| Revision as of 07:26, 8 June 2013 editGreg Fasolino (talk | contribs)Extended confirmed users18,228 edits →History← Previous edit | Revision as of 17:04, 10 July 2013 edit undoCarliertwo (talk | contribs)Extended confirmed users15,792 editsNo edit summaryNext edit → | ||
| Line 18: | Line 18: | ||
| }} | }} | ||
| "'''Peek-a-Boo'''" is a song by English ] band ]. It was released in 1988 as the first single from the band's ninth studio album '']''. The music paper '']'' described the song as "a brightly unexpected mixture of black steel and pop disturbance" and qualified its genre as "thirties ]".<ref>Mathur, Paul. "Born Again Savages". ''Melody Maker''. 9 July 1988.</ref> | "'''Peek-a-Boo'''" is a song by English ] band ]. It was released in 1988 as the first single from the band's ninth studio album '']''. The music paper '']'' described the song as "a brightly unexpected mixture of black steel and pop disturbance" and qualified its genre as "thirties ]".<ref>Mathur, Paul. "Born Again Savages". ''Melody Maker''. 9 July 1988.</ref> "Peek-a-Boo" was rated "single of the week" in '']'' magazine: reviewer Peter keane wrote that it was a "brave move", "playful and mysterious".<ref name="Sounds">{{cite work |last=Kane |first=Peter |title=single of the week |work=[[Sounds (magazine)|Sounds |date=23 July 1988}}</ref> | ||
| ] praised "Peek-a-Boo" and their singer ] said : "it sounded like nothing else on this planet. This is just a pop song that they put out in the middle of their career that nobody knows about, but to me it sounded like the most current but most futuristic bit of guitar-pop music I've heard."<ref>{{cite web |url=http://herenb.canadaeast.com/music/article/418500|title=Talking Bloc during Harvest Jazz|author=O'Kane, Josh |work= New Brunswick|date=18 September 2008 |accessdate=17-3-2012 |quote=With the new record, he said he was inspired by a song written years ago by Siouxsie and the Banshees called Peek-a-boo. "I heard it for the first time, and it sounded like nothing else on this planet. This is just a pop song that they put out in the middle of their career that nobody knows about, but to me it sounded like the most current but most futuristic bit of guitar-pop music I've heard. I thought, that'd be cool, to make music that people might not get at the time, but in ten years' time, people would revisit it."}}</ref> | ] praised "Peek-a-Boo" and their singer ] said : "it sounded like nothing else on this planet. This is just a pop song that they put out in the middle of their career that nobody knows about, but to me it sounded like the most current but most futuristic bit of guitar-pop music I've heard."<ref>{{cite web |url=http://herenb.canadaeast.com/music/article/418500|title=Talking Bloc during Harvest Jazz|author=O'Kane, Josh |work= New Brunswick|date=18 September 2008 |accessdate=17-3-2012 |quote=With the new record, he said he was inspired by a song written years ago by Siouxsie and the Banshees called Peek-a-boo. "I heard it for the first time, and it sounded like nothing else on this planet. This is just a pop song that they put out in the middle of their career that nobody knows about, but to me it sounded like the most current but most futuristic bit of guitar-pop music I've heard. I thought, that'd be cool, to make music that people might not get at the time, but in ten years' time, people would revisit it."}}</ref> | ||
Revision as of 17:04, 10 July 2013
| "Peek-a-Boo" | |
|---|---|
| Song | |
| B-side | "False Face", "Catwalk" |
"Peek-a-Boo" is a song by English alternative rock band Siouxsie and the Banshees. It was released in 1988 as the first single from the band's ninth studio album Peepshow. The music paper Melody Maker described the song as "a brightly unexpected mixture of black steel and pop disturbance" and qualified its genre as "thirties hip hop". "Peek-a-Boo" was rated "single of the week" in Sounds magazine: reviewer Peter keane wrote that it was a "brave move", "playful and mysterious".
Bloc Party praised "Peek-a-Boo" and their singer Kele Okereke said : "it sounded like nothing else on this planet. This is just a pop song that they put out in the middle of their career that nobody knows about, but to me it sounded like the most current but most futuristic bit of guitar-pop music I've heard."
History
The song's peculiar sound is due to its experimental recording which is based on a sample. The song was built on a loop in reverse of a brass part with drums that the Banshees previously arranged a year before for a cover of John Cale's "Gun". The band selected different parts of that tape when played backwards, editing them and re-recorded on top of it, adding a different melody plus accordion, a one-note bass and discordant guitar. Budgie also added another beat. Once the instrumental parts were finished, Sioux sang her lyrics over it. The lyric track was further manipulated by Siouxsie's use of a different microphone for each line of the song. It took the band a year to arrive at this result. When initially composed to be an extra track for 1987's "The Passenger" single, the band realized that the song was too good to be relegated to B-side status and deserved better exposure.
"Peek-a-Boo" is one of Siouxsie and the Banshees' most recognisable and popular singles; it was also the group's first to chart in the U.S. Billboard Hot 100, where it reached number 53. The song was very popular on alternative rock radio and received heavy play on MTV. "Peek-a-Boo" also became the Banshees' fifth Top 20 UK hit, peaking at number 16 in the UK singles chart. In September 1988, Billboard magazine premiered a new Modern Rock Tracks chart which measures radio airplay on U.S. modern rock stations: "Peek-a-Boo" was the chart's first number one song.
A minor controversy ensued after the single's release as the lines to the chorus ("...Golly jeepers / Where'd you get those weepers? / Peepshow, creepshow / Where did you get those eyes?...") were found to be too similar to the lyrics in the 1938 song "Jeepers Creepers". To remedy the situation and to avoid legal action, the band gave co-songwriting credit on "Peek-a-Boo" to Harry Warren and Johnny Mercer.
"Peek-a-Boo" was later covered in 2010 by Australian artist Bertie Blackman.
The song was made available as downloadable content for the Rock Band platform on 20 April 2010.
The song was used in the 2001 movie Jeepers Creepers. The song played on the radio in a police car.
Charts
| Chart (1988) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Irish Singles Chart | 18 |
| UK Singles Chart | 16 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot 100 | 53 |
| U.S. Billboard Modern Rock Tracks | 1 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot Dance Club Play | 14 |
See also
References
- Mathur, Paul. "Born Again Savages". Melody Maker. 9 July 1988.
- {{cite work |last=Kane |first=Peter |title=single of the week |work=[[Sounds (magazine)|Sounds |date=23 July 1988}}
- O'Kane, Josh (18 September 2008). "Talking Bloc during Harvest Jazz". New Brunswick. Retrieved 17-3-2012.
With the new record, he said he was inspired by a song written years ago by Siouxsie and the Banshees called Peek-a-boo. "I heard it for the first time, and it sounded like nothing else on this planet. This is just a pop song that they put out in the middle of their career that nobody knows about, but to me it sounded like the most current but most futuristic bit of guitar-pop music I've heard. I thought, that'd be cool, to make music that people might not get at the time, but in ten years' time, people would revisit it."
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|accessdate=(help) - "The Music Producers, Part Two". The Word. 14 June 2008.
- "The Music Producers, Part Two". The Word. 14 June 2008.
- "Siouxsie & the banshees Billboard singles". allmusic.com. Retrieved 18-3-2012.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|accessdate=(help)
| Siouxsie and the Banshees | |
|---|---|
| Studio albums | |
| Live albums | |
| Compilation albums | |
| Extended plays |
|
| Videos/DVDs | |
| Singles |
|
| Other songs |
|
| Related articles | |