Listen to Siouxsie and the Banshees' "Happy House"

Artist: Siouxsie and the Banshees

Album: Kaleidoscope B-side "Drop Dead/Celebration"

Released: 7 March 1980

Genre: Post-punk

Label: Polydor

Producers: Nigel Gray, Siouxsie and the Banshees

This song reels you in immediately with John McGeoth's amazing edgy and atmospheric guitar riffs and the accompanying reggae style drums, bouncy bass, and anthemic vocals. The video pulls from the sarcastic and dark undertone of the song with Siouxsie in a harlequin suit alongside the other band members who are inside a cartoon like fun-house.

"It is sarcastic. In a way, like television, all the media, it is like adverts, the perfect family whereas it is more common that husbands beat their wives. There are mental families really but the projection is everyone smiling, blonde hair, sunshine, eating butter without being fat and everyone perfect," explained Siouxsie when asked if the song was cynical.

Lyrics:

This is the happy house, we're happy here in the happy house Oh, it's such fun, fun, fun We've come to play in the happy house And waste a day in the happy house

It never rains, never rains

We've come to scream in the happy house We're in a dream in the happy house We're all quite sane This is the happy house, we're happy here

There's room for you if you say "I do" But don't say no or you'll have to go We've done no wrong with our blinkers on It's safe and calm if you sing along

This is the happy house, we're happy here in the happy house To forget ourselves and pretend all's well There is no hell