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Susanna Hoffs
A woman playing a black and white electric guitar
Hoffs in 2006
Born
Susanna Lee Hoffs

(1959-01-17) January 17, 1959 (age 65)
Los Angeles, California
Education Palisades High School
Alma mater University of California, Berkeley (BA)
Occupation
  • Singer
  • musician
  • songwriter
  • actress
  • author
Years active 1978–present
Known for
  • "Manic Monday"
  • "Eternal Flame"
  • "My Side of the Bed"
  • "Walking Down Your Street"
  • "In Your Room"
  • "If She Knew What She Wants"
Spouse(s)
(m. 1993)
Children 2
Parent(s) Tamar Simon Hoffs
Joshua Allen Hoffs
Musical career
Genres
  • Rock
  • pop
Instruments
  • Vocals
  • guitar

Susanna Hoffs (born January 17, 1959) is an American singer, guitarist, songwriter, author, and actress. Hoffs, Debbi Peterson, and Vicki Peterson founded the Bangles in 1981. They released their first album All Over the Place on Columbia Records in 1984. The group's third album, Everything (1988), included the US top-ten hit In Your Room and number one Eternal Flame, both written by Hoffs with Billy Steinberg and Tom Kelly. Following tensions in the band that included resentment at Hoffs being perceived as the band's leader, the group split in 1989. The Bangles re-formed in 1999 and released albums in 2003 and 2011.

Hoffs appeared in the films Stony Island (1978) and The Haircut (1982), both directed by her mother, Tamar Simon Hoffs. She starred in the comedy movie The Allnighter (1987), again directed by her mother, which was a commercial and critical failure. Her first solo album, When You're a Boy (1991), was followed by Susanna Hoffs (1996). Neither of the releases proved to be as popular as the Bangles' albums, although they yielded two charting singles in the US, the Top-40 hit "My Side of the Bed", and "All I Want". She later recorded several songs for movies, and formed the faux British 1960s band Ming Tea, with Mike Myers and Matthew Sweet, which performed in all three Austin Powers movies. Hoffs teamed with Sweet to produce three albums of cover songs. Her next solo album Someday (2012) was followed by the cover albums Bright Lights (2021) and The Deep End (2023).

Hoffs' first novel, This Bird Has Flown, a romantic comedy about a struggling musician, was published by Little Brown in 2023. It received favorable reviews, and Universal Pictures purchased the rights to the novel for a screen adaptation.

Early life

Hoffs was born in Los Angeles, California, to a Jewish family. She is the daughter of film director/writer/producer 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 the University of California, Berkeley, with a bachelor's degree in art. When she entered college, she was a fan of classic rock bands that played in large stadiums, and while a student, she attended the final Sex Pistols show at Winterland Ballroom and a Patti Smith concert. Exposure to punk rock changed her career goal from a dancer to musician in a band.

Career

In the late 1970s Hoffs and David Roback formed the duo the Psychiatrists, later changing their name to the Unconscious. She contributed lead vocals to covers of Bob Dylan's "I'll Keep It with Mine" and Lou Reed's "I'll Be Your Mirror" on Rainy Day's album Rainy Day (1984). Led by David Roback, the project also included Vicki Peterson and members of other Paisley Underground bands: Dream Syndicate, the Three O'Clock, and Rain Parade.

Hoffs co-founded the Bangles in 1981 with Vicki and Debbi Peterson. The group released 3 studio albums, All Over the Place (1984), Different Light (1986), and Everything (1988) yielding several singles that reached the U.S. top 10 during the 1980s, including Manic Monday (1986), Walk Like an Egyptian (1986), Hazy Shade of Winter (1987), In Your Room (1988), and Eternal Flame (1989). Due to tensions within the group, they split in 1989. They reformed in 1998 and have since released two albums, Doll Revolution (2003) and Sweetheart of the Sun (2011).

