Playground Twist

1979 single by Siouxsie and the Banshees

"Playground Twist"

Single by Siouxsie and the Banshees
from the album  Join Hands
B-side| "Pulled to Bits"
Released| 29 June 1979
Recorded| 1978
Genre| Post-punk
Length| 3:00
Label| Polydor
Songwriter(s)| Susan Ballion, Kenny Morris, John McKay and Steven Severin
Producer(s)| Nils Stevenson, Mike Stavrou
Siouxsie and the Banshees singles chronology
| "The Staircase (Mystery)"
(1979)  | "Playground Twist"
(1979)  | "Mittageisen"
(1979)

|
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Music video
"Playground Twist" on YouTube

"Playground Twist" is a song by English post-punk band Siouxsie and the Banshees. It was released in 1979 as the sole single from the band's second album, Join Hands (1979).

## Production

[edit]

The track was produced by the band's manager Nils Stevenson and Mike Stavrou, a recording engineer on T. Rex's final album, Dandy in the Underworld (1977)

## Critical reception

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NME's Roy Carr hailed the single and wrote: "If Ingmar Bergman produced records, they might sound like this. The listener is immediately engulfed in a maelstrom of whirling sound punctuated by the ominous tolling of church bells, phased guitars, thundering percussion, a surreal alto sax and the wail of Siouxsie's voice. It demands to be played repeatedly at the threshold-of-pain volume to elicit its full nightmarish quality".[1]

## Music video

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The music video for "Playground Twist" shows the band performing on an indoor climbing frame with several children running from one end to another, climbing on the surrounding equipment, and even a few of them mimicking the saxophone solo with plastic toy instruments. At the end of the video, the children run toward Siouxsie and playfully pull her to the floor as she lip syncs the final word "drown", and the final shot shows them laughing and carrying on with her.[2]

## Release and legacy

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Released on 24 June 1979, the single became Siouxsie and the Banshees' third top 40 hit, entering into the UK Singles Chart at No.47 on 1 July 1979,[3] and peaking at No. 28 on 15 July in the UK Singles Chart.[4] The band performed the song live on Top of the Pops.[5]

A live-version of the B-side, "Pulled to Bits", was included on the 1983 Nocturne live album and DVD. "Pulled to Bits" was covered by the Mars Volta in 2007 for their single "Wax Simulacra".

## References

[edit]

1. ^ Carr, Roy (30 June 1979), "Playground twist Singles review", NME
2. ^ "video for "Playground Twist"". facebook.com. Retrieved 9 September 2018.
3. ^ "UK Singles Chart - 1 July 1979". officialcharts.com. Retrieved 9 September 2018.
4. ^ "UK Singles Chart - 15 July 1979". officialcharts.com. Retrieved 9 September 2018.
5. ^ AT The BBC - Siouxsie and the Banshees [boxset], Universal, 2009

* v
* t
* e

Siouxsie and the Banshees

* Siouxsie Sioux
* Steven Severin
* Budgie

* Marco Pirroni
* Sid Vicious
* Kenny Morris
* Peter Fenton
* John McKay
* Robert Smith
* John McGeoch
* John Valentine Carruthers
* Martin McCarrick
* Jon Klein
* Knox Chandler

Studio albums|

* The Scream
* Join Hands
* Kaleidoscope
* Juju
* A Kiss in the Dreamhouse
* Hyæna
* Tinderbox
* Through the Looking Glass
* Peepshow
* Superstition
* The Rapture

Live albums|

* Nocturne
* The Seven Year Itch
* At the BBC

Compilation albums|

* Once Upon a Time/The Singles
* Twice Upon a Time – The Singles
* The Best of Siouxsie and the Banshees
* Downside Up
* Voices on the Air: The Peel Sessions
* All Souls

Extended plays|

* The Thorn
* The Peel Sessions (1987)
* The Peel Sessions (1989)

Videos/DVDs|

* Nocturne
* The Seven Year Itch
* At the BBC
* The Best of Siouxsie and the Banshees

Singles|

* "Hong Kong Garden"
* "The Staircase (Mystery)"
* "Playground Twist"
* "Mittageisen"
* "Happy House"
* "Christine"
* "Israel"
* "Spellbound"
* "Arabian Knights"
* "Fireworks"
* "Slowdive"
* "Melt!"
* "Dear Prudence"
* "Swimming Horses"
* "Dazzle"
* "Overground"
* "Cities in Dust"
* "Candyman"
* "This Wheel's on Fire"
* "The Passenger"
* "Song from the Edge of the World"
* "Peek-a-Boo"
* "The Killing Jar"
* "The Last Beat of My Heart"
* "Kiss Them for Me"
* "Shadowtime"
* "Fear (of the Unknown)"
* "Face to Face"
* "O Baby"
* "Stargazer"

Other songs|

* "Love in a Void"
* "Red Light"
* "Tattoo"

Related articles|

* Discography
* Personnel
* The Creatures
* The Glove
* Mantaray

Authority control databases |

* MusicBrainz release group

|

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