Early life
Hoffs was born in Newport Beach, California to a Jewish family. Her mother was a fan of The Beatles and played their records for Hoffs when she was a child. She began playing the guitar in her teens and hooked up with Vicki Peterson and Debbi Peterson, who needed a singer for their band, which would later become The Bangles. Susanna attended Palisades High School in Pacific Palisades, Los Angeles. In 1980, she graduated from University of California, Berkeley with a BA in Art.
The Bangles years
The Bangles released their first album All Over The Place in 1984, but their major breakthrough album was Different Light in 1986, with the hit singles "Manic Monday" and "Walk Like an Egyptian." Her fame rising, Susanna starred in the movie The Allnighter in 1987. It was directed by her mother Tamar Simon Hoffs and also featured Joan Cusack and Pam Grier. She also made the covers of many magazines, and the Rickenbacker guitar company issued a Susanna Hoffs model, which she still plays during gigs. Although the Bangles did not have a set lead vocalist, and the girls alternated on singing, Susanna was perceived by many casual fans to be the main vocalist. She also received by far the most media attention, which led to tensions within the band. The Bangles released their very successful third album Everything in 1988, with their biggest selling single "Eternal Flame." But the breakup was inevitable, and they disbanded in 1989.
Solo career and personal life
Susanna released a solo album When You're a Boy in 1991, which didn't sell very well (although it did spawn a US Top 40 hit with "My Side of the Bed"). In 1993, she married Jay Roach, later the director of the Austin Powers movies and Meet the Parents and producer of The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. They have two sons, born in 1995 and 1998.
In 1996, Susanna released her second solo album Susanna Hoffs, this time with more personal lyrics and a more mature sound. Although it received some praise in the press (and yielded a minor US hit with the single "All I Want"), it didn't sell well either. Susanna also recorded another album during 1993/1994, prior to leaving Columbia records. So far it remains unreleased, though substandard bootleg copies have been circulating for years. Susanna also records demos prolifically, and these also sometimes surface on the internet. The best known of these is probably the song "Pride," which can be legally downloaded at Bill Bonk's website.
Hoffs appears in the first Austin Powers movie as a member of the fictitious 1960s rock group Ming Tea, fronted by the title character. In real-life, Ming Tea consisted of actor Mike Myers, Hoffs, Canadian musician/producer Christopher Ward, and singer Matthew Sweet. This group made a number of TV performances (with Myers in character as Powers) and had a minor hit with the song "BBC." Hoffs returned with the group in the second and third Austin Powers films.
Bangles reunion
In the late 1990s, Susanna started to contact the other members of the Bangles again. They recorded the single "Get the Girl" for the second Austin Powers movie in 1999. Playing together and enjoying themselves, they announced their decision to reunite in 2000. Their fourth album, called Doll Revolution, was released in 2003, followed by a tour.
Cover of Under the Covers, Vol. 1
Sid 'n' Susie
In 2006, Susanna teamed up with fellow Ming Tea rocker, Matthew Sweet, under the name Sid 'n' Susie to record 15 covers on an album appropriately called Under the Covers, Vol. 1. The Album was released in April of 2006 and they appeared on July 18th on Late Night with Conan O'Brien to promote the album and tour.
Maggie May
Susanna Hoffs Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Its late September and I really should be back at school
I know I keep you amused but I feel I'm being used
Oh Maggie I shouldn't have tried any more
You lured me away from home just to save me from being alone
You stole my heart and that's what really hurts
But that don't worry me none in my eyes you're everything
Laughed at all of your jokes, my love you didn't need to coax
Oh, Maggie I couldn't have tried anymore
You lured me away from home, just to save me from being alone
You stole my soul and that's a pain I can do without
All I needed was a friend to lend a guiding hand
But you turned into a lover and
Mother what a lover, you wore me out
All you did was wreck my bed
And in the morning kick me in the head
Oh Maggie I couldn't have tried anymore
You lured me away from home cause you didn't want to be alone
You stole my heart I couldn't leave you if I tried
I suppose I could collect my books and get on back to school
Steal my daddy's cue and make a living out of playing pool
Find myself a rock and roll band that needs a helpin' hand
Oh Maggie I wish I'd never seen your face
You made a first-class fool out of me
I was blind as a fool can be
You stole my heart but I love you anyway
Maggie I wish I'd never seen your face
Get on back home one of these days
Maggie I wish I'd never seen your face
Maggie I wish I'd never seen your face
The lyrics to Susanna Hoffs's song Maggie May are about a boy, who wakes up Maggie and tells her that he has something to say to her. The boy tells Maggie that it's late September and he should be back at school. He tells Maggie that she has been using him and that he shouldn't have tried anymore. He then talks about how Maggie lured him away from home to save him from being alone and how she stole his heart which really hurts.
The boy then talks about how the morning sun shows her age but that doesn't worry him. He talks about how he laughed at all her jokes and how he couldn't have tried anymore but that Maggie turned into a lover and wore him out. He talks about how all she did was wreck his bed and in the morning, she kicked him in the head. He talks about how Maggie stole his heart and that he couldn't leave her if he tried.
The boy then talks about how he wishes he had never seen Maggie's face and that he was blind as a fool can be. He talks about how Maggie made a first-class fool out of him but that he loves her anyway. The song speaks about the pain of being used by someone and the struggle of trying to let go of someone you love but know is not good for you.
Line by Line Meaning
Wake up Maggie I think I got something to say to you
I need to talk to you about how you've treated me.
Its late September and I really should be back at school
I need to focus on my studies, not on you.
I know I keep you amused but I feel I'm being used
You're using me for your own enjoyment, and it's not fair to me.
Oh Maggie I shouldn't have tried any more
I regret ever getting involved with you.
You lured me away from home just to save me from being alone
You took advantage of my vulnerability and loneliness.
You stole my heart and that's what really hurts
You broke my heart, and it's painful to think about.
Morning sun when its in your face really shows your age
You're starting to show your true colors, and it's not pretty.
But that don't worry me none in my eyes you're everything
Despite your flaws, I still see you as perfect.
Laughed at all of your jokes, my love you didn't need to coax
I always found your jokes funny, and I loved you without any need for persuasion.
Oh, Maggie I couldn't have tried anymore
I did everything I could to make you happy, but it wasn't enough.
You stole my soul and that's a pain I can do without
You took away my sense of self, and it's a feeling I don't want to experience again.
All I needed was a friend to lend a guiding hand
I just needed someone to help me through a difficult time.
But you turned into a lover and
Mother what a lover, you wore me out
You went beyond friendship and took advantage of my vulnerability, exhausting me emotionally and physically.
All you did was wreck my bed
And in the morning kick me in the head
You only cared about your own pleasure, and didn't care about me.
Oh Maggie I couldn't have tried anymore
You lured me away from home cause you didn't want to be alone
You stole my heart I couldn't leave you if I tried
I did everything I could to make you happy, but you just wanted me around for your own sake. Despite this, I still can't bring myself to leave you.
I suppose I could collect my books and get on back to school
Steal my daddy's cue and make a living out of playing pool
Find myself a rock and roll band that needs a helpin' hand
Oh Maggie I wish I'd never seen your face
Perhaps I should just focus on my own life and interests, and forget about you.
You made a first-class fool out of me
I was blind as a fool can be
You stole my heart but I love you anyway
I was naive and foolish to fall for your tricks, but despite everything, I still love you.
Maggie I wish I'd never seen your face
Get on back home one of these days
Maggie I wish I'd never seen your face
I regret ever getting involved with you and hope that you'll leave me alone from now on.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Martin Quittenton, Roderick Stewart
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind