"Into a Swan" is the debut solo single by
Siouxsie
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 ...
for her debut solo album ''
Mantaray''. It was released in the UK on
W14 on 3 September 2007 and promoted with a video featuring Siouxsie transforming into a black swan.
"Siouxsie Into a Swan video"
Vimeo. June 2007. Retrieved 1-10-2014
Background and music
After the Creatures
The Creatures were an English band formed in 1981 by vocalist Siouxsie Sioux and drummer Budgie of the group Siouxsie and the Banshees. The Creatures released their first EP '' Wild Things'' in 1981. They recorded four studio albums: '' Feas ...
's final album ''Hái!
''Hái!'' is the fourth and final studio album released in 2003 by British duo the Creatures, composed of Siouxsie Sioux and Budgie. The album was recorded in two parts: the drums were recorded by Budgie and Kodo drummer Leonard Eto in Tokyo in ...
'' in 2003, she collaborated with Basement Jaxx on the title track of their album '' Kish Kash''. Soon, she received tapes from other composers: "Into a Swan" was one of the first songs written after the end of her marriage.
The single was Siouxsie's first solo record. Egyptian percussionist Hossam Ramzy
Hossam Ramzy ( ar, حسام رمزي; 15 December 1953 – 10 September 2019) was an Egyptian percussionist and composer. He worked with English artists like Jimmy Page and Robert Plant, Siouxsie Sioux, as well as with Arabic music artists like R ...
who had previously worked with Robert Plant on ''No Quarter
The phrase no quarter was generally used during military conflict to imply combatants would not be taken prisoner, but killed.
According to some modern American dictionaries, a person who is given no quarter is "not treated kindly" or "treated ...
'', took part to the recording sessions and played darbuka
The goblet drum (also chalice drum, tarabuka, tarabaki, darbuka, darabuka, derbake, debuka, doumbek, dumbec, dumbeg, dumbelek, toumperleki, tumbak, or zerbaghali; arz, دربوكة / Romanized: ) is a single-head membranophone with a goblet-s ...
. The song was seen as a statement of identity and transformation by critics. Siouxsie said it was about "Recognizing that feeling that I suppose gets you from I guess adolescent when you get your first feeling of confidence of stepping out on your own and I think it is just getting that confidence to move forwards and continue".
Release
Aside from the digital download, "Into a Swan" was released as a series of 7-inch vinyl
In music, a single is a type of release, typically a song recording of fewer tracks than an LP record or an album. One can be released for sale to the public in a variety of formats. In most cases, a single is a song that is released separat ...
singles as well as CD single
A CD single (sometimes abbreviated to CDS) is a music single in the form of a compact disc. The standard in the Red Book for the term ''CD single'' is an 8 cm (3-inch) CD (or Mini CD). It now refers to any single recorded onto a CD of any si ...
s, as well as B-sides
The A-side and B-side are the two sides of phonograph records and cassettes; these terms have often been printed on the labels of two-sided music recordings. The A-side usually features a recording that its artist, producer, or record company ...
as "Swansway" and a reprise version of "Into a Swan". A 12-inch single
The twelve-inch single (often written as 12-inch or 12″) is a type of vinyl ( polyvinyl chloride or PVC) gramophone record that has wider groove spacing and shorter playing time with a 'single' or a few related sound tracks on each surfac ...
with remixes by Andrew Weatherall
Andrew James Weatherall (6 April 1963 – 17 February 2020) was an English musician, DJ, songwriter, producer and remixer. His career took him from being one of the key DJs in the acid house movement of the late 1980s to being a remixer of trac ...
and Mekon were released on 1 October.
Video and promotion
The music video
A music video is a video of variable duration, that integrates a music song or a music album with imagery that is produced for promotional or musical artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a music marketing device ...
featuring Siouxsie transforming into a black swan, leaked to the Internet via YouTube
YouTube is a global online video sharing and social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by Google, and is the second mo ...
in June 2007. It was later available to stream on Siouxsie's official website.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 ...
. In 2008, the song was featured in the opening credits of the film ''Alien Raiders
''Alien Raiders'' is a 2008 American science fiction horror film, starring Carlos Bernard, Rockmond Dunbar and Mathew St. Patrick. The film is Ben Rock's first feature film as a director. The film was produced by Daniel Myrick, John Shiban, and Ton ...
''.
Formats and track listings
;CD single and digital download
#"Into a Swan"
#"Swansway"
#"Into a Swan (Reprise)"
;7-inch vinyl 1
#"Into a Swan"
#"Swansway"
;7-inch vinyl 2
#"Into a Swan"
#"Into a Swan (Reprise)"
;12-inch single
#"Into a Swan ( Weatherall Remix)"
#"Into a Swan ( Mekon Remix)"
References
{{authority control
2007 songs
2007 debut singles
Siouxsie Sioux songs
Songs written by Siouxsie Sioux
Universal Music Group singles