Their first single "Hong Kong Garden" reached the top ten in the UK in the summer of 1978. Their debut full-length The Scream (1978) is today considered as a classic. NME wrote in its review, "The band sounds like, some unique hybrid of the Velvet Underground mated with much of the ingenuity of Tago Mago-era Can, if any parallel can be drawn... certainly, the traditional three-piece sound has never been used in a more unorthodox fashion with such stunning results." Indeed, "Switch" placed Siouxsie and the Banshees as pioneers of the post-punk movement.
Their sophomore Join Hands (1979), perhaps their darkest record, followed up. Guitarist McKay and drummer Morris had left the band shortly after its release. This change allowed Siouxsie the Banshees to play different music. They recruited drummer Budgie and the gifted John McGeoch, formerly of Magazine, who would play guitars on the three following records. McGeoch's work with Siouxsie the Banshees would later be praised by the likes of Radiohead and the Smiths.
Their third record Kaleidoscope (1980) released. Including tracks "Happy House" and "Christine", showed a brand new musical departure with liquid guitars and atmospheric synthesizers. This eclectic record was a success and it reached the top five in the national UK charts. One year later, fourth full-length Juju (1981), with the vibrant "Spellbound", was yet another success for the band.
The last session McGeoch recorded with Siouxsie and the Banshees was for the "Slowdive" single off the classic A Kiss in the Dreamhouse (1982). The British press greeted this fifth release enthusiastically. NME wrote on its review, "I promise. This music will take your breath away." McGeoch, worn out by the recording process of these songs, was hospitalized on his return from a promotional trip to Madrid, Spain. At the same era, Siouxsie and drummer Budgie formed the Creatures to record music more based on percussion.
In late 1982, McGeoch was replaced by famed Robert Smith, from the Cure. Smith became a full-time member between the years 1982 and 1984. He contributed to the classic live album, and later would be DVD, Nocturne (1983) and to the sixth studio album Hyaena (1984) as co-composer.
Guitarist John Valentine Carruthers, from band Clock DVA, replaced Smith in May, 1984. He played on the successful seventh full-length Tinderbox (1986), which included the first hit single of the band in the US, "Cities in Dust". The following covers album Through the Looking Glass (1987) with "This Wheel's on Fire", allowed the band to broaden up their sound.
Following a lengthy break, the rest of the band recruited another, new guitarist Jon Klein, from Specimen and the multi-instrumentalist Martin McCarrick to record ninth studio Peepshow (1988). The hit single "Peek-a-Boo" was considered as avant-garde for its abrasive sounds.
After the most impressive tour of their career, Siouxsie and the Banshees stopped for a while and then the Creatures reappeared with critically acclaimed sophomore Boomerang (1989). One of the most languorous songs from this record, "Killing Time", was covered live by Jeff Buckley a few years later.
In May 13th, 1991 Siouxsie the Banshees returned with the single "Kiss Them for Me", mixing the Beatles strings over a dance rhythm. This track peaked in the US singles charts at number 23, allowing them to reach a new audience. Melody Maker praised the last two studio albums by the band, Superstition (1991) and The Rapture (1995). The latter, partially produced by John Cale, included the swansong "Forever".
Morrissey later recorded a duet with Siouxsie titled "Interlude". This one, off-single was published under the banner of the two artists' names. After 20 years together, Siouxsie and the Banshees split in April, 1996. Siouxsie and Budgie thet announced that they would carry on recording as the Creatures. They released their third studio Anima Animus (1999) to critical acclaim.
The box set Downside Up (2004) was released, compiling 51 unreleased B-sides and the highly praised out-of-print The Thorn EP. Most of these numbers like, "Something Wicked (This Way Comes)" and "Red over White", are considered by fans as 'classics.' After carrying on recording as the Creatures, Siouxsie released her debut solo Mantaray (2007). The record was hailed by both Pitchfork and Mojo.
Influence on Other Artists
Siouxsie and the Banshees have influenced musicians worldwide across many genres.