Hoffs made her acting debut in the 1978 film Stony Island, directed by Andrew Davis and co-written by Hoffs' mother, Tamar Simon Hoffs. Susanna was featured alongside Rae Dawn Chong and Dennis Franz. In 1983 she played a role in the short comedy film, The Haircut, starring John Cassavetes. In 1987, Hoffs starred in the comedy The Allnighter, also featuring Joan Cusack and Pam Grier. Glenn Kenny wrote in Video Review that Hoffs' character was "full of spunk" like her Bangles persona, but less "savvy", concluding that the movie was "unextraordinary and inoffensive". New York Times critic Janet Maslin panned it as "outstandingly dim". Hoffs later said, "It was such a low budget quickie thing, a cutesy little teeny-bopper movie. It wasn't a great movie but the whole experience of it was great".

In 1990, Hoffs began a solo music career and has released five studio albums. Her first solo album, When You're a Boy (1991), yielded two charting singles in the US, the Top-40 hit My Side of the Bed and Top-100, Unconditional Love. Her second solo album, Susanna Hoffs (1996), includes the Top-100 single, All I Want. In 2014, Hoffs self-released her third solo album, Someday, on her Baroque Folk label on July 17, 2012. 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". In 2021, she released, Bright Lights, produced by Paul Bryan and features versions of songs by Nick Drake, Michael Nesmith, Richard Thompson, Pete Ham and Tom Evans of Badfinger, and other canonical songwriters. The album includes, Name of the Game featuring Aimee Mann. In 2023, Hoffs released, The Deep End, produced by Peter Asher and includes performances by musicians such as Danny Kortchmar, Leland Sklar, Russell Kunkel, Waddy Wachtel, and singer, Ledisi. She has toured with Don Henley, Aimee Mann, and Matthew Sweet, among others.

Notable solo performances include the Lilith Fair, the Academy Awards (duet with Randy Newman), Grammy Salute to Prince (duet with Chris Martin), and Grammy Salute to Paul Simon, among others. On Hoffs Grammy Salute to Prince performance with Martin, Entertainment Weekly wrote, "This was the night's tenderest moment and certainly one of the most still, particularly in a catalog full of uptempo delights. Hoffs and Martin intertwined their voices, stripping the sweet lament to a gorgeously elegiac place". In 2019, Hoffs inducted the Zombies into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as well as performing with the All the Young Dudes All-Star Jam with Queen's Brian May, the Zombies' Colin Blunstone, Rod Argent, Steven Van Zandt and, Ian Hunter.

In addition to co-writing for the Bangles, Hoffs has co-written songs for the Go-Go's, Belinda Carlisle, and Bette Midler. She has contributed vocals on albums by such artists as the Talking Heads, Rufus Wainwright, Travis and the Lilith Fair: Celebration of Music compilation album (with Sarah McLachlin, Shawn Colvin, Emmylou Harris, and others). In 1992, she won Best Female Rock Vocalist at the Pro L.A. Music Awards.

Hoffs was a member of the faux British 1960s band, Ming Tea, with Mike Myers and Matthew Sweet, who appeared in Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery, and Austin Powers in Goldmember. Hoffs recording of,The Look of Love, appeared in the film and on the soundtrack for Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery and her recording of Alfie (What's It All About Austin?) appeared in the film and on the soundtrack for Austin Powers in Goldmember.

Hoffs later teamed with Matthew Sweet, as Sid and Susie, to record cover versions of classic rock songs from the 1960s for their album Under the Covers, Vol. 1 (2006). Hoffs and Sweet released a follow-up, Under the Covers, Vol. 2 in 2009, featuring songs from the 1970s by Fleetwood Mac, Carly Simon, Rod Stewart and others. Under the Covers, Vol. 3 was released in 2013, featuring cover songs from the 1980s by the Smiths, the English Beat, Pretenders, Roxy Music, and others.

She released her debut novel, This Bird Has Flown: A Novel, (published by Little Brown) in 2023, which received favorable reviews. Universal Pictures purchased the rights to the novel for a screen adaptation. It was described by Beatriz Williams at the New York Times as "the smart, ferocious, rock-chick redemption romance you didn't know you needed" and Michael Schaub of NPR wrote, "This Bird Has Flown' is a love story — and a valentine to music".

