Kiss Them for Me by Siouxsie and the Banshees Lyrics Meaning – Dissecting the Gilded Cage of Fame
Lyrics
For the arriving beauty queen
A ring and a car
Now you’re the prettiest by far
No party she’d not attend
No invitation she wouldn’t send
Transfixed by the inner sound
Of your promise to be found
“Nothing or no one will ever
Make me let you down”
Kiss them for me, I may be delayed
Kiss them for me if I am delayed
It’s divoon, oh it’s serene
In the fountains pink champagne
Someone carving their devotion
In the heart-shaped pool of fame
“Nothing or no one will ever
Make me let you down”
Kiss them for me, I may be delayed
Kiss, kiss them for me, I may find myself delayed
On the road to New Orleans
A spray of stars hit the screen
As the tenth impact shimmered
The forbidden candles beamed
Kiss them for me, I may be delayed
Kiss them for me, I may find myself delayed
Kiss them for me, kiss them for me
Kiss them for me, I may find myself delayed
Kiss them for me, kiss them for me
Within the ornate tapestry of Siouxsie and the Banshees’ repertoire lies ‘Kiss Them for Me,’ a track that shimmers with the enigmatic quality of a diamond caught in the stark glare of the spotlight. At first blush, the track might be mistaken for just another homage to glamour and celebrity. However, upon closer inspection, ‘Kiss Them for Me,’ from their 1991 album ‘Superstition,’ unfolds its petals to reveal a complex critique of celebrity culture and the all-consuming nature of fame.
The song pirouettes around the listener, enshrining the tale of a beauty queen ensnared by the flashing bulbs of paparazzi’s cameras and the high society’s never-ending soirees. Yet, as we navigate the verses, there’s an unmistakable sensation of a hollow promise – a glimmer of sadness beneath the sparkle of champagne and the heartbeat of public adoration. Siouxsie and the Banshees channel both celebration and critique, weaving a narrative that dances between the intoxicating and the tragic.
Unveiling the Velvet Veil: The Grit Beneath the Glitter
From the opening lyrics, we’re introduced to the ‘arriving beauty queen’ – a character who epitomizes the glamour and the spectacle of fame. The collage of ‘a ring and a car,’ both symbols of material success, crowns the individual as an acclaimed gem within societal ranks. But this is no fairytale; the narrative that Siouxsie and the Banshees construct is not about acquiring wealth or status, it’s a reflection on what those symbols may cost in terms of personal freedom and authenticity.
The song captures the persistent tug-of-war between public adoration and the internal hunger for a more profound sense of purpose. The ‘inner sound’ that transfixes the queen hints at a yearning that no amount of external success can satiate. In their classic, layered style, the band traverses the surface glamour to hint at the emptiness that often accompanies a life in the relentless gaze of public scrutiny.
A Promissory Note Written in Lipstick and Lies
The recurring affirmation ‘Nothing or no one will ever / Make me let you down’ reads as a promise of unwavering loyalty. On the one hand, it can be perceived as the commitment the public figure makes to her admirers, a vow of continual grandeur and spectacle. Yet, there’s an inherent tragedy there, suggesting that the persona is trapped by her own image, unable to forsake the façade even if it leads to personal detriment.
It’s a vocalization of the unspoken agreement between the idol and the worshipped: an understanding that the show will go on, regardless of the personal costs. It’s the audience’s insatiable desire for perfection and the relentless pressure that the beauty queen feels to deliver it, even at the cost of her own happiness or well-being.
Pink Champagne Showers and Devotional Carvings
Serenity and chaos coalesce beautifully in the midsection of ‘Kiss Them for Me.’ References to the ‘fountains pink champagne’ and the ‘heart-shaped pool of fame’ paint a psychedelic picture of tranquil excess. These are images of an endless party, where the waters are laced with luxury, and adoration is etched deeply into the landmarks of success.
But the serenity is uneasy. As the songs progress, it becomes clear that these fountains and pools are more than just status symbols; they’re monuments to devotion that can hold just as easily as they can drown. The luxury becomes a comfortable prison, and the everlasting party a penance that the beauty queen must serve.
Interpreting the Star-Speckled Road to Redemption – or Ruin
The journey ‘on the road to New Orleans’ laden with ‘a spray of stars’ leaves one to ponder the nature of this path. These stars could be a metaphor for the flashes of cameras or the allure of dreams that pull the beauty queen inexorably along her trajectory. It’s a path glittered with the allure of limitless possibilities but speckled with the harsh realities of a life lived in the public eye.
The lyrics suggest a moment of reflection in the midst of the journey—a realization that the character may ‘find [herself] delayed.’ It’s the inevitable pause in the whirlwind of fame where the façade slips, and the person beneath the persona peers out, perhaps doubting the direction in which they have been inexorably propelled.
The Lingering Echo: Memorable Lines that Resonate
The song’s zenith of memorability revolves around the phrase ‘Kiss them for me, I may be delayed.’ It’s at once a plea and a declaration, a line that encapsulates the essence of duty to the artifice of celebrity. By asking someone to ‘kiss them’ for her, the queen acknowledges her absence; she can’t be present for the admirers that sustain her status. It’s a line that lingers long after the song fades, its repetition driving home the reality of the beauty queen’s exquisite, yet empty promises.
The undeniable poignancy of these words reveals the bittersweet nature of fame and the isolation that accompanies it. The beauty queen’s negotiations between her public and private selves become a commentary on the duality of human existence—how we all, in ways big and small, send our proxies out into the world, sometimes at the expense of who we truly are.