The band had a strong impact on Trip Hop acts such as:
* Tricky covered "Tattoo" to open his second solo album Nearly God. Here's his version: Tattoo. The original version of "Tattoo" was recorded in 1983 and is available on the Banshees Downside Up box set.
* Massive Attack covered and sampled the music of Metal Postcard on their song "Superpredators (Metal Postcard)" for the movie soundtrack The Jackal.
Siouxsie and the Banshees also inspired the following artists :
* LCD Soundsystem covered "Slowdive" for the cd-single "Disco Infiltrator". Here's the original Slowdive and the LCD Soundsystem version Slowdive (XFM session)
* Jeff Buckley covered live a Siouxsie / The Creatures song called 'Killing Time' originally composed in 1989 on the album Boomerang. Here's the original Killing Time.
* Morrissey stated this in 'GQ' in 1994 : "None of them are as good as Siouxsie and the Banshees at full pelt. That's not dusty nostalgia, that's fact."
* The Smiths guitarist Johnny Marr from The Smiths stated on the BBC radio 2 in february'2008 that he rated very high McGeoch for his work on Spellbound.
* Garbage singer Shirley Manson wrote in the foreword of the official Siouxsie and the Banshees biography in 2003 by Mojo magazine journalist Mark Paytress : "I learned how to sing listening to The Scream and Kaleidoscope."
* Radiohead bassist Colin Greenwood claims that while recording their song "There There", producer Nigel Godrich tried to get guitarist Jonny Greenwood to sound like the Banshees' John McGeoch.
* PJ Harvey selected in her top ten favourite albums of year 1999 : Anima Animus by The Creatures. aka Siouxsie.
*Jane's Addiction guitarist Dave Navarro also makes a parallel between his band and the Banshees in Siouxsie's official biography: "There are so many similar threads : melody, use of sound, attitude, sex-appeal. I always saw Jane's Addiction as the masculine Siouxsie and the Banshees."
*The Beta Band sampled the bridge of Painted Bird on their track Liquid Bird from the Heroes to Zeros album.
*Red Hot Chili Peppers covered Christine live at the V2001 festival. In 2002, their guitarist John Frusciante stated in an article featured on Total Guitar Magazine about Banshees guitarist John McGeoch : "He’s just a great guitar player, full stop. I wanted to listen to these people who weren’t just about technique but more about textures. People like John McGeoch. People who used good chords." also declaring that John McGeoch was an influence for the sound on the Red Hot Chili Peppers album By The Way.
*The Mars Volta covered Pulled to Bits (Live At The Royal Albert Hall) for the 'Wax Simulacra' single.
*Arcade Fire singer Win Butler suggested to the band Devotchka to cover the 1988 Siouxsie song : The Last Beat Of My Heart. One can listen to the Devothcka version on their Curse Your Little Heart ep.
* The Cure leader Robert Smith declared in 2003 in Mark Paytress's Siouxsie biography : "Siouxsie and The Banshees and Wire were the two bands I really admired. They meant something." He also pinpointed what the Join Hands tour brought him musically. "On stage that first night with the Banshees, I was Blown away by how powerful I felt playing that kind of music. It was so different to what we were doing with The Cure. Before that, I'd wanted us to be like The Buzzcocks or Elvis Costello, the punk Beatles. Being a Banshee really changed my attitude to what I was doing." He also talked about the band to Steve Sutherland in 1985 to describe "The Head On the Door" : "It reminds me of the Kaleidoscope album, the idea of having lots of different sounding things, different colors."
*U2 selected Christine for a compilation made for Mojo and The Edge presented an award to Siouxsie at a Mojo ceremony in 2005.