The Psychiatrists and the Unconscious

In the late 1970s, while Hoffs was a student at UC Berkeley, she and then-boyfriend David Roback (a former schoolmate from Palisades High School), formed the duo, the Psychiatrists, later changing their name to the Unconscious.

In one account it is said that Hoffs recalled that the short-lived group would perform for 50 minutes, to reflect the duration of "psychiatrists' hours", yet in a 2012 interview when Hoffs was asked when she first performed in front of people, she replied that she had a band with David Roback in Berkeley but they never performed for anybody. She said that the first real performance was with the Bangles and they played at the Laird Movie Studio.

The Bangs

There are different accounts of how Hoffs met the other musicians who became the Bangles. Hoffs either posted an ad in a local newspaper and left flyers at the Whisky a Go Go at a Go-Go's concert in search of potential bandmates, or Hoffs answered a similar ad asking for musicians to join a group. In the second scenario, the woman who advertised had previously been in a group with sisters Vicki and Debbi Peterson, and shared a house with them. Hoffs elected to form a group with the Petersons rather than with the original advertiser, and they started the band in Hoffs' parents' garage in Brentwood, which had been refurbished as an apartment for Hoffs.

The band was originally called the Colours, but changed it to the Supersonic Bangs after Hoffs saw an article about 1960s hairstyles in an old copy of Esquire, and subsequently to the Bangs. Hoffs said that the group "liked the double-entendre of the name" and that "you can read a lot into it. There was something kind of gutsy about it. Meanwhile, Annette Zilinskas joined as the bass player alongside Hoffs on rhythm guitar, Vicki Peterson on lead guitar, and Debbie Peterson on drums. The group's musical influences included the Beatles, the Beach Boys and the Hollies, as well as more contemporary groups like the Ramones and other punk bands. Hoffs and the Petersons shared lead vocals. They played at venues in Los Angeles and San Fernando Valley, and recorded "Getting Out of Hand", which they released on their own label, Downkiddie in 1981, pressing 1,000 copies. In a 1987 Rolling Stone interview, Susan Orlean described the band's early audiences as "mostly boys, who appreciated their tough-enough music and playfully flirtatious stage presence".

The Bangles

The Bangles 01 23 2015 -11 (16514110786)
Hoffs performing as part of the Bangles at the National Association of Music Merchants Show in 2015. The group was presented with an Icon Award at the show, some 30 years after their debut album.

Miles Copeland of I.R.S. Records saw the Bangs at a show and signed them to his Faulty Products label. He had previously signed another group of women, the Go-Go's, whose albums had been commercially successful. In 1982, following a legal claim by another group called the Bangs, Hoffs and her bandmates changed their name again to the Bangles. Meanwhile, Faulty Products folded, and band's eponymous EP was eventually released on I.R.S. Records in 1982. In 1983, the group signed to Columbia Records, and Zilinskas left and was replaced by Michael Steele.

The Bangles released their first full album All Over the Place in 1984 on Columbia Records; it was acclaimed by critics but sold poorly. Their breakthrough hit was the 1986 single "Manic Monday", written by Prince, which reached number two on the US charts. This single was released as a track on the album Different Light (1986), which was warmly received by critics and went double-platinum in 1987, then triple-platinum in 1994. "Walk Like an Egyptian" from the same album reached number one in the US in December 1986, and was their first American gold record single. Dickerson wrote that "Manic Monday" and "Walk Like an Egyptian", "open[ed] the door to a new audience of female fans", widening the group's appeal out from a predominantly male fanbase. Hoffs first met Prince in 1984, and the pair spoke regularly. He attended some of the group's concerts, and occasionally appeared on stage with them. Paul Evans and Ernesto Lechner of The New Rolling Stone Album Guide (2004) opined that Hoffs had "mastered a singing style that combined pep, coy sweetness, and an occasional plaintive resonance".

