Suburban Relapse

Album: The Scream (1978)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • Siouxsie & Banshees liked to keep a cool distance from the conforming masses. Frontwoman Siouxsie Sioux speaks of suburbia in terms of being "stranded"- left alone to "create your own environment and use your imagination."

    "We were all marooned on the outside," she told Mojo November 2014. "That's probably why we felt so independent, Us and Them, and being a band fronted by a female ostracized us further. People like to say. 'Oh, it was punk, it was all equality.' I can safely say that misogyny and sexism was rife - and still is."

    Bassist Steve Severin added: "That's why J.G. Ballard resonated so much with us, because all his near-future tales were set in this bizarre suburban wasteland. Suburbia is a place where you can imagine any kind of possibility, because there's space, not urban clutter. That was important, certainly in the beginning, driving both the sound and the imagery."
  • Siouxsie wanted the Banshees' music on The Scream to be "cinematic." This song was inspired by Bernard Herrmann's score to Alfred Hitchcock's Psycho where the guitars echo the knife-screeching violins of the famous shower scene.

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Rock Revenge Songs

Rock Revenge SongsMusic Quiz

John Lennon, Paul Simon and Lynyrd Skynyrd are some of the artists who have written revenge songs. Do you know who they wrote them about?

Emmylou Harris

Emmylou HarrisSongwriter Interviews

She thinks of herself as a "song interpreter," but back in the '80s another country star convinced Emmylou to take a crack at songwriting.

Rupert Hine

Rupert HineSongwriter Interviews

Producer Rupert Hine talks about crafting hits for Tina Turner, Howard Jones and The Fixx.

Goodbye, Hello: Ten Farewell Tour Fake-Outs

Goodbye, Hello: Ten Farewell Tour Fake-OutsSong Writing

The 10 biggest "retirement tours" that didn't take.

Sam Phillips

Sam PhillipsSongwriter Interviews

Collaborating with T Bone Burnett, Leslie Phillips changed her name and left her Christian label behind - Robert Plant, who recorded one of her songs on Raising Sand, is a fan.

Neal Smith - "I'm Eighteen"

Neal Smith - "I'm Eighteen"They're Playing My Song

With the band in danger of being dropped from their label, Alice Cooper drummer Neal Smith co-wrote the song that started their trek from horror show curiosity to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.