in an interview with mtv uk in 1989 debbi peterson explained why prince gave them the song: "prince really liked our first album. he liked the song 'hero takes a fall', which is a great compliment, because we liked his music. he contacted us, and said, 'i've got a couple of songs for you. i'd like to know if you're interested,' and of course we were. one of the songs prince brought to the group was 'manic monday', written under the pseudonym of christopher." peterson talked about the evolution of what prince brought them: "it was a banglefication of a prince arrangement. he had a demo, that was very specifically him. it was a good song, but we didn't record it like 'this is our first hit single! oh my god! i can feel it in my veins!' we just did the song, and the album, and then sat back and thought about it."