During the video for "Walk Like an Egyptian", there is a close-up of Hoffs' face where she moves her eyes from side to side. Hoffs recounted that she had been looking at selected members of the crowd, to counter stage fright, and had not realized it would be a focal point in the video. Tom Breihan of Stereogum wrote of the scene "But it's so cool. It makes her look like she's up to some mischief". The television director Marty Callner later said "I saw situations where one shot would make a star, like with Susanna Hoffs and 'Walk Like an Egyptian.' That thing she did with her eyes." In 2011, Hoffs was quoted as saying, "I guess it's become an iconic moment in that video, and I didn't even realize it was happening."

A 1986 London performance by the Bangles was reviewed by David Sinclair of The Times, who felt that the band "proved unconvincing in performance", although Hoffs "was by and large the best at creating a mood of emotional involvement. Her clear, fragile voice and coquettish enunciation were reminiscent of Stevie Nicks". Writing in the same paper a few months later, Richard Williams also compared Hoffs to Nicks, concluding that Hoffs was "an equally obvious candidate for a successful solo career one day".

The Bangles had another US number two hit with a cover of Simon & Garfunkel's "A Hazy Shade of Winter" released in late 1987 and reaching its peak position in February 1988. Following a successful tour, the group issued their third and final Columbia album Everything in 1988. The first single, "In Your Room", co-written by Hoffs with Billy Steinberg and Tom Kelly, became a US top 10 hit. The same album included their second US number one, and second American gold record single, "Eternal Flame", which was also co-written by Hoffs, Steinberg and Kelly.

Hoffs was lead vocalist on five of the seven Columbia singles by the Band. This, and an expectation that groups would have a primary vocalist, contributed to a public perception that she was a lead singer, even though all four members took lead vocals across their output, and Steele and Vicki Peterson did most of the talking between songs when the Bangles performed live. As Hoffs was significantly shorter than the other band members, photographs of the group tended to feature her at the front. Additionally, she had appeared as lead in the movie The Allnighter (1987); and was known to have Prince's attention. Orlean wrote that the cumulative effect was to "vault Susanna into beyond-Bangles celebrity status".

In 1989, while still popular, the Bangles disbanded, to undertake individual projects. There had been tensions and disquiet in the group since the Different Light; they saw themselves as musical creators, but their biggest successes had been versions of songs by others, and, since Hoffs had taken lead vocals on "Manic Monday" and been the center of attention for the "Walk Like an Egyptian" video, there was a perception that Hoffs was seen as the band's leader, which was heightened when the first two singles from Everything both featured Hoffs on lead vocals. In an interview for a 2002 book, Hoffs pinpointed the stress of touring as the breaking point. In her account, she recalled that the band members were tired and reluctant to tour, but agreed to do so at the behest of their management and record company, and in response to demand from their fans. According to the book's authors Lee Miller and Jessica Miller, "The situation deteriorated so badly that they canceled the tour abruptly and the band split up. Susanna always blamed the stress of that final tour for the breakup".

Hoffs contacted the other members of the Bangles in the late 1990s with the hope of reuniting. In 2008, she told Andrew Murfett of The Age that, "I wanted to do new Bangles music. I was driving the other girls crazy calling them. I didn't want to be a 'greatest hits' band. I wanted to write and sing new songs. That was really important to Vicki and Debbie, too. We didn't want to go on a 'Ladies of the 1980s' tour." The reunited Bangles played at a Beatles tribute concert conducted by George Martin, and recorded the single "Get the Girl" in 1999. Subsequently, they announced their decision to reunite full-time in 2000. Hoffs recounted that following the experiences that led to the group disbanding in 1989, the band members agreed that each would have a veto on the group's proposed activities. Their fourth album, Doll Revolution, was released in 2003; despite positive reviews, it sold moderately well. The group embarked on a tour following its release. Their fifth album, Sweetheart of the Sun, was released in 2011; it received an average score of 69 on review aggregator site Metacritic, indicating "Generally favorable reviews".

