The Alternative Number Ones: Siouxsie And The Banshees’ “Kiss Them For Me”

In The Alternative Number Ones, I'm reviewing every #1 single in the history of the Billboard Modern Rock Tracks/Alternative Songs, starting with the moment that the chart launched in 1988. This column is a companion piece to The Number Ones, and it's for members only. Thank you to everyone who's helping to keep Stereogum afloat.

Here's something that I recommend: Go back and look at footage of Siouxsie And The Banshees on the first Lollapalooza tour in 1991. There's a decent amount of it out there. The first episode of Lolla, the new Paramount+ docuseries about the festival, tells the story of that first tour, and people speak about the Banshees in hushed tones. Whenever the Banshees appear onscreen, they look so goofy. One of them is usually dressed like an actual clown. A couple of others could be rocking leftover costumes from a regional dinner-theater Pirates Of Penzance production. Siouxsie Sioux herself might come off like she's about ready to play a belly dancer in a '40s movie. But if you sit and watch them for a second, the only acceptable response is: "Yo, that's a band."