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
Softly
Siouxsie and the Banshees Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Softly into these broken dreams
Will you ever come home?
Will you ever be found?
Standing on shattered windowpane
Softly I whisper your name
Concealed in bedclothes of frosting cold
Softly the snowflakes start to fall
Fleecing the velvet skin
Suspended in frozen time
Icicles slowly drip outside
To the rhythm of your wounds here inside
I entered your dream, I entered your scheme
Softly to swim inside your veins
Softly in rippling cellophane
To float and glide in time
To the rushing in your brain
I wanted your lips, yes, I wanted your kiss
So softly the moment had flown
My body outside yours softly collects the falling snow
And disappears far away so softly
The lyrics to the Siouxsie and the Banshees song, "Softly," are evocative and haunting. The song begins with the poignant image of something soft (perhaps love or a drug) entering into "broken veins" and "broken dreams." The questions posed are heart-wrenching: "Will you ever come home? Will you ever be found?" It's unclear who these questions are directed at, perhaps a lover who has gone missing or a drug addict who has disappeared into addiction.
The next verse shifts to the perspective of the singer, who is standing on a "shattered windowpane" and whispering softly. The image of "bedclothes of frosting cold" is especially striking, evoking a sense of isolation and despair. The snowflakes begin to fall softly, fleecing the velvet skin and suspending everything in "frozen time." The imagery of icicles slowly dripping outside to the rhythm of the wounds inside is beautiful and sad.
The final section of the song brings the singer back into the dream or scheme of the other person. They enter softly and swim inside their veins, floating and gliding in time to the rushing in their brain. There is a moment of wanting, of desiring the other person's lips and kiss, but the moment fades softly. The final image of the singer's body collecting the falling snow and disappearing far away softly leaves the listener with a sense of emptiness and loss.
Overall, "Softly" is a beautiful and haunting song that evokes a sense of loneliness, longing, and despair. The lyrics and imagery are evocative and striking, painting a vivid picture of loss and desire.
Line by Line Meaning
Softly into your broken veins
I am entering into the broken parts of you carefully and tenderly.
Softly into these broken dreams
I am delicately moving within your damaged dreams.
Will you ever come home?
Will you ever return to your former self and find your inner peace again?
Will you ever be found?
Will you ever find the place of love and belonging you've been searching for?
Standing on shattered windowpane
I am standing on a broken windowpane, reflecting the shattered state of things between us.
Softly I whisper your name
I whisper your name with gentleness and care, hoping to connect with you.
Concealed in bedclothes of frosting cold
You are concealed and hidden within the icy, cold covers of your bed, where you may be safe but also distant.
Softly the snowflakes start to fall
The snowflakes gently descend from above, as if providing a peaceful and soothing soundtrack to our struggle.
Fleecing the velvet skin
The snowflakes softly blanket the tender skin, providing warmth and comfort to the coldness of the outside world.
Suspended in frozen time
We are suspended, frozen in time, unable to move or change the course of our situation.
Icicles slowly drip outside
The cold icicles drip slowly from the outside, reminding us of the harshness of the reality we face.
To the rhythm of your wounds here inside
The drip of the icicles matches the rhythm of the pain and wounds inside of you, highlighting the emotional and physical struggles you are experiencing.
I entered your dream, I entered your scheme
I became a part of your dream, your hopes and desires, and I am trying to connect with you on a deeper level.
Softly to swim inside your veins
I am carefully and tenderly trying to explore what is inside of you, what makes you tick, what drives you.
Softly in rippling cellophane
I am moving delicately, as if wrapped in cellophane, in a way that is partially transparent and slightly distorted.
To float and glide in time
I seek to move with you, to share your experiences, to glide together through the ups and the downs of life.
To the rushing in your brain
I want to be with you during the fast and tumultuous times when your brain is working hard to process and process what is happening around you.
I wanted your lips, yes, I wanted your kiss
I longed for your presence, your touch, your affection.
So softly the moment had flown
The moment we shared, the moment when we were close, was evanescent, it passed by quickly and quietly.
My body outside yours softly collects the falling snow
I separate from you and observe from afar, collecting the falling snow outside your cocoon of bedclothes.
And disappears far away so softly
I float away into the distance, leaving behind the complexity and difficulty of our relationship, retreating into the peaceful softness of solitude.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: SIOUXSIE, THE BANSHEES
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind