Song · Siouxsie and the Banshees
“The Passenger” by Siouxsie and the Banshees
From the album Through the Looking Glass (1987)
“The Passenger” by Siouxsie and the Banshees appears on 11 radio countdowns from 8 stations between 1987 and 2024. It was first released in 1987 on the album Through the Looking Glass. Its best result is #33 on the KROQ Top 106.7 Songs of 1987. In the combined RockLists rankings it is the #34 alternative song of 1987, #2,920 alternative song of all time and #254 of the '80s.
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Siouxsie and the Banshees put their stamp on "The Passenger" for Through the Looking Glass in 1987, taking on a song Iggy Pop first cut for Lust for Life a decade earlier. Pop wrote the words, mostly on the spot in the studio in West Berlin, while guitarist Ricky Gardiner dreamed up the riff wandering the countryside one spring day among the blossoming trees.
That loping riff is sturdy enough to carry anyone, and in the Banshees' hands it becomes a darker, more dramatic ride than the original's cool Berlin-era swagger.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1987 | 33 | KROQ Los Angeles, CA | KROQ Top 106.7 Songs of 1987 | 107 |
| 1987 | 75 | 91X San Diego, CA / Tijuana | 91X Top 91 Songs of 1987 | 91 |
| 1987 | 56 | Live 105 San Francisco, CA | Live 105 Top 105.3 Songs of 1987 | 105 |
| 1987 | 68 | WLIR / WDRE Long Island, NY | WLIR Top 100 Songs of 1987 | 99 |
All-time and decade countdowns
| Year | # | Station | Countdown | of |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1988 | 487 | KROQ | KROQ Flashback 500 (Memorial Day 1988) | 496 |
| 1988 | 415 | Live 105 | Live 105 Top 500 Songs of All-Time (Memorial Day 1988) | 501 |
| 1991 | 673 | CFNY 102.1 The Edge | CFNY Top 1002 Songs of All-Time (1991 Edition) | 1002 |
| 1999 | 723 | Q101 | Q101 Top 1,011 Songs of All-Time (December 1999) | 1017 |
| 2002 | 483 | Fred (XM 44) | Fred XM Top 2002 Songs of All-Time (July 2002) | 2002 |
| 2003 | 385 | Fred (XM 44) | Fred XM Top 2044 Songs of All-Time (July 2003) | 2044 |
| 2024 | 34 | The Colorado Sound | The Colorado Sound Top 850 Cover Songs | 850 |
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