The Last Beat of My Heart
"The Last Beat of My Heart" is a song written, produced and recorded by English rock band Siouxsie and the Banshees. It was released in late 1988 as the third and final single from the band's ninth studio album, Peepshow.
"The Last Beat of My Heart" | ||||
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Single by Siouxsie and the Banshees | ||||
from the album Peepshow | ||||
B-side |
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Released | 21 November 1988 | |||
Recorded | 1988 | |||
Genre | Alternative rock, Art rock | |||
Label | Polydor | |||
Songwriter(s) | Susan Ballion, Peter Edward Clarke and Steven Severin | |||
Producer(s) | Siouxsie and the Banshees/ Mike Hedges | |||
Siouxsie and the Banshees singles chronology | ||||
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Siouxsie singles chronology | ||||
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Music and legacy
The song is a ballad with strings and accordion. Sioux's vocals addressed a lover who is leaving a relationship, as she asked for him to return to her. She declared her desire to be "close to you til the last beat of my heart".
Several musicians later praised the song. The Decemberists qualified it as one of their favourite Siouxsie and the Banshees songs.[1] Arcade Fire singer Win Butler suggested the band DeVotchKa to cover it and they recorded a version on their 2006 EP Curse Your Little Heart.[2] The Flowers of Hell released a version on their 2012 album Odes, on which they covered their influences.[3]
"The Last Beat of My Heart" reached number 44 in the UK Singles Chart in December 1988.[4] Upon its inclusion on the 1992 compilation album Twice Upon a Time: The Singles, a live recording of the song from 1991 replaced the single version.
References
- Meloy, Colin. Decemberists interview.Pitchfork.com. 15 September 2006. "The Last Beat of My Heart" : "It's one of my favorite Siouxsie and the Banshees songs".
- Frenette, Brad. "DeVotchKa finds joy in the sadness – interview". Nationalpost.com. 7 March 2011. Retrieved 20 January 2014. "We were playing in Montreal, and Arcade Fire stopped by, back in the earlier days. We were doing this covers album and Win [Butler] recommended that we record The Last Beat of My Heart" "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 22 January 2014. Retrieved 20 January 2014.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
- Adams, Gregory. Flowers of Hell Reveal 'Odes' Details, Share Joy Division Cover Exclaim.ca. 7 September 2012.
- "Siouxsie & the Banshees [uk charts]". officialcharts.com. Retrieved 29 April 2013.