Initially associated with the British punk rock scene, Siouxsie & the Banshees quickly evolved to create "a form of post-punk discord full of daring rhythmic and sonic experimentation". The Times cited Siouxsie & the Banshees as "one of the most audacious and uncompromising musical adventurers of the post-punk era." Their music also combined elements of pop and avant-garde.
Siouxsie and the Banshees' Story
Their first single Hong Kong Garden reached the top ten in the UK in the summer of 1978.
Their first album, The Scream (1978), is today considered as a classic. The 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 them as pioneers of the post-punk bands.
Their second album was Join Hands (1979); perhaps the most darkest album. Guitarist McKay and drummer Morris left the band during a promotion session in a music store at Dublin. Siouxsie was shouting at them once again and the was the last drop. They went straight back to London.
This change allowed the Banshees to play a different music. They recruited the drummer Budgie and the gifted guitarist John McGeoch, formerly of Magazine (his work with the Banshees, was later praised by Radiohead and The Smiths).
McGeoch played on three albums with the band. Kaleidoscope (1980), including Happy House and Christine, showed a brand new musical departure : this eclectic record was a success and reached the top 5 in the national UK charts. One year later in 1981, Juju with the vibrant Spellbound, was another success.
The last session McGeoch recorded with the band was for the Slowdive single from the 1982's classic A kiss In The Dreamhouse. The British press greeted this album enthusiastically. The NME finished its review with this sentence : "I promise. This music will take your breath away." But McGeoch, worn by the recording process of these songs, was hospitalized on his return to a promotional trip to Madrid.
At the same era, Siouxsie and drummer Budgie created another band The Creatures to record music more based on percussion.
In late 1982, McGeoch was replaced by Robert Smith (from The Cure) : smith became a full-time member between 1982 and 1984. He contributed to the classic live album and DVD Nocturne (1983) and to the studio album Hyaena (1984) as co-composer.
Guitarist John Valentine Carruthers replaced Smith in may 1984. He played on the successful Tinderbox album (1986), including the first hit-single of the band in the US Cities In Dust.
The covers album Through The Looking Glass (1987) with This Wheel's On Fire, allowed the band to broaden their sound.
Following a lengthy break, the rest of the band recruited another new guitarit Jon Klein (Specimen) and the multi-instrumentalist McCarrick to record Peepshow (1988). The hit-single Peek-A-Boo was considered as avant-garde with its abrasive sounds.
After the most impressive tour of their career, the band stopped for a while and the second band of Siouxsie & Budgie The Creatures, reappeared with another album, the critically acclaimed Boomerang (1989). One of the most languorous songs from this record, Killing Time, was covered live by Jeff Buckley a few years later.
In 1991, the Banshees returned with the single Kiss Them For Me, mixing Beatles strings over a dance rhythm. This single peaked in the U.S. singles charts at number 23, allowing them to reach a new audience. Melody Maker praised the last two studio albums Superstition (1991) and The Rapture (1995- partially produced by John Cale) including a swansong called Forever.
Morrissey recorded a duet with Siouxsie called Interlude : this one-off single was published under the banner of the two artists names.
After the split of the band in 1996, the box set Downside Up was released, compiling 51 unreleased B-sides and the highly praised out-of-print "The Thorn" mini-lp. Most of these numbers like Something Wicked (This Way Comes) and Red Over White (The Thorn) are considered by fans as classics.
After carried on recording as The Creatures, Siouxsie released her first solo album Mantaray in 2007 : the record was hailed by both Pitchfork and Mojo.
Influence on other artists
Siouxsie & the Banshees influenced many musicians of all kinds and genres.
The band had a strong impact on Trip Hop acts :
* 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 & 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 & 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.
www.siouxsie.com
Split in 2002
New Skin
Siouxsie & The Banshees Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Stardom pardons the lies
The miles, the minutes passing by
My window
(Yeah Yeah Yeah)
Rising up through the ashes and grime
A new me on the other side
This old skin
(Woo-oo woo woo, woo-oo woo woo)
Hello, Hello, I'm coming through my new skin
(Yeah yeah yeah)
So take the dips with the tricks
Gimme shimmy shimmy hip shake
Hello, Hello, let's kick out the trash of ((anybody got a guess?))
(Woo-oo, woo woo, woo-oo, woo woo)
Hello, Hello, I'm coming in my new skin
(unintelligible utterance)
(Yeah yeah yeah)
F**k you, I win this prize
Stardom pardons the lies
The miles, the minutes pissing by
My window
(Woo-oo, woo woo, woo-oo, woo woo)
Hello, Hello, I'm coming in my new skin
Hello, Hello, I'm hungry for some new skin
Hello, it's me, I'm coming for you in my new skin
Hey, hey, let's kick out the trash
Hey, hey, let's kick out the trash
Hey, hey, let's kick out the trash...
