Red Light (Siouxsie and the Banshees song)

"Red Light"
Song by Siouxsie and the Banshees
from the album Kaleidoscope
Released1 August 1980
Recorded1980
GenreNew wave, electro-rock
Length3:23
LabelPolydor
Composer(s)Siouxsie Sioux, Steven Severin
Lyricist(s)Steven Severin
Producer(s)Nigel Gray
Siouxsie and the Banshees
Music video
"Red Light" on YouTube

"Red Light" is a song by rock band Siouxsie and the Banshees. It is the ninth track from their 1980 album Kaleidoscope. It was co-produced with Nigel Gray.

Writing and recording

The song was demoed by Siouxsie Sioux and Steven Severin at Warner Chappell studios. It was then recorded as a trio, with Severin on synthesisers, Siouxsie on vocals and Budgie on drums.[1] The song featured the beat of "the Roland compu rhythm and a camera shutter motor rewind".[2] Budgie related: "I wanted the drums to fade in over the electronica beat and evoke a smoky club atmosphere".[3]

Although it was not released as the third single of Kaleidoscope, a promo video for the song was shot by Clive Richardson on the same day as the video for the single "Christine".[4]

Legacy

Santigold recorded an interpolation of the song on her track "My Superman" on her debut album Santogold. She stated: "I remember one of the first times I heard "Red Light" it was at a party, and I remember going up to the DJ and being like, "Who's this?". It was that good. I kind of stopped and was like ... wow".[5]

References

  1. ^ Johns, Brian (1989). Entranced: The Siouxsie and the Banshees Story. Omnibus Press. ISBN 0-7119-1773-6.
  2. ^ "Red Light - The beat of the Roland". Official Budgie. 1 August 2020. Retrieved 2 February 2020.
  3. ^ "I was influenced by". Official Budgie. 1 August 2020. Retrieved 2 February 2020.
  4. ^ Paytress, Mark (2003). Siouxsie & the Banshees: The Authorised Biography. Sanctuary. ISBN 1-86074-375-7.
  5. ^ "Icon: Siouxsie", The Fader Magazine, The Icon Issue 67, April/May 2010. Page 73