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Shakespears Sister
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Shakespears Sister was a synth-pop-rock band formed by former Bananarama singer-songwriter Siobhan Fahey in 1988. It was Fahey's first musical project since leaving Bananarama. Later in 1989, American backing vocalist and guitarist Marcella Detroit was featured more as London Records presented the band as a duo. The name is taken from the title of the song "Shakespeare's Sister" by The Smiths, which in turn refers to a section of Virginia Woolf's feminist essay A Room of One's Own, in which Woolf argues that if William Shakespeare had a sister of equal genius, as a woman she would not have had the opportunity to make use of it.
There have been minor variations in the spelling of the band's name over the years, which lost its final "e" when a friend made a woodcut logo for Fahey and misspelt the most common modern