“Do you feel the same” about a song that hit #1 in 1989? Susanna Hoffs does. She’s just released a new version of “Eternal Flame,” her song with the Bangles.
Susanna co-wrote the song with hitmakers Billy Steinberg and Tom Kelly. It appeared on the Bangles’ third album, Everything, and was their second #1 single.
“I was inspired to sing it again!” says Susanna in a statement. “As I stood before the microphone, I fought back tears of gratitude — for the opportunity to sing a song I have loved and cherished my entire adult life. We’ve grown up together!”
“I’ve been touched time and again by stories from friends and strangers alike who’ve expressed how much ‘Eternal Flame’ has meant to them, whether the song played as they walked down the aisle at their wedding, or brought consolation,” she continues.
“I still wake up each morning, motivated to sing, to write, to make art, and to find ways to connect. I’m still that same girl with that same emotion — older, and hopefully wiser.”
The new version is a bit more stripped-down and organic than the ’80s version, but it does include strings. Susanna will release yet another version of the track on April 9, recorded with the chamber music ensemble yMusic.
On the other side of the musical spectrum, Susanna performed at a benefit concert at New York’s Carnegie Hall on March 26, which was a tribute to Rock & Roll Hall of Famer and punk poetess Patti Smith.
Susanna’s most recent album is 2024’s The Lost Record. Her 2023 music biz-inspired debut novel, This Bird Has Flown, has been acquired for a movie adaptation.
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