"Dazzle" is a song by the English

post-punk Post-punk (originally called new musick) is a broad genre of punk music that emerged in the late 1970s as musicians departed from punk's traditional elements and raw simplicity, instead adopting a variety of avant-garde sensibilities and non-roc ...

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 ...

. It was released on 25 May 1984 by

Polydor Records 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 their sixth studio album, ''

Hyæna ''Hyæna'' is the sixth studio album by British rock band Siouxsie and the Banshees, released in 1984 by Polydor Records, Polydor. The opening track, "Dazzle (song), Dazzle", featured strings played by musicians of the (LSO) London Symphonic Orch ...

''.

Content

The song begins with a gradual fade-in of an orchestral string section and progresses to a drum-driven, majestic anthem. The lyrics "swallowing diamonds/A cutting throat" were derived from the final scene of '' Marathon Man'' where

Laurence Olivier Laurence Kerr Olivier, Baron Olivier (; 22 May 1907 – 11 July 1989) was an English actor and director who, along with his contemporaries Ralph Richardson and John Gielgud, was one of a trio of male actors who dominated the Theatre of the U ...

puts diamonds in his mouth. Siouxsie's vocals are accentuated by expansive reverb effects. The string section piece that opens the track was actually called "Baby Piano" (a rough piano demo and the finished string section version were both included as bonus tracks on the 2009 reissue of ''Hyæna''). The strings arrangements were scored by

Martin McCarrick Martin McCarrick (born 29 July 1962) is an English cellist, keyboardist, guitarist and composer. Aside from being a live and recording artist, he is also a teacher and visiting lecturer in music. Career His first recording in the pop/rock ar ...

who would become an official member of the Banshees in 1987. A section of the

London Symphonic Orchestra The London Symphony Orchestra (LSO) is a British symphony orchestra based in London. Founded in 1904, the LSO is the oldest of London's orchestras, symphony orchestras. The LSO was created by a group of players who left Henry Wood's Queen's ...

then recorded it.

Release

"Dazzle" was released in a shorter and slightly different radio edit version on 25 May 1984 by Polydor Records as the second single from the band's sixth studio album, ''Hyæna''. It climbed to number 33 on 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 ...

and was Siouxsie and the Banshees' 11th top 40 UK hit.

References

{{authority control 1984 singles Siouxsie and the Banshees songs Song recordings produced by Mike Hedges 1984 songs Polydor Records singles Songs written by Siouxsie Sioux Songs written by Budgie (musician) Songs written by Steven Severin Songs written by Robert Smith (musician)