Arabian Knights (song)

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"Arabian Knights"
Single by Siouxsie and the Banshees
from the album Juju
B-side"Supernatural Thing", "Congo Conga"
Released24 July 1981
Recorded1981
Genre
Length3:08
LabelPolydor
Songwriter(s)Susan Ballion, Peter Edward Clarke, John McGeoch and Steven Severin
Producer(s)
Siouxsie and the Banshees singles chronology
"Spellbound"
(1981) 		"Arabian Knights"
(1981) 		"Fireworks"
(1982)
Music video
"Arabian Knights" on YouTube
Siouxsie singles chronology
"Spellbound"
(1981) 		"Arabian Knights"
(1981) 		"Wild Things
the Creatures"
(1981)

"Arabian Knights" is a song by English post-punk band Siouxsie and the Banshees. The track was written by Siouxsie and the Banshees and co-produced with Nigel Gray. It was released in 1981 as the second and final single released from their fourth studio album, Juju.

Content and release[edit]

The song criticises the oppression of women in the Middle East.[2] Siouxsie later commented on the lyrics: "With 'Arabian Knights' it was quite a thrill to get the word 'orifices' on the radio."[3] The B-side, "Supernatural Thing", was originally recorded by Ben E. King, appearing on his 1975 album Supernatural. The extra B-side, "Congo Conga", was misspelled as "Conga Conga" on the U.S. edition of the 12". "Arabian Knights" was released on 24 July 1981 by record label Polydor. The single peaked at number 32 on the UK Singles Chart in 1981.[4]

Music, reception and legacy[edit]

The Guardian retrospectively qualified "Arabian Knights" as a "pop marvel"[5] while AllMusic described it as "dreamy".[6]

Billy Corgan of the Smashing Pumpkins selected it in his playlist in December 2014 when he talked about some of his favourite music on BBC radio.[7]

Cover versions[edit]

Paul Roland covered "Arabian Knights" on his 1992 album Strychnine, while Icky Blossoms released it as a single in 2013.[8] Las Aves also covered it during a live session for French Television in 2014.[9]

Track listing[edit]

7"
Side A
No.TitleLength
1."Arabian Knights"3:08
Side B
No.TitleLength
1.""Supernatural Thing""4:26
12"
Side A
No.TitleLength
1."Arabian Knights"3:09
Side B
No.TitleLength
1."Supernatural Thing"4:26
2."Congo Conga"4:14

Charts[edit]

Chart (1981) Peak
position
UK Singles Chart[10] 32

References[edit]

  1. ^ Segretto, Mike (2022). "1981". 33 1/3 Revolutions Per Minute - A Critical Trip Through the Rock LP Era, 1955–1999. Backbeat. p. 399. ISBN 9781493064601.
  2. ^ Peacock, Tim (6 June 2023). "Why Siouxsie And The Banshees' 'Juju' Casts Such A Potent Spell". uDiscover Music. Retrieved 5 February 2024.
  3. ^ Tilston, Lisa (11 November 1989). "Creature Comforts". Record Mirror.
  4. ^ "Siouxsie & the Banshees [uk charts]". officialcharts.com. Retrieved 29 April 2013.
  5. ^ Petridis, Alex (21 November 2007). "Artists Beginning with S | Music | The Guardian". The Guardian. Retrieved 1 March 2015. Pop marvels such as Spellbound and Arabian Knights were poised, peerless exercises in magic realism that you could dance to.
  6. ^ Arabian Knights review. Allmusic. Retrieved 18 March 2015.
  7. ^ "6 music playlist Billy Corgan". BBC.co.uk. 7 December 2014. Retrieved 15-5-2015
  8. ^ Gregory, Adams. "Black Lips / Icky Blossoms "Mamas Don't Let Your Babies Grow Up to be Cowboys" / "Arabian Knights"". Exclaim!. 1 April 2013. Retrieved 26 December 2015
  9. ^ "Las Aves Arabian Knights". France 4. 2014. Retrieved 5 July 2020.
  10. ^ "Siouxsie and the Banshees - UK Singles Chart". OfficialCharts. Retrieved 10 October 2015.
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