Song · Siouxsie and the Banshees
“The Killing Jar” by Siouxsie and the Banshees
From the album Peepshow (1988)
“The Killing Jar” by Siouxsie and the Banshees appears on 13 radio countdowns from 6 stations between 1988 and 2005. It was first released in 1988 on the album Peepshow. Its best result is #20 on the Live 105 Top 105.3 Songs of 1988. In the combined RockLists rankings it is the #18 alternative song of 1988, #1,659 alternative song of all time and #155 of the '80s.
Watch
Video from YouTube (SiouxsieBansheesVEVO). Pressing play loads YouTube's player. Watch on YouTube
"The Killing Jar" was the second single from Peepshow, Siouxsie and the Banshees' ninth album, released in 1988, and it catches the band leaning hard toward pop: an uptempo rush that still glints with menace. Steven Severin wrote the words, and Mike Hedges co-produced with the band.
Siouxsie has said the idea came from the way butterfly collectors keep their specimens beautiful, and the lyric wraps that image in the band's usual riddles. For radio the track was lightly remixed, with changes to the intro and the percussion. Coming right after "Peek-a-Boo" topped Billboard's Modern Rock Tracks chart, it fell one spot short of doing the same, peaking at 2, and the single version later resurfaced on the 1992 compilation Twice Upon a Time: The Singles.
Written with AI assistance from RockLists chart data, MusicBrainz and Wikipedia.
RockLists rankings
Alternative & Modern Rock
All Rock Formats
Year-end countdowns
| Year | # | Station | Countdown | of |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1988 | 26 | KROQ Los Angeles, CA | KROQ Top 106.7 Songs of 1988 | 107 |
| 1988 | 22 | 91X San Diego, CA / Tijuana | 91X Top 91 Songs of 1988 | 91 |
| 1988 | 20 | Live 105 San Francisco, CA | Live 105 Top 105.3 Songs of 1988 | 106 |
All-time and decade countdowns
| Year | # | Station | Countdown | of |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 833 | CFNY 102.1 The Edge | CFNY Top 1002 Songs of All-Time (1991 Edition) | 1002 |
| 1999 | 671 | CD101 | CD101 Top 2000 Songs of All-Time (December 1999) | 2000 |
| 2000 | 672 | CD101 | CD101 Top 2001 Songs of All-Time (December 2000) | 2001 |
| 2001 | 675 | CD101 | CD101 Top 2002 Songs of All-Time (December 2001) | 2002 |
| 2002 | 675 | CD101 | CD101 Top 2003 Songs of All-Time (December 2002) | 2003 |
| 2002 | 1349 | Fred (XM 44) | Fred XM Top 2002 Songs of All-Time (July 2002) | 2002 |
| 2003 | 675 | CD101 | CD101 Top 2004 Songs of All-Time (December 2003) | 2004 |
| 2003 | 890 | Fred (XM 44) | Fred XM Top 2044 Songs of All-Time (July 2003) | 2044 |
| 2004 | 675 | CD101 | CD101 Top 2005 Songs of All-Time (December 2004) | 2005 |
| 2005 | 675 | CD101 | CD101 Top 2006 Songs of All-Time (December 2005) | 1994 |
Also listed as: The Kiling Jar.
Comments
Log in or create a free account to join the conversation about "The Killing Jar" by Siouxsie and the Banshees.
No comments yet. Be the first to share your thoughts.