"The Last Beat of My Heart" | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Single by Siouxsie and the Banshees | ||||
from the album Peepshow | ||||
B-side |
| |||
Released | 21 November 1988 | |||
Recorded | 1988 | |||
Genre | Alternative rock, art rock | |||
Label | Polydor | |||
Songwriter(s) | Susan Ballion, Peter Edward Clarke and Steven Severin | |||
Producer(s) | Siouxsie and the Banshees/ Mike Hedges | |||
Siouxsie and the Bansheessingles chronology | ||||
| ||||
Music video | ||||
"The Last Beat of My Heart" on YouTube | ||||
Siouxsie singles chronology | ||||
|
"The Last Beat of My Heart" is a song written,produced and recorded by English rock band Siouxsie and the Banshees. It was released in late 1988 as the third and final single from the band's ninth studio album, Peepshow . In 2021, Spin rated it in their list of "the 50 best alt-rock love songs",for its "slow-climbing swell of accordion and muted tom-tom thump",qualifying it as a "perfect marriage of words and atmosphere". [1]
The song is a ballad with strings and accordion. Siouxsie's vocals addressed a lover who is leaving a relationship,as she asked for him to return to her. She declared her desire to be "close to you til the last beat of my heart".
Several musicians later praised the song. The Decemberists qualified it as one of their favourite Siouxsie and the Banshees songs. [2] Arcade Fire singer Win Butler suggested the band DeVotchKa to cover it and they recorded a version on their 2006 EP Curse Your Little Heart . [3] The Flowers of Hell released a version on their 2012 album Odes ,on which they covered their influences. [4]
"The Last Beat of My Heart" reached number 44 in the UK Singles Chart in December 1988. [5] Upon its inclusion on the 1992 compilation album Twice Upon a Time - The Singles ,a live version of the song from 1991 recorded on the last date of the Lollapalooza festival replaced the single version. A live video of that version was also filmed by a production company on the same day and uploaded on YouTube in 2007. [6]
Siouxsie and the Banshees were a British rock band formed in London in 1976 by vocalist Siouxsie Sioux and bass guitarist Steven Severin. They have been widely influential,both over their contemporaries and with later acts. The Times called the group "one of the most audacious and uncompromising musical adventurers of the post-punk era".
Nocturne is a live double album and video by English rock band Siouxsie and the Banshees,released on 25 November 1983 by Polydor Records. Co-produced by Mike Hedges,Nocturne features performances recorded at two shows at the Royal Albert Hall in London,on 30 September and 1 October 1983,featuring Robert Smith on guitar.
The Creatures were an English band formed in 1981 by vocalist Siouxsie Sioux and drummer Budgie of the group Siouxsie and the Banshees. The Creatures released their first EP Wild Things in 1981. They recorded four studio albums:Feast in 1983,Boomerang in 1989,Anima Animus in 1999 and Hái! in 2003.
Susan Janet Ballion,known professionally as Siouxsie Sioux,is an English singer,songwriter,musician and record producer. She came to prominence as the leader and main lyricist of the rock band Siouxsie and the Banshees,who were active from 1976 to 1996. They released 11 studio albums,and had several UK Top 20 singles including "Hong Kong Garden","Happy House" and "Peek-a-Boo",plus a US Top 25 single in the Billboard Hot 100,with "Kiss Them for Me".
The Decemberists are an American indie rock band from Portland,Oregon,formed in 2000. The band consists of Colin Meloy,Chris Funk,Jenny Conlee,Nate Query (bass),and John Moen (drums).
Superstition is the tenth studio album by English rock band Siouxsie and the Banshees,released on 10 June 1991 by Polydor Records. The lead single,"Kiss Them for Me",gave the band their first top 40 Billboard Hot 100 entry in the United States,peaking at No. 23,with the album peaking at No. 65 on the Billboard 200 chart. The band widened their musical influences with the arrival of musician Talvin Singh,who played tablas on the songs "Kiss Them for Me" and "Silver Waterfalls".
Peter Edward Clarke,known professionally as Budgie,is an English drummer best known for his work in Siouxsie and the Banshees. He is also the co-founder of the Creatures.
The Scream is the debut studio album by British rock band Siouxsie and the Banshees,released on 13 November 1978 by Polydor Records. Its innovative combination of angular and serrated guitar with a bass-led rhythm and machine-like drums played mostly on toms,made it a pioneering work of the post-punk genre.