Evans and Lechner felt that the band "achieved gigantically the dubious triumph of sound over significance", and of the "inevitable reunion" that "even nostalgia has its limits. However, Robert Christgau rated all of the albums from their first incarnation as B- or above, and gave Doll Revolution three stars.

Solo career

Susanna Hoffs
Susanna Hoffs in 2008

Hoffs contributed lead vocals to covers of Bob Dylan's "I'll Keep It with Mine" and Lou Reed's "I'll Be Your Mirror" on Rainy Day's album Rainy Day (1984). Led by David Roback, the project also included Vicki Peterson and members of other Paisley Underground bands: Dream Syndicate, the Three O'Clock, and Rain Parade. "I'll Keep It with Mine" was issued as the A-side of Rainy Day's only single.

In 1987, Hoffs starred in the comedy The Allnighter, directed by Tamar Simon Hoffs, and also featuring Joan Cusack and Pam Grier. Glenn Kenny wrote in Video Review that Hoffs' character was "full of spunk" like her Bangles persona, but less "savvy", concluding that the movie was "unextraordinary and inoffensive". New York Times critic Janet Maslin panned it as "outstandingly dim". The film was also dismissed by Richard Harrington in The Washington Post, who declared that Hoffs "makes an inauspicious leap from rock videos to the big screen; she's stiff, [and] self-conscious." The movie was commercially unsuccessful; Susanna Hoffs said she expected it to fare better as a home video, as the production was more suitable for home than cinema viewing.

In 1991, Hoffs released her first post-Bangles solo album, When You're a Boy. It begins with the Billboard Top 40 single "My Side of the Bed", (which also charted in the UK at No. #44). It includes the track "Unconditional Love" and ends with a cover of "Boys Keep Swinging", the 1979 song written by David Bowie and Brian Eno. The album received a negative critical reception and did not sell well. One upbeat assessment was provided by Alan Neister of The Globe and Mail, who found the album as good as the Bangles' best work, and added that "Both as a songwriter and a song consumer, Hoffs has an ear fine-tuned to a great hook, and there isn't a song on this album that isn't hummable on the very first listen." In The Times, Sinclair felt that with the exception of the Bowie cover, the album was an "airbrushed exercise in boredom". the album was rated as a "dud" by Christgau. Jimmy Nicol of Q Magazine gave the album four out of five stars and wrote, "An album which expands the Bangles' brief into undreamed of territories. She reveals herself to be a highly inventive composer, lyricist – and even humourist" yet The Encyclopedia of Popular Music (2006), Colin Larkin gave the album 2 out of 5 stars, and argued that it "failed to maintain the interest of the mainstream fans who had discovered the Bangles in the wake of the smash single 'Eternal Flame', while simultaneously alienating the Paisley Underground loyalists with its AOR clichés." The Trouser Press Record Guide entry by Ira Robbins panned the album as a "no-holds-barred commercial bore".

Prior to leaving Columbia Records, Hoffs recorded tracks with producer Matt Wallace for a follow-up album in 1993–94 – including some songs written by Mark Linkous of Sparklehorse – but the album was not released.

In 1996, Hoffs released her second solo album, Susanna Hoffs on London Records. Stephen Thomas Erlewine of AllMusic praised it as an "infectious and engaging set of melodic pop that also happens to be Hoffs' most introspective and personal record to date." Wook Kim of Entertainment Weekly noted Hoffs "performs a small act of bravery" yet Larkin wrote that only one song, "King Of Tragedy", "had the edgy pop fizz of the Bangles' best work." Billboard reviewed the single, "Only Love", writing, "Energetic and harmonious ditty recalls heyday of '60s-era girl groups. Lots of fun." Hoffs toured in the US as well as in Europe and Japan to promote the release of the album.

