Format 7", 12", CD, cassette Length 3:49 | Genre Alternative rock Label Parlophone (UK) | |
Released 8 August 1994 (1994-08-08) Writer(s) Georges Delerue
Hal Shaper | ||
"Interlude" is a single by Morrissey and Siouxsie Sioux released in August 1994. It was presented under the banner of "Morrissey & Siouxsie".
Contents
This collaboration was included in Spin magazine's list of the top 10 "one-off team-ups" of all time. The cover is a cropped version of the photograph Girl Jiving in Southam St. by Roger Mayne, the model being Eileen Sheekey.
Background
"Interlude" was recorded during the recording sessions for Morrissey's Vauxhall and I album, and was produced by Morrissey guitarist and musical director Boz Boorer. The original version of the song was recorded in 1968 by the female singer Timi Yuro as the title track for the film of the same name.
Morrissey first contacted Siouxsie in the early 1990s with a view to recording a duet with her. In 1993, he sent her a tape with some potential songs he had selected. All were numbers initially sung by female singers like Nancy Sinatra and Dionne Warwick. Siouxsie picked this ballad and Morrissey agreed. The sessions went well and Boorer later described his collaboration with Siouxsie as "complete joy".
Soon after the recording, however, the two singers fell out with one another regarding the content of the video. Ultimately, the video shoot never took place and the whole project was put on ice for a few months. EMI then threatened to not promote it without the existence of a supporting video. Although it was a "winter" song, against all expectations, EMI finally released "Interlude" in the summer of 1994.
Despite this, the single's chart peak (number 25 in the UK) was consistent with Siouxsie's other UK chart placing of the post-1992 era, when she never charted higher than number 21 in the UK with Siouxsie and the Banshees, after the release of the single "Face to Face". "Interlude" also charted considerably higher than Morrissey's previous single, "Hold on to Your Friends", which had flopped at number 47. "Interlude" was also issued in Europe via EMI. In North America, due to the impossibility of an agreement between Sire (Morrissey's US record company) and Geffen (Siouxsie's), the record was only available on import in very limited quantities.
"Interlude" was later included on a compilation called Suedehead: The Best of Morrissey. A previously unreleased version of the song, featuring only Morrissey's vocals, appeared on his 2011 Very Best Of compilation.
Reception
The single was positively received by MacKenzie Wilson of AllMusic, who considered the performers to be "one of the finest duos in modern rock." The track's production was also praised: "The flowing string arrangements on "Interlude" are breathtaking, and appropriate to the talents of both artists."
7" vinyl and cassette
- "Interlude" (Georges Delerue / Hal Shaper)
- "Interlude (Extended)"
12" vinyl and CD
- "Interlude"
- "Interlude (Extended)"
- "Interlude (Instrumental)"