Juju is the fourth studio album by British rock band Siouxsie and the Banshees. It was recorded at Surrey Sound studio with Nigel Gray as co-producer,and was released on 19 June 1981 by Polydor Records. Two singles were released from Juju:"Spellbound" and "Arabian Knights".
Tinderbox is the seventh studio album by English rock band Siouxsie and the Banshees. It was released on 21 April 1986 by Wonderland and Polydor Records in the United Kingdom and by Geffen Records in the United States. It was the band's first full-length effort recorded with then-new guitarist John Valentine Carruthers;Carruthers had previously only added a few parts on the 1984 EP The Thorn. The first recording sessions for the album took place at Hansa by the Wall in Berlin in May 1985.
Peepshow is the ninth studio album by English rock band Siouxsie and the Banshees,released in the United Kingdom on 5 September 1988 by Polydor Records and in the United States the following day by Geffen Records. It was their first record as a quintet. With the arrival of multi-instrumentalist Martin McCarrick and guitarist Jon Klein,the group recorded a multifaceted album with a variety of influences. Peepshow included the singles "Peek-a-Boo","The Killing Jar" and "The Last Beat of My Heart".
Twice Upon a Time - The Singles is the second singles compilation released by Siouxsie and the Banshees. It follows the same format as Once Upon a Time/The Singles,presenting the songs in chronological order. Twice picks up where Once left off,and it includes several hits not included on regular Banshees studio albums. Instead of the studio version released as a single,"The Last Beat of My Heart" is presented as a live recording,from their performance at Lollapalooza in Seattle. Also appearing on CD for the first time here is "Face to Face",a song from the soundtrack of the film Batman Returns. "Fear of the Unknown" also appears as a "House of Fear" remix which is significantly different from the original version. The collection is missing the 1987 single "Song from the Edge of the World",which was included on a later hits collection.
Downside Up is a four-disc box set collecting B-sides and bonus material from the catalogue of Siouxsie and the Banshees. Also included is The Thorn EP,originally released in 1984. Most of these songs were classics of the band's live repertoire like "Pulled to Bits","Eve White/Eve Black","Red Over White","I Promise","Something Blue","El Día de los Muertos" and "B Side Ourselves". The box set was also released on iTunes.
DeVotchKa is an American four-piece multi-instrumental and vocal ensemble. They take their name from the Russian word devochka (девочка),meaning "girl". Based in Denver,Colorado,the quartet is made up of Nick Urata,who sings and plays theremin,guitar,bouzouki,piano,and trumpet;Tom Hagerman,who plays violin,accordion,and piano;Jeanie Schroder,who sings and plays sousaphone,double bass,and flute;and Shawn King,who plays percussion and trumpet.
"Happy House" is a song written by Siouxsie Sioux and Steven Severin and recorded by their band Siouxsie and the Banshees. It was released as a single in March 1980 by record label Polydor,then later included on the band's third album,Kaleidoscope. "Happy House" was the group's first record made with guitarist John McGeoch and drummer Budgie.
"Slowdive" is a song by English post-punk band Siouxsie and the Banshees. It was released in 1982 by record label Polydor as the first single from the band's fifth studio album,A Kiss in the Dreamhouse.
"Kiss Them for Me" is a song written and recorded by English rock band Siouxsie and the Banshees. It was produced by Stephen Hague. It was released in 1991 as the first single from the band's 10th studio album,Superstition.
Curse Your Little Heart is an EP from the band DeVotchKa. It was released by Ace Fu in 2006. Five out of the six tracks are covers,with the title track first appearing on the album SuperMelodrama.
John McKay is an English songwriter and guitarist. He was the first studio guitarist of Siouxsie and the Banshees. He was a member of the group from July 1977 until September 1979. He played a "jagged unorthodox chording",and created a "metal-shard roar" with his guitar. Q magazine included McKay's work on "Hong Kong Garden" in its list of the "100 Greatest Guitar Tracks Ever". He recorded two studio albums with the band,their debut album The Scream in 1978 and Join Hands in 1979.
All Souls is a compilation album by British rock band Siouxsie and the Banshees,released on vinyl on 21 October 2022. It is a collection of singles,album tracks,and B-sides. It was conceived by Siouxsie Sioux as a seasonal compilation "to celebrate the autumn equinox and its festivities".