"Mittageisen" is a song by English

rock Rock most often refers to: * Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids * Rock music, a genre of popular music Rock or Rocks may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wale ...

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 ...

. It originally appeared on the band's 1978 debut album ''

The Scream ''The Scream'' is an art composition created by Norwegian artist Edvard Munch in 1893. The Norwegian name of the piece is ('Screaming, Scream'), and the German title under which it was first exhibited is ' ('The Scream of Nature'). The agonize ...

'' as "Metal Postcard (Mittageisen)"; the track was re-recorded in 1979, this time with the lyrics sung in

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany, the country of the Germans and German things **Germania (Roman era) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizenship in Germany, see also Ge ...

, and released as a single in West Germany with " Love in a Void" on the b-side. That September the song was given a UK release by record label

Polydor Polydor Limited, also known as Polydor Records, is a British record label that operates as part of Universal Music Group. It has a close relationship with Universal's Interscope Geffen A&M Records label, which distributes Polydor's releases in ...

as a

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

single.

Content and sleeve

The title "Mittageisen" is a

word play Word play or wordplay (also: play-on-words) is a literary technique and a form of wit in which words used become the main subject of the work, primarily for the purpose of intended effect or amusement. Examples of word play include puns, ph ...

based on the German words "''Mittagessen''" (literally: "noon meal", i.e.

lunch Lunch is a meal typically consumed around the middle of the day, following breakfast and preceding dinner. It varies in form, size, and significance across cultures and historical periods. In some societies, lunch constitutes the main meal ...

) and ''Eisen'' ("

iron Iron is a chemical element; it has symbol Fe () and atomic number 26. It is a metal that belongs to the first transition series and group 8 of the periodic table. It is, by mass, the most common element on Earth, forming much of Earth's o ...

"). The title was inspired by antinazi German artist

John Heartfield John Heartfield (born Helmut Herzfeld; 19 June 1891 – 26 April 1968) was a German visual artist who pioneered the use of art as a political weapon. Some of his most famous photomontages were anti-Nazi and anti-fascist statements. Heartfield a ...

's photocollage ''Hurrah, die Butter ist Alle!'' ("Hurray, the Butter is Finished!"), which was also used as the single's cover art. Heartfield's photocollage was initially used on the front page of the German magazine '' Arbeiter-Illustrierte-Zeitung'' (''Workers Illustrated Journal''), published on 19 December 1935. The artist was an early member of Club Dada, which started in 1916 as Cabaret Voltaire in Zürich. The picture with the title "''Hurrah, die Butter ist Alle!'' / Hurray, the butter is finished!" shows a family who eats various pieces of metal. The trigger for it was the following quote from

Hermann Göring Hermann Wilhelm Göring (or Goering; ; 12 January 1893 – 15 October 1946) was a German Nazism, Nazi politician, aviator, military leader, and convicted war criminal. He was one of the most powerful figures in the Nazi Party, which gov ...

: "Iron always made a nation strong, butter and lard only made the people fat".

Writing and recording

"Mittageisen" was composed by

Siouxsie Sioux Susan Janet Ballion (born 27 May 1957), better known by her stage name Siouxsie Sioux (, ), is an English singer and songwriter. She came to prominence as the leader and main lyricist of the rock band Siouxsie and the Banshees, who w ...

and John McKay; the lyrics were translated into German by their manager Dave Woods and a woman named Renate. The single was dedicated to John Heartfield. The

, " Love in a Void", was penned by Severin and the music was mainly composed by previous Banshees guitarist Peter Fenton. The track was an early live favourite; it was also the first song of their first

John Peel John Robert Parker Ravenscroft (30 August 1939 – 25 October 2004), better known as John Peel, was an English radio presenter and journalist. He was the longest-serving of the original disc jockeys on BBC Radio 1, broadcasting regularly from ...

session, recorded in late November 1977. "Love in a Void" had not been recorded for Polydor until this release.

Release

"Mittageisen" was released as a single in the UK by

in September 1979. The record was promoted as a

release at the time, but only "Mittageisen" charted on the UK Singles Chart, where it peaked at number 47. Nevertheless, "Love in a Void"—but not "Mittageisen"—was included on the band's 1981 singles compilation '' Once Upon a Time/The Singles'', which compiled all their A-sides up to that time, and later on the 2006 remastered edition of '' Join Hands''. Putative A-side "Mittageisen" later appeared on the band's B-side compilation '' Downside Up''.

Legacy

"Mittageisen" was

covered Cover or covers may refer to: Packaging * Another name for a lid * Cover (philately), generic term for envelope or package * Album cover, the front of the packaging * Book cover or magazine cover ** Book design ** Back cover copy, part of ...

and

sampled Sample or samples may refer to: * Sample (graphics), an intersection of a color channel and a pixel * Sample (material), a specimen or small quantity of something * Sample (signal), a digital discrete sample of a continuous analog signal * Sample ...

Massive Attack Massive Attack are an English trip hop collective formed in 1988 in Bristol, England, by Robert Del Naja, Robert "3D" Del Naja, Daddy G, Grant "Daddy G" Marshall, Tricky (musician), Adrian "Tricky" Thaws and Andrew Vowles, Andrew "Mushroom" ...

as "Superpredators (Metal Postcard)" in 1997 for the soundtrack to the film '' The Jackal''. and on "Metal Banshee" a dub version of "Superpredators". Robert Smith of

the Cure The Cure are an English Rock music, rock band formed in Crawley in 1976 by Robert Smith (musician), Robert Smith (vocals, guitar) and Lol Tolhurst (drums). The band's current line-up comprises Smith, Perry Bamonte (guitar and keyboards), Reev ...

: "I loved all their early singles, especially 'Metal Postcard'."

Track listing

All tracks produced by Nils Stevenson and Mike Stavrou.

Personnel

Siouxsie and the Banshees *

* John McKay * Kenny Morris *

Steven Severin Steven John Bailey (born 25 September 1955) known professionally as Steven Severin, is an English songwriter, composer, multi-instrumentalist and producer. He was the bassist of the rock band Siouxsie and the Banshees which he co-founded in 1976. ...

Technical * Nils Stevenson – production * Mike Stavrou – production

Charts

References

{{authority control 1978 songs 1979 singles Polydor Records singles Siouxsie and the Banshees songs Songs written by John McKay (musician) Songs written by Kenny Morris (musician) Songs written by Siouxsie Sioux Songs written by Steven Severin