Hoffs covered the Oingo Boingo song "We Close Our Eyes" for the Buffy the Vampire Slayer film soundtrack in 1992, and provided the title song for the 1995 film Now and Then. She also recorded her versions of Burt Bacharach songs for the soundtracks of two Austin Powers films – "The Look of Love" appears on the soundtrack of the first movie in 1997, Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery and "Alfie" is on the soundtrack of the third, Austin Powers in Goldmember. Hoffs also contributed covers of "The Water Is Wide" and Donovan's "Catch the Wind" for the soundtrack of Tamar Simon Hoffs' 2003 film Red Roses and Petrol.

Hoffs self-released her third solo album of new material (and her first full album since 1996), Someday, on her Baroque Folk label on July 17, 2012. It was distributed by Vanguard Records. 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". James Reed from the Boston Globe wrote, "Someday reminds you that Hoffs is perfectly suited to sunny, winsome material. In fact, her voice has hardly changed over the years; her performance on 'Someday' isn't that removed form how she sounded on say, 'Eternal Flame'. What's her secret?" The tracks include a newly recorded version of "November Sun", which Hoffs had initially recorded for another unrealized album project in 2000. Produced by Mitchell Froom, the album is influenced by the music of the 1960s and features Davey Faragher and Pete Thomas from Elvis Costello's band, the Imposters; as well as keyboards and orchestration by Froom. Larkin commented that "The Bangles folded in 1989 partly because Susanna Hoffs was being touted as the 'star' in a previously egalitarian band. It is ironic, therefore, that her solo career failed to come close to the success enjoyed by her old band."

Hoffs contributed vocals to "One Voice", the end credits song for the film A Dog Named Gucci (2016), a track also featuring Norah Jones, Aimee Mann, Lydia Loveless, Neko Case, Brian May and Kathryn Calder. "One Voice" was released on Record Store Day, April 16, 2016, with profits from the sale of the single going to benefit animal charities.

In 2021, Hoffs released her fourth studio album, Bright Lights - Bright Lights, on Baroque Folk Records. The record was produced by Paul Bryan and features versions of songs by Nick Drake, Michael Nesmith, Richard Thompson, Pete Ham and Tom Evans of Badfinger, and other canonical songwriters. The album includes, Name of the Game featuring Aimee Mann. Review Online wrote, "Hoffs is in fantastic voice throughout the album, capably managing the rangy melody of 'I Want to See the Bright Lights Tonight,' putting her natural rasp to fantastic use on the harder-edged 'Time Will Show the Wiser,' and conveying a youthful playfulness on 'You May Just Be the One.'

In 2023, Hoffs released her fifth solo album, The Deep End, produced by Peter Asher. Musicians such as Danny Kortchmar, Leland Sklar, Russell Kunkel, Waddy Wachtel, and Ledisi (vocals) played on the record. The album includes interpretations of the Rolling Stones, Squeeze, Lesley Gore and received favorable reviews; Lily Moayeri of Spin Magazine, wrote "Hoffs' voice is immediately recognizable, clear and sweet, hitting all the notes she did some 40 years ago. But her singular interpretations are so unique, they sometimes render the songs unrecognizable—in a good way". Gary Graff of Ultimate Classic Rock wrote, "This latest trip into others' songs is yet another delight, a demonstration of good taste and guts with Hoffs sounding as beguiling as she did lighting "Eternal Flame" or having a "Manic Monday" more than 30 years ago."

Hoffs' debut novel, This Bird Has Flown, a romantic comedy about a struggling musician, was published by Little Brown in 2023. It was described by The New York Times as "a smart, ferocious, rock-chick redemption romance." It received favorable reviews from Beatriz Williams in the New York Times, Mark Weingarten in the Los Angeles Times, Michael Schaub of NPR, and from Kirkus Reviews. Universal Pictures purchased the rights to the novel for a screen adaptation.

Ming Tea

Mike Myers, musician Matthew Sweet, and Hoffs formed the core of the faux-British '60s band Ming Tea after Myers left Saturday Night Live in the early 1990s. With Myers developing the Austin Powers character he'd created, and with Hoffs pausing her solo career, they first met to play informally and all adopted pseudonyms for the band – Sweet became Sid Belvedere, and Hoffs became Gillian Shagwell. The trio made a number of club and TV performances, and Myers' 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 appeared in all three Austin Powers films and recorded the songs "BBC" and "Daddy Wasn't There" for two of the soundtrack albums.

