Suvarna Garge (Editor)

Face to Face (Siouxsie and the Banshees song)

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Released
  
13 July 1992

Genre
  
Alternative rock

Recorded
  
1992

Length
  
4:17

B-side
  
"I Could Be Again", "Hothead"

Format
  
7" single, 12" single, cd, cassette

"Face to Face" is a song recorded by English rock band Siouxsie and the Banshees. It was composed by the group along with Danny Elfman and was produced by Stephen Hague. The track was featured in the 1992 film, Batman Returns, and included on its soundtrack. Elfman also composed the score for the film. The track also appeared on the band 1992's compilation album Twice Upon a Time: The Singles and was remastered in 2002 for The Best of Siouxsie and the Banshees.

Contents

Music and reception

At the time of its release as a single, the Stud Brothers wrote in Melody Maker: "It's a slow, heavily orchestral & sensuously tense piece with Siouxsie first tapt, then cracked and finally spiralling off into the ether".

The song featured strings which build to a dramatic conclusion. The song featured elements from Danny Elfman's Batman Returns score. Lyrically, the song makes indirect references to the film's characters Bruce Wayne and Selina Kyle. "Face to Face" was heard in the film during a ballroom scene in which the characters dance together, not realising that, as their alter-egos (Batman and Catwoman), they are enemies. The lyrics reflected the characters' conflict ("...Cheek to cheek / the bitter sweet / commit your crime / in your deadly time / It's too divine / I want to bend / I want this bliss / but something says I must resist..."). At one point, Siouxsie can be heard purring like a cat, a reference to Catwoman.

"Face to Face" peaked at No. 21 in the UK Singles Chart. It also performed well on American alternative rock radios, where the single peaked at No. 7 on the U.S. Modern Rock Tracks chart. 808 State remixed the song, issued as "Face to Face (Catatonic Mix)" .

Track listing

UK 7" single

  1. "Face to Face"
  2. "I Could Be Again"
  • also released on cassette

    • UK 12" picture disc single

    1. "Face to Face (Catatonic Mix)"°
    2. "I Could Be Again"
    3. "Hothead"

    UK CD single (Available as a limited edition foldout digipak)

    1. "Face to Face"
    2. "I Could Be Again"
    3. "Hothead"
    4. "Face to Face (Catatonic Mix)"°

    °(Mixed by 808 State)

    References

    Face to Face (Siouxsie and the Banshees song) Wikipedia
    (Text) CC BY-SA