"Christine" is a song by English

rock Rock most often refers to: * Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids * Rock music, a genre of popular music Rock or Rocks may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wales ...

band

Siouxsie and the Banshees Siouxsie and the Banshees were a British rock band formed in London in 1976 by vocalist Siouxsie Sioux and bass guitarist Steven Severin. They have been widely influential, both over their contemporaries and with later acts. ''Q'' magazine in ...

, written by

Siouxsie Sioux Susan Janet Ballion (born 27 May 1957), known professionally as Siouxsie Sioux, is an English singer, songwriter, musician and record producer. She was the lead singer of the rock band Siouxsie and the Banshees (1976–1996). They released 11 ...

and

Steven Severin Steven Severin (born Steven John Bailey; 25 September 1955) is an English songwriter, composer, multi-instrumentalist and producer. He is best known as the bassist of the rock band Siouxsie and the Banshees which he co-founded in 1976. He took th ...

. It was released in 1980 by

Polydor Polydor Records Ltd. is a German-British record label that operates as part of Universal Music Group. It has a close relationship with Universal's Interscope Geffen A&M Records label, which distributes Polydor's releases in the United States. ...

as the second single from the then-unreleased third album, ''

Kaleidoscope A kaleidoscope () is an optical instrument with two or more reflecting surfaces (or mirrors) tilted to each other at an angle, so that one or more (parts of) objects on one end of these mirrors are shown as a regular symmetrical pattern when v ...

''.

Content, music video and release

"Christine" marked a change in musical direction for the band, with new guitarist

John McGeoch John Alexander McGeoch (25 August 1955 – 4 March 2004) was a Scottish musician and songwriter. He is best known as the guitarist of the rock bands Magazine (1977-1980) and Siouxsie and the Banshees (1980-1982). He has been described as one o ...

. The song begins with a distinctive riff played on an acoustic guitar. The post-chorus instrumentation includes

electronic organ An electric organ, also known as electronic organ, is an electronic keyboard instrument which was derived from the harmonium, pipe organ and theatre organ. Originally designed to imitate their sound, or orchestral sounds, it has since developed ...

. The close of the song utilizes a strong

flanging Flanging is an audio effect produced by mixing two identical signals together, one signal delayed by a small and (usually) gradually changing period, usually smaller than 20 milliseconds. This produces a swept comb filter effect: peaks and not ...

effect. The lyrics were inspired by the book ''

The Three Faces of Eve ''The Three Faces of Eve'' is a 1957 American film noir mystery drama film presented in CinemaScope, based on the book of the same name about the life of Chris Costner Sizemore, which was written by psychiatrists Corbett H. Thigpen and Hervey M. ...

'' which related the story of Christine Sizemore, a woman who reportedly had 22 different personalities. The B-side, "Eve White/Eve Black", continues with the theme. Steve Severin states in the liner notes for ''

Downside Up ''Downside Up'' is a four-disc box set collecting B-sides and bonus material from the catalogue of Siouxsie and the Banshees. Also included (on disc four) is '' The Thorn'' EP, originally released in 1984. Most of these songs (only presen ...

'': "Again a companion piece to the A side 'Christine'. Eve White and Eve Black were two of Christine Sizemore's more extraordinary personalities, constantly at war." The band shot a music video for the song with director Clive Richardson, another music video was filmed on the same set for the song " Red Light". Neither featured McGeoch as he was not an artist signed on Polydor yet. "Christine" was released as a single by record label

on 30 May 1980. It peaked at number 22 in the

UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart (currently titled Official Singles Chart, with the upper section more commonly known as the Official UK Top 40) is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), on behalf of the British record industry, listing the top-s ...

Cover versions

The song was covered by

Red Hot Chili Peppers Red Hot Chili Peppers are an American rock music, rock band formed in Los Angeles in 1983, comprising vocalist Anthony Kiedis, bassist Flea (musician), Flea, drummer Chad Smith, and guitarist John Frusciante. Their music incorporates element ...

with

John Frusciante John Anthony Frusciante (; born March 5, 1970) is an American musician, best known as the guitarist for the Red Hot Chili Peppers across three stints since 1988. He has released 11 solo albums and 7 EPs, ranging in style from acoustic guitar to e ...

on guitar at their V2001 Festival performance,"saunalahti.fi" (Red Hot Chili Peppers' site)
. setlist of the Red Hot Chili Peppers' concert performing "Christine" at the V2001 festival and by

Simple Minds Simple Minds are a Scottish rock band formed in Glasgow in 1977. They have released a string of hit singles, becoming best known internationally for "Don't You (Forget About Me)" (1985), which topped the '' Billboard'' Hot 100 in the United St ...

on the deluxe edition of their ''

Graffiti Soul ''Graffiti Soul'' is the fifteenth studio album (of original material) by Scottish rock band Simple Minds, released in May 2009. On 31 May 2009, the album entered the UK Albums Chart at No. 10, becoming Simple Minds' first UK top ten album ...

'' album in 2009.

Track listing

References

{{authority control 1980 singles Siouxsie and the Banshees songs Polydor Records singles Song recordings produced by Nigel Gray 1980 songs Songs written by Siouxsie Sioux Songs written by Steven Severin