Released 26 November 1991 Label Geffen | Recorded 1991 | |
B-side "Spiral Twist", "I Could Be Again" Format 12" vinyl . cd . cassette Genre Dance rock, alternative rock | ||
"Fear (Of the Unknown)" is a U.S.-only single written and recorded by English rock band Siouxsie and the Banshees and produced by Stephen Hague. It was released in late 1991 as the third U.S. single from the band's 10th studio album, Superstition. It was not released in the UK and was the only Siouxsie and the Banshees single not to be issued in that country.
The track, in its original form, was an uptempo dance-oriented number with heavy percussion work by Banshees drummer Budgie. For its release as a single, "Fear (of the Unknown)" was drastically remixed by Junior Vasquez to accentuate its 4/4 rhythm and give it a house music feel. When included on the 1992 compilation album Twice Upon a Time: The Singles, the track was presented in still another version, which was neither the main single version (which is the same as the version on Superstition) nor the Junior Vasquez "Vertigo Mix," which was the fourth track on the single.
"Fear (of the Unknown)" received moderate airplay on American alternative rock radio, peaking at number 12 on Billboard magazine's Modern Rock Tracks chart. The song became the Banshees' biggest hit on the U.S. Hot Dance Club Play chart, climbing to number 6.
The cover art is an homage to James Stewart's dream sequence in Alfred Hitchcock's film Vertigo.