With Matthew Sweet

Hoffs teamed with Sweet, as "Sid and Susie", to record several cover versions of classic rock songs from the 1960s for their album Under the Covers, Vol. 1 (2006). Hoffs and Sweet released a follow-up, Under the Covers, Vol. 2 in 2009, featuring songs from the 1970s by Fleetwood Mac, Carly Simon, Rod Stewart and others. Under the Covers, Vol. 3 was released in 2013, featuring cover songs from the 1980s, the decade when both of their careers began. In 2013, Hoffs collaborated with Sweet and Tim Robbins on a recording of the traditional song "Marianne" for the sea shanty-themed compilation Son of Rogues Gallery: Pirate Ballads, Sea Songs & Chanteys.

Equipment

SusannaHoffsAustralia2008
Hoffs practicing backstage in 2008. She has often used Rickenbacker guitars.

Before joining college, Hoffs started playing electric guitar, initially a Gibson SG. She decided to seek out a Rickenbacker because she liked the "really jangly, bright sound" and because the Byrds and the Beatles had used the brand, and purchased a 1960s model with black and white checked binding. She used this on the early Bangles recordings, but after some work on the guitar that affected its feel, she bought a Rickenbacker 325. On the cover of All Over the Place, Hoffs is depicted holding her Rickenbacker 325V63 guitar. Musicologist Peter Mercer-Taylor observed that it was "a black and white 6-string with three pick-ups and a hole for a vibrato bar, though the bar is not in place. Shortly after its 1963 appearance, this had become John Lennon's signature instrument". Mercer-Taylor considered this a "powerful metaphor" that showed the group were intent on "carrying the female ensemble into artistic terrain from which they had long been forbidden". Although Hoffs employed the 325 on some of the band's recordings, she found it hard to tune, and said that it "ended up being more of a video guitar". For some time her main instrument was a borrowed Fender Telecaster, and she also used a Fender Stratocaster (including for live shows in 1984 and 1985); two Rickenbacker 350s and two Rickenbacker 620/12s (obtained during the Different Light sessions); and a Fritz Brothers Roy Buchanan Bluesmaster. She contributed to the design of a Susanna Hoffs model of the Rickenbacker 350 which the company released in 1988 and 1989. After the dissolution of the Bangles, Hoffs had a Taylor K22; she later worked with Taylor on the Susanna Hoffs Signature Series of guitars. She also has a 1966 12-string Guild Starfire which she felt provided an "incredible bright-but-warm sound" and used for tracks on Doll Revolution.

Personal life

Hoffs married filmmaker Jay Roach in 1993, and they have two sons. Roach converted to Judaism when they married. Hoffs inspired the songs "The Girl with the Guitar (Says Oh Yeah)" by the Three O'Clock, and "That Bangle Girl" by Robbie Fulks.

Discography

Albums

Susanna Hoffs album releases
Year Title Peak chart positions
US
AUS
NED
SWE
SWI
UK
1991 When You're a Boy 83 67 51 29 56
1996 Susanna Hoffs 50
2006 Under the Covers, Vol. 1
(with Matthew Sweet)
192
2009 Under the Covers, Vol. 2
(with Matthew Sweet)
106
2012 Someday
2013 Under the Covers, Vol. 3
(with Matthew Sweet)
72
2021 Bright Lights
2023 The Deep End
"—" denotes releases that did not chart or were not released in that country.

Singles

Susanna Hoffs single releases
Year Title Peak chart positions Notes
US
AUS
AUT
GER
NED
NZ
SWE
SWI
UK
Solo releases
1991 "My Side of the Bed" 30 54 20 36 23 33 44
"When You're a Boy" 51 29
"Unconditional Love" 100 65
"Only Love"/"You Were on My Mind" 135
1996 "All I Want" 77 164 44 44 32
With Ming Tea
1997 "BBC" Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery soundtrack
2002 "Daddy Wasn't There" Austin Powers in Goldmember soundtrack
With Travis
2020 "The Only Thing"
"—" denotes releases that did not chart or were not released in that country.

