"Into a Swan" is the debut solo single by

Siouxsie Susan Janet Ballion (born 27 May 1957), known professionally as Siouxsie Sioux, is an English singer, songwriter, musician and record producer. She was the lead singer of the rock band Siouxsie and the Banshees (1976–1996). They released 11 ...

for her debut solo album ''

Mantaray A manta ray is a large ray belonging to the genus ''Manta''. Manta Ray or Mantaray may also refer to: * ''Manta'' (platform), a South Korean digital comics platform * ''Manta Ray'' (film), a 2018 Thai film * ''Manta Ray'' (album), a 1994 album ...

''. It was released in the UK on W14 on 3 September 2007 and promoted with a video featuring Siouxsie transforming into a black swan."Siouxsie Into a Swan video"
Vimeo. June 2007. Retrieved 1-10-2014

Background and music

After

the Creatures The Creatures were an English band formed in 1981 by vocalist Siouxsie Sioux and drummer Budgie of the group Siouxsie and the Banshees. The Creatures released their first EP '' Wild Things'' in 1981. They recorded four studio albums: '' Feas ...

's final album '' Hái!'' in 2003, she collaborated with

Basement Jaxx Basement Jaxx are an English electronic music duo consisting of Felix Buxton and Simon Ratcliffe. The pair got their name from the regular club night they held in Brixton, London, UK. They first rose to popularity in the underground house scene ...

on the title track of their album ''

Kish Kash ''Kish Kash'' is the third studio album by English electronic music duo Basement Jaxx, released on 20 October 2003 by XL and Astralwerks. After a lengthy tour which caused them exhaustion and homesickness, they settled in their new studio an ...

''. Soon, she received tapes from other composers: "Into a Swan" was one of the first songs written after the end of her marriage. The single was Siouxsie's first solo record. Egyptian percussionist

Hossam Ramzy Hossam Ramzy ( ar, حسام رمزي; 15 December 1953 – 10 September 2019) was an Egyptian percussionist and composer. He worked with English artists like Jimmy Page and Robert Plant, Siouxsie Sioux, as well as with Arabic music artists like ...

who had previously worked with

Robert Plant Robert Anthony Plant (born 20 August 1948) is an English singer and songwriter, best known as the lead singer and lyricist of the English rock band Led Zeppelin for all of its existence from 1968 until 1980, when the band broke up following th ...

on ''

No Quarter The phrase no quarter was generally used during military conflict to imply combatants would not be taken prisoner, but killed. According to some modern American dictionaries, a person who is given no quarter is "not treated kindly" or "treated ...

'', took part to the recording sessions and played

darbuka The goblet drum (also chalice drum, tarabuka, tarabaki, darbuka, darabuka, derbake, debuka, doumbek, dumbec, dumbeg, dumbelek, toumperleki, tumbak, or zerbaghali; arz, دربوكة / Romanized: ) is a single-head membranophone with a goblet-s ...

. The song was seen as a statement of identity and transformation by critics. Siouxsie said it was about "Recognizing that feeling that I suppose gets you from I guess adolescent when you get your first feeling of confidence of stepping out on your own and I think it is just getting that confidence to move forwards and continue". It is a motivation.

Release

Aside from the digital download, "Into a Swan" was released as a series of

7-inch vinyl In music, a single is a type of release, typically a song recording of fewer tracks than an LP record or an album. One can be released for sale to the public in a variety of formats. In most cases, a single is a song that is released separate ...

singles as well as

CD single A CD single (sometimes abbreviated to CDS) is a music single in the form of a compact disc. The standard in the Red Book for the term ''CD single'' is an 8 cm (3-inch) CD (or Mini CD). It now refers to any single recorded onto a CD of any s ...

s, as well as

B-sides The A-side and B-side are the two sides of phonograph records and cassettes; these terms have often been printed on the labels of two-sided music recordings. The A-side usually features a recording that its artist, producer, or record company ...

as "Swansway" and a reprise version of "Into a Swan". A

12-inch single The twelve-inch single (often written as 12-inch or 12″) is a type of vinyl ( polyvinyl chloride or PVC) gramophone record that has wider groove spacing and shorter playing time with a 'single' or a few related sound tracks on each surfac ...

with

remix A remix (or reorchestration) 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, video, poem, or photograph can all be remixes. The o ...

es by

Andrew Weatherall Andrew James Weatherall (6 April 1963 – 17 February 2020) was an English musician, DJ, songwriter, producer and remixer. His career took him from being one of the key DJs in the acid house movement of the late 1980s to being a remixer of trac ...

and Mekon were released on 1 October.

Video and promotion

The

music video A music video is a video of variable duration, that integrates a music song or a music album with imagery that is produced for promotional or musical artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a music marketing devi ...

featuring Siouxsie transforming into a black swan, leaked to the Internet via

YouTube YouTube is a global online video sharing and social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by Google, and is the second most ...

in June 2007. It was later available to stream on Siouxsie's official website. Upon release, "Into a Swan" hit number 59 on the

UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart (currently titled Official Singles Chart, with the upper section more commonly known as the Official UK Top 40) is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), on behalf of the British record industry, listing the top-s ...

. In 2008, the song was featured in the opening credits of the film '' Alien Raiders''.

Formats and track listings

;CD single and digital download #"Into a Swan" #"Swansway" #"Into a Swan (Reprise)" ;7-inch vinyl 1 #"Into a Swan" #"Swansway" ;7-inch vinyl 2 #"Into a Swan" #"Into a Swan (Reprise)" ;12-inch single #"Into a Swan (

Weatherall Weatherall or Weatherill is a surname, and may refer to: Weatherall * Andrew Weatherall (1963–2020), English musician, DJ, songwriter, producer and remixer * Ann Weatherall (born 1964), New Zealand psychologist * David Weatherall (1933–2018), ...

Remix)" #"Into a Swan ( Mekon Remix)"

References

{{authority control 2007 songs 2007 debut singles Siouxsie Sioux songs Songs written by Siouxsie Sioux Universal Music Group singles