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Cities In Dust was the single that gave them the second half of their career, and it's just marvelous when you listen to the details of it. I love a song that is about something but doesn't put it in your face. You could listen to the single a hundred times and not put together that it's about Pompeii. "Water was running. children were running. We found you hiding, we found you lying." That could be about anything; it's all roughly sinister; until you find out what it actually is about, at which point it can be about nothing else.
It's a neat trick for a single and Siouxsie's howling just goes perfectly.
They did this again a few later with "Kiss Them For Me". You actually have to do research to find out that the song is about the horrific death, by car crash, of Jayne Mansfield. And when you realize that, the entire song changes and becomes extremely dark. This was played in dance clubs.
"Kiss them for me, I may be delayed
Kiss them for me, I may find myself delayed."
Oh it isn't just a throwaway line. She was delayed... she was dead. How is the car crash revealed?
"On the road to New Orleans
A spray of stars hit the screen"
If you hit PLAY, you will immediately find that this song about Jayne Mansfield's death is painted with the beats of world music. Their drummer is one of the finest and most creative ever.
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