Song · Siouxsie and the Banshees
“Switch” by Siouxsie and the Banshees
From the album The Scream (1978)
“Switch” by Siouxsie and the Banshees appears on 5 radio countdowns from 1 station between 1978 and 1982. It was first released in 1978 on the album The Scream. Its best result is #38 on the John Peel's All-Time Festive Fifty (1979). In the combined RockLists rankings it is #4,454 alternative song of all time.
Watch
Video from YouTube (Siouxsie And The Banshees - Topic). Pressing play loads YouTube's player. Watch on YouTube
"Switch" is on The Scream, the debut album Siouxsie and the Banshees put out on Polydor in November 1978. John McKay wrote the music and Siouxsie Sioux the words, with Kenny Morris and Steven Severin also credited, and the band co-produced it with Steve Lillywhite, who handled the mix.
Lillywhite had been their co-producer on "Hong Kong Garden", and the album came together fast at RAK: a week to record, three more to mix. The record around the song is built from jagged, angular guitar, a rhythm led by the bass and drums that pound the toms like a machine, a sound at once claustrophobic and vast, and it's now counted as a pioneering post-punk record.
Written with AI assistance from RockLists chart data, MusicBrainz.
RockLists rankings
Alternative & Modern Rock
All Rock Formats
All-time and decade countdowns
| Year | # | Station | Countdown | of |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1978 | 41 | John Peel (BBC Radio 1) | John Peel's All-Time Festive Fifty (1978) | 50 |
| 1979 | 38 | John Peel (BBC Radio 1) | John Peel's All-Time Festive Fifty (1979) | 50 |
| 1980 | 44 | John Peel (BBC Radio 1) | John Peel's All-Time Festive Fifty (1980) | 50 |
| 1981 | 49 | John Peel (BBC Radio 1) | John Peel's All-Time Festive Fifty (1981) | 50 |
| 1982 | 42 | John Peel (BBC Radio 1) | John Peel's All-Time Festive Fifty (1982) | 50 |
Comments
Log in or create a free account to join the conversation about "Switch" by Siouxsie and the Banshees.
No comments yet. Be the first to share your thoughts.