It took ten albums for Siouxsie & the Banshees to find commercial success in the United States, but they did it in 1991 - with this single. Yes, it was a more mainstream pop move - some called it a sellout, but they already had a major label deal, so I don't think it was.
The song took its title from a 1957 Jayne Manfield film - and the song was very much about Mansfield. It's full of references to her, from the word "divoon" in the 2nd verse (a word Ms. Mansfield was known to use frequently) (notice that Siouxsie is in a heart-shaped swimming pool when she sang that lyric in the video, as that's one of the things the term was in reference to) to the third verse reference to the car crash that killed her (while sparing Mariska Hargitay for a future as Olivia Benson).
I am rarely surprised by my blog. I knew Siouxie & the Banshees broke up in the 90's and, that was it for them, save for a brief reunion in the early 2000's/ What I did NOT know is that Siouxie Sioux herself is back to performing, after a long hiatus (although she did have a solo career as well), and headlined the Cruel World Festival in Pasadena, CA, this year.
The performance is in a different key than the original, but her stage presence is undeniable.
No comments:
Post a Comment