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Split in 2002
Spellbound
Siouxsie and the Banshees Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Comes a beckoning voice
It sends you spinning
You have no choice
You hear a laughter
Cracking through the walls
It sends you spinning
You have no choice
You hear laughter
Cracking through the walls
It sends you spinning
You have no choice
Following the footsteps
Of a rag doll dance
We are entranced
Spellbound
Following the footsteps
Of a rag doll dance
We are entranced
Spellbound
Spellbound
Spellbound
Spellbound
Spellbound
Spellbound
Spellbound
And don't forget
When your elders forget
To say their prayers
Take 'em by the legs
And throw 'em down the stairs
When you think
Your toys have gone berserk
It's an illusion
You cannot shirk
You hear laughter
Cracking through the walls
It sends you spinning
You have no choice
Following the footsteps
Of a rag doll dance
We are entranced
Spellbound
Following the footsteps
Of a rag doll dance
We are entranced
Spellbound
Spellbound
Spellbound
Spellbound
Spellbound
Spellbound
Spellbound
Spellbound
Following the footsteps
Of a rag doll dance
We are entranced
Following the footsteps
Of a rag doll dance
We are entranced
Entranced, entranced
Entranced, entranced
Entranced, entranced
The opening stanza of "Spellbound" by Siouxsie and the Banshees speaks to the powerlessness we feel as children when confronted with the scary, inexplicable aspects of the world around us. The voice beckoning from the cradle bars sends the listener spinning, creating a sense of hypnosis and entrancement. The laughter cracking through the walls further reinforces this idea of being trapped or contained, with no means of escape. The repetition of the phrase "you have no choice" reinforces the feeling of helplessness in the face of these unknown forces.
The chorus of "Spellbound" builds on this idea of entrancement through repetition of movement, with the rag doll dance serving as a metaphor for the way we can become completely absorbed in something, whether it's a pattern of behavior, a line of thought or an addiction. The word "spellbound" underscores the idea that we're under some kind of enchantment or spell, unable to break free from the pull of whatever it is that's holding us in thrall. The second half of the song introduces a surprising twist with the lines "And don't forget when your elders forget to say their prayers / Take 'em by the legs and throw 'em down the stairs." This violent image suggests a desire for revenge on those who have failed to protect us from the scary things in the world, whether it's through neglect or sheer inability to understand what's happening.
Line by Line Meaning
From the cradle bars
The voice comes from childhood, representing childlike abandon and immaturity.
Comes a beckoning voice
The voice beckons to follow and to experience something more than life as it is.
It sends you spinning
The experience is overwhelming and makes one feel out of control.
You have no choice
The experience is not one that can be turned away from or ignored.
You hear a laughter
The voice and beckoning invite you into a world of joy and fun.
Cracking through the walls
The laughter is so powerful that it breaks through the barriers of reality.
Following the footsteps
Acting on the invitation offered by the voice and laughter.
Of a rag doll dance
The experience is chaotic and disorganized, like a child's playtime.
We are entranced
The experience is hypnotic, captivating, and all-consuming.
Spellbound
The experience is one of being under a powerful spiritual or mystical influence.
And don't forget
The singer reminds one of a critical element that is often overlooked.
When your elders forget
Even those in positions of authority or wisdom can forget to pay attention to the mystical forces surrounding them.
To say their prayers
Prayer is one way to acknowledge and connect with the spiritual forces at play in the world.
Take 'em by the legs
If someone is unwilling to accept the mystical experience, sometimes a metaphorical intervention is required.
And throw 'em down the stairs
The intervention can be forceful, unyielding, and may involve a fall from grace or from a previous point of view.
When you think
The artist reminds one of a crucial point to remember.
Your toys have gone berserk
Sometimes our experiences can become so intense that they feel like they are beyond our control, like a toy that has stopped being a toy and has become something else entirely.
It's an illusion
The singer reminds one that one's perceptions about these mystical experiences may be skewed and not entirely trustworthy.
You cannot shirk
Even when the experiences seem impossible, they must be reckoned with and cannot be ignored.
Entranced, entranced
The artist emphasizes the full extent of the hypnotic effect of the experience.
Entranced, entranced
The artist emphasizes the full extent of the hypnotic effect of the experience.
Entranced, entranced
The artist emphasizes the full extent of the hypnotic effect of the experience.
Lyrics © DOMINO PUBLISHING COMPANY
Written by: Siouxsie Sioux, John McGeoch, Steven Severin, Budgie
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind