
Collaborations
2006	Under the Covers, Vol. 1	192	with Matthew Sweet
2009	Under the Covers, Vol. 2	106	with Matthew Sweet
2012	Under the Covers, Vol. 3		with Matthew Sweet

Singles

Date	Title	Chart		Notes
		US	UK
Solo releases
1991	"My Side of the Bed"	30	44
	"Unconditional Love"	-	65
	"Only Love"	-	-
1996	"All I Want"	77	33
With The Bangles Only charting singles are listed
1985	"Hero Takes A Fall"	-	96
	"Going Down To Liverpool"	-	79
1986	"Manic Monday"	2	2
	"If She Knew What She Wants"	29	31
	"Going Down To Liverpool"	-	56	UK only re-release
	"Walk Like an Egyptian"	1	3
1987	"Walking Down Your Street"	11	16
	"Following"	-	55
	"Hazy Shade Of Winter"	2	11	From the Less Than Zero Motion Picture Soundtrack
1988	"In Your Room"	5	35
1989	"Eternal Flame"	1	1
	"Be With You"	30	23
	"I'll Set You Free"	-	74	UK only release
1990	"Walk Like an Egyptian (Remix)"	-	73
2003	"Something That You Said"	-	38
	"I Will Take Care Of You"	-	84
With Ming Tea
1997	"BBC"	-	-	From Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery Soundtrack
2002	"Daddy Wasn't There"	-	-	From Austin Powers in Goldmember Soundtrack
All chart data refers to the Billboard Hot 100 unless noted otherwise

DVDs and films

Year	Title
1978	Stony Island
1982	The Haircut
1987	The Allnighter
1990	The Bangles — Greatest Hits: Videos (VHS)
1997	Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery
1999	Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me
2002	Austin Powers in Goldmember
2003	Doll Revolution Bonus DVD
2003	Red Roses and Petrol – soundtrack only
2005	The Bangles — Greatest Hits: Videos (DVD)

Filmography

Television / Film
Year	Title	Role	Notes
1986	The Bangles Live at the Syria Mosque	Herself	Guitar & Vocals
1987	The Allnighter	Molly Morrison
1989	Rock & Read		(Video short) (voice)
2007	The Bangles Return to Bangleonia	Herself	(Video)
2012	Comedy Bang! Bang!	Street Performer	Episode "Ed Helms Wears a Grey Shirt & Brown Boots" (1.7)

References

13. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AGsr9CtiB0c#t=1438

External links

• The Bangles official website
• Susanna Hoffs at AllMusic
• Susanna Hoffs at the Internet Movie Database
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AGsr9CtiB0c