WHERE ARE THEY NOW? The Bangles

The debut album by the talented girl group turned 40 last year-here's a look at what the band members have been up to over the years

- ABBEY BENDER

FEW '80S BANDS were cooler than The Bangles. Along with The Go-Go's, they were one of the essential groups to prove that women could rock just as hard as men, and their combination of '60s musical influences and sassy '80s style dominated MTV in the channel's early days.

The band was formed in 1981 and released their debut album, All Over the Place, in 1984. With their second album, the 1986 classic Different Light, they soared in popularity, and their hits throughout the decade included "Manic Monday," "Walk Like an Egyptian," "Hazy Shade of Winter," "In Your Room" and "Eternal Flame."

The Bangles broke up in 1989, a year after releasing their record Everything, but reunited in 1998. Since then, they've released two more albums, Doll Revolution (2003) and Sweetheart of the Sun (2011), and have continued to tour on occasion.

Forty years after they first hit the scene, The Bangles remain some of the grooviest women in music. Their songs have serious staying power (who among us hasn't related to "Manic Monday," danced to "Walk Like or Egyptian" or swooned to "Eternal Flame"?) and they blazed a trail for many female-led pop-rock bands that followed. Here's a look back at the original lineup of The Bangles then and now.

SUSANNA HOFFS