The lyrics to Siouxsie & The Banshees song, New Skin, tackle the issues of stardom, lies, and the passage of time. The first verse starts with a bold statement of winning a prize, but this is not an ordinary feat. The prize won is stardom, and with it comes a pardon for the lies that the artist might have told along the way. The lyrics then shift to the passing of time, which the artist looks upon from her window.
The chorus brings in a positive note, of rising up through the ashes and grime, and presenting a new version of oneself on the other side of the struggle. The artist speaks directly to her audience, announcing her arrival in a new skin, as if greeting them after a long absence.
The second verse of New Skin brings in a more playful tone, with the line to "take the dips with the tricks" potentially referring to taking risks and experimenting, as well as making use of showmanship with moves like the shimmy shimmy hip shake. The invitation to "kick out the trash" is not only a literal request, but also a metaphorical one, perhaps urging listeners to discard any negativity or past mistakes.
Overall, the song is an anthem of self-discovery and transformation, presented through lyrics that are equally bold and poetic.
Line by Line Meaning
F**k you, I win this prize
I am the victor and have earned my place in the spotlight
Stardom pardons the lies
Success allows one to escape from the falsehoods of the past
The miles, the minutes passing by
Time continues to move forward, unrelenting
My window
The artist is observing the world outside
Rising up through the ashes and grime
The artist is emerging from difficult circumstances and becoming something better
A new me on the other side
There is a transformed identity waiting for the singer beyond their current struggles
Hello, Hello, I'm breaking through
The singer is bursting through barriers with enthusiasm
This old skin
The old self, with all its flaws and struggles, is being shed like skin
Hello, Hello, I'm coming through my new skin
The artist is eager to embrace their redefined self
So take the dips with the tricks
The artist is encouraging others to embrace new experiences and challenges
Gimme shimmy shimmy hip shake
The singer is feeling playful and wants to dance
Hello, Hello, let's kick out the trash of ((anybody got a guess?))
The artist wants to rid their life of negativity or unwanted baggage
Hello, Hello, I'm coming in my new skin
The singer is ready to fully embrace their transformed self
(unintelligible utterance)
This line is unclear and can not be accurately interpreted
F**k you, I win this prize
The singer is again asserting their victory and success
The miles, the minutes pissing by
The passage of time may be frustrating, but it will not impede the artist
Hello, Hello, I'm coming in my new skin
Once more, the artist is excited to fully inhabit their transformed self
Hello, Hello, I'm hungry for some new skin
The singer is seeking further transformation or growth
Hello, it's me, I'm coming for you in my new skin
The singer is reaching out to someone, asserting their new identity
Hey, hey, let's kick out the trash
The artist is once again advocating for removing negativity and embracing positivity
Writer(s): Susan Janet Ballion
Contributed by Mason F. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@Souvlaki93
VA - Showgirls (1995)
01. Prick - Animal [4:09]
02. David Bowie - I'm Afraid Of Americans [5:12]
03. The Young Gods - Kissing The Sun [4:31]
04. Siouxsie & The Banshees - New Skin [5:36]
05. My Life With The Thrill Kill Kult - Wasted Time [3:55]
06. Possum Dixon - Emergency's About To End [2:37]
07. No Doubt - You Can Do It [4:14]
08. Xavier - Purely Sexuel [4:01]
09. Killing Joke - Hollywood Babylon [6:44]
10. Freaks Of Desire - Beast Inside [5:43]
11. Scylla - Helen's Face [4:55]
12. My Life With The Thrill Kill Kult - Somebody New [2:37]
13. David A. Stewart - Goddess [3:27]
14. Andrew Carver - Walk Into The Wind [5:37]
@DeepScreenAnalysis
That final shot of Showgirls with Nomi on the billboard, leaving behind her Vegas glory to take a bite out of Hollywood. Timeless. Sequel please!
@christinabearden2563
And with her teeth she certainly could take a bite out of it lol.
@loricrockett-owens5117
I won't forget Naomi in either that blue leather outfit when she became goddess or that leopard outfit with the slicked back hair and red lipstick! lol!
@HauntFreak13
There is a sequel. It’s awful. Lol
It’s called “Showgirls 2: Penny’s From Heaven.”
@annakupiakova9174
Sequel is not a good idea. This movie is soo good that no sequel can repeat the vibe. Also it's liлу in a relationships - don't go twice in the same river :)
@eccho1
I do wish there was a sequel
@loricrockett-owens5117
I'll never forget Nomi in those leather out fits, that blue patent leather and that leopard print. She looked gorgeous. ❤️
@perpetual61
Showgirls ending with Nomi Malone leaving Las Vegas in the truck with the guy who stole her Suitcase of Ca$h. Then she pulls out her Knife threatening him harm while showing her Huge billboard as Goddess.
@adrianfitch9863
This song is FANTASTIC!
@loricrockett-owens5117
Adrian Fitch sure is. ❤️