EPs

Susanna Hoffs EP releases
Year Title Peak chart positions
US
AUS
NED
SWE
SWI
UK
2012 Some Summer Days
2012 From Me to You
"—" denotes releases that did not chart or were not released in that country.

Other appearances

Susanna Hoffs appearances on other albums
Year Song(s) Album Notes Ref.
1984 "Are The Beatles Really Here? Los Angeles 1966" English As A Second Language (Freeway Records) Spoken word
1986 "Wild Wild Life" True Stories Background vocals on Talking Heads album
1992 "We Close Our Eyes" Buffy the Vampire Slayer (original soundtrack) Oingo Boingo cover
1992 "You Were on My Mind" Fathers and Sons (Chaos Recordings) Sylvia Fricker cover
1995 "Now and Then" Now and Then soundtracks Written by Hoffs, Charlotte Caffey and Jane Wiedlin
1997 "Stuck in the Middle with You" Bean soundtrack Stealers Wheel cover
1998 "Eternal Flame" Lilith Fair (A Celebration of Women in Music) Written by Hoffs, Tom Kelly and Billy Steinberg
2000 "A Fool in Love" Meet the Parents soundtrack Duet with Randy Newman
2011 "Tear Off Your Own Head (It's a Doll Revolution)" The Return of the Spectacular Spinning Songbook!!! Guest appearance; Elvis Costello and the Imposters live album
2013 "Marianne" Son of Rogues Gallery: Pirate Ballads, Sea Songs & Chanteys Credited to Tim Robbins with Matthew Sweet and Susanna Hoffs
2023 "Twelve Thirty (Young Girls Are Coming to the Canyon)" Folkocracy Guest appearance; Rufus Wainwright album

Filmography

Susannah Hoffs filmography and broadcast media appearances
Year Title Notes Ref.
1978 Stony Island Directed by Andrew Davis. Screenplay by Davis and Tamar Simon Hoffs
1982 The Haircut Short film. Direction and screenplay by Tamar Simon Hoffs
1986 True Stories Background vocals on Wild Wild Life
1989 Rock & Read Children's home video (1989) / DVD (2011). Written, directed and produced by Tamar Simon Hoffs
1987 The Allnighter Hoffs has the leading role, as Molly. Directed by Tamar Simon Hoffs
1990 The Goonies 'R' Good Enough Cyndi Lauper music video; Hoffs appears as a woman pirate
1990 The Bangles – Greatest Hits: Videos as part of the Bangles
1991 Rapido UK TV; Guest
1991 Rocksat Australian radio program
1997 Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery Movie
2000 Meet the Parents "A Fool in Love" duet with Randy Newman
2001 Gilmore Girls TV; as part of the Bangles
2001 A Fool in Love TV, Academy Awards performance with Randy Newman
c. 2002 Clifford the Big Red Dog TV. Voice of Courtney Amber (guest appearance)
2002 Austin Powers in Goldmember Movie
2003 Doll Revolution – Bonus DVD as part of the Bangles
2006 Late Night with Conan O'Brien TV, Guest performance
2006 The Tonight Show with Jay Leno TV, Guest performance
2007 Return to Bangleonia as part of the Bangles; concert DVD
2011 Dancing with the Stars TV; as part of the Bangles
2012 Comedy Bang! Bang! TV
2014 Volunteers of America the Both music video; cameo appearance
2015 Get a Room TV, singing "Eternal Flame" in a karaoke bar
2019 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame TV, Hoffs inducted the Zombies into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
2020 Grammy Salute to Prince: Let's Go Crazy TV, Performed Manic Monday duet with Chris Martin
2022 Grammy Salute to Paul Simon: Homeward Bound TV, Performed A Hazy Shade of Winter
2023 The Muppets Mayhem TV episode. Guest star.

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Susanna Hoffs para niños

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