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.
www.siouxsie.com
https://siouxsieandthebanshees.backstreetmerch.com
Split in 2002
We Hunger
Siouxsie and the Banshees Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
A lusting spawn on a weekend fawn
Do you hunger for this, hunger for this?
Sucking leaches feel the need
Sucking dry unsated stomach pops
Sharpened knives, oh, with flying sparks
Sagging bodies with stretch marks
And your belly aches
Do you hunger for this, hunger for this?
Hunger for this, bled white with avarice
As the rust creeps
Corrosion seeps a rotting seed
Eat me, oh, feed me
With your belching foul breath
Your destructive kiss, death
Do you hunger for this, hunger for this?
Hunger for this, just a taste of a sweet kiss
Shanghaied on a locust flight
And the thirst from a vampire bite
Fills the emptiness inside
Consuming everything green eyed
We hunger, we hunger
We are hunger for this
Hunger for this
Hunger for this
The bliss of a sweet kiss
Hunger for this
(Hunger for this)
Hunger for this
(Hunger for this)
We hunger, we hunger
We're hunger for this
(Hunger for this)
Hunger for this
(Hunger for this)
We hunger
The lyrics of Siouxsie and the Banshees' song We Hunger are cryptic and symbolic, but they ultimately paint a picture of a destructive and insatiable hunger. The opening lines set the tone with images of a brood of hungry creatures lusting after a fawn, a metaphor for the insatiable appetite that consumes these beings. The next verse describes the "sagging bodies with stretch marks" that are the result of this endless hunger, and the chorus asks whether the listener also craves this kind of all-consuming and destructive appetite.
The second verse continues the theme of decay and corruption, with rust and rot seeping into the very core of the hunger that drives these beings. The refrain of "hunger for this" is repeated again and again, reinforcing the idea that this intense desire is all-consuming and cannot be easily satisfied. The final lines suggest that this hunger is not specific to any one type of creature, as both locusts and vampires are mentioned, and that it is an inherent part of the natural world.
Ultimately, We Hunger is a song about the destructive power of greed and desire, and how it can corrode and consume everything in its path.
Line by Line Meaning
A ravenous greed for a brood to feed
A strong and intense desire to have a group of offspring to nurture.
A lusting spawn on a weekend fawn
A desire for a sexual encounter with a young, naive individual.
Do you hunger for this, hunger for this?
Are you consumed by this desire, do you crave this?
Sucking leaches feel the need
Parasites that feed off others are also driven by their needs.
Sucking dry unsated stomach pops
Parasites that have consumed to excess, draining their hosts of all sustenance.
Sharpened knives, oh, with flying sparks
Dangerous and sharp objects being used with great force and intensity.
Sagging bodies with stretch marks
Stretched out and worn down bodies that have been overused and overindulged.
And your belly aches
The physical pain that is a result of consuming too much, wanting more despite the suffering.
Do you hunger for this, hunger for this?
Are you consumed by this desire, do you crave this?
Hunger for this, bled white with avarice
Desperately craving and pursuing riches, status, and power without concern for the harm it may cause to others.
As the rust creeps
Slow and steady corrosion, the decay brought on by a life of excess and greed.
Corrosion seeps a rotting seed
The decay of one's soul, the slow rot that takes over when one prioritizes possessions over people.
Eat me, oh, feed me
Desperation for attention and love, for someone to consume and take them in.
With your belching foul breath
Even if the attention and love comes from a toxic and harmful party.
Your destructive kiss, death
The love and attention sought after will ultimately be one's downfall, leading to destruction and death.
Hunger for this, just a taste of a sweet kiss
Still craving the love and attention, despite the harm it may bring, even if its only a small taste.
Shanghaied on a locust flight
Being taken away by the swarm of destruction, feeling powerless as it consumes all around you.
And the thirst from a vampire bite
The insatiable thirst for more, brought on by embracing harmful and life-draining practices.
Fills the emptiness inside
Even though it never really satisfies and just brings more emptiness and longing.
Consuming everything green eyed
The unrelenting drive to have everything, to possess all that one desires, regardless of whether one needs or deserves it.
We hunger, we hunger
We crave and desire, we are consumed by it.
We are hunger for this
We define ourselves by our desires, our cravings, and our drives.
Hunger for this
Craving something intensely, regardless of the consequences.
(Hunger for this)
Continuously grappling with insatiable urges and desires.
We hunger
We are consumed by our cravings and insatiable desires.
Lyrics © DOMINO PUBLISHING COMPANY, BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: BUDGIE, SIOUX, ROBERT JAMES SMITH, STEVEN SEVERIN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind