"Fear (of the Unknown)" is a U.S.-only single written and recorded by English rock band

Siouxsie and the Banshees Siouxsie and the Banshees ( ) were a British Rock music, rock band formed in London in 1976 by vocalist Siouxsie Sioux and bass guitarist Steven Severin. Post-punk pioneers, they were widely influential, both over their contemporaries and later ...

and produced by

Stephen Hague Stephen Hague (born 1960) is an American record producer most active with various British acts since the 1980s. Early life Hague was born in Portland, Maine, in 1960. Early career Hague started his musical career in the mid-1970s as a session ...

. It was released in late 1991 as the second U.S. single from the band's 10th studio album, ''

Superstition A superstition is any belief or practice considered by non-practitioners to be irrational or supernatural, attributed to fate or magic (supernatural), magic, perceived supernatural influence, or fear of that which is unknown. It is commonly app ...

''. It didn't get any domestic release in the UK and was the only Siouxsie and the Banshees single not to be issued in their home country. The track, in its original form, was an uptempo

dance Dance is an The arts, art form, consisting of sequences of body movements with aesthetic and often Symbol, symbolic value, either improvised or purposefully selected. Dance can be categorized and described by its choreography, by its repertoir ...

-oriented number with heavy percussion work by Banshees drummer

Budgie Budgie may refer to: Arts * Budgie (band), a Welsh heavy metal band from Cardiff ** ''Budgie'' (album), the debut album by the Welsh heavy metal band Budgie * Budgie (musician) (born 1957), English drummer * ''Budgie'' (TV series), a British tel ...

. For its release as a single, "Fear (of the Unknown)" was drastically

remix A remix, also sometimes called reorchestration or rework, is a piece of media which has been altered or contorted from its original state by adding, removing, or changing pieces of the item. A song, piece of artwork, book, poem, or photograph ca ...

ed by

Junior Vasquez Junior Vasquez (born Donald Gregory Mattern; August 24, 1949) is an American DJ, record producer and remixer. He has been referred to as one of the only DJs of his time to gain international attention. Career Mattern moved to New York City a ...

to accentuate its 4/4 rhythm and give it a

house music House is a genre of electronic dance music characterized by a repetitive Four on the floor (music), four-on-the-floor beat and a typical tempo of 115–130 beats per minute. It was created by DJs and music producers from Chicago's underground ...

feel. A 12-inch was released with several remixes. When included on the 1992 compilation album ''

Twice Upon a Time – The Singles Twice (; Japanese: トゥワイス, Hepburn: ''Tuwaisu''; commonly stylized in all caps) is a South Korean girl group formed by JYP Entertainment. The group is composed of nine members: Nayeon, Jeongyeon, Momo, Sana, Jihyo, Mina, Dahyun, Cha ...

'', the track was presented in the "House of Fear Mix", the one which had been used for the promo video. The song became the Banshees' biggest hit on the U.S. ''Billboard (magazine), Billboard'' magazine's Dance Club Songs, Hot Dance/Disco chart, climbing to number 6, as it was heavily played by many DJs. "Fear (of the Unknown)" received moderate airplay on American alternative rock radio, peaking at number 12 on Billboard's Alternative Songs, Modern Rock Tracks chart. The cover art is an homage to James Stewart's dream sequence in Alfred Hitchcock's film ''Vertigo (film), Vertigo''.

12″ vinyl track listing

#"Fear (of the Unknown) (CHR Mix)" * #"Fear (of the Unknown) (House Of Fear Extended Mix)" * #"Fear (of the Unknown) (LP Version)" #"Fear (of the Unknown) (Vertigo Mix)" * #"Fear (of the Unknown) (Urban Fear Mix)" * #"Spiral Twist" (* remixed by

)

CD track listing

# "Fear (of the Unknown) (LP Version)" # "Spiral Twist" # "I Could Be Again" # "Fear (of the Unknown) (Vertigo mix)"

Charts

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Fear (Of The Unknown) 1991 singles Siouxsie and the Banshees songs Song recordings produced by Stephen Hague 1991 songs Geffen Records singles Songs written by Siouxsie Sioux Songs written by Budgie (musician) Songs written by Steven Severin