It’s time to get back to my favorite decade. For the month of March, I’ll be looking back at some of my favorite jams from the 80s. These songs often came to me via MTV or the radio. NYC-area stations WDRE, WPLJ, WNEW, K-ROCK and Z100 introduced me to everything from irresistible pop confections to under-the-radar post-punk anthems. I would not be who I am today if it weren’t for the 80s. It was the decade when I discovered music can be a truly powerful thing. #31DaysOf80sSongs
Musicians and fans owe a lot to this band. Siouxsie and the Banshees pushed boundaries musically and stretched our imaginations. Much like The Cure, they created a world you could get lost in. That world seemed cinematic at times (“Dazzle”, “Cascade”), occasionally perilous (“Spellbound”, “Cities in Dust”), and ecstatic at other moments (“Peek-A-Boo”, “Kiss Them For Me”). They created sweeping, biting, haunting post-punk expressions no one else was able or at least willing to create. One of their all-time classic anthems appeared in 1980 with a new lineup. The song is “Happy House”.
McKay was a special guitarist, but the new guy, John McGeoch, more than held his own. Here he plays edgy. He also plays atmospheric. And he fits right in. Budgie also joined the band around this time. Listen to the drum parts on “Happy House” carefully. Those are reggae-infused rhythms and beats that are giving the song fits and added dimension. The biting sarcasm of the song isn’t complete without it. One word about Severin’s bass playing here. skittish. He starts high up on the neck a la Peter Hook, then carries this epic track along while Siouxsie sings part psychotic, part flirtatious. Incredibly irresistible.
“We've come to scream in the happy house. We're in a dream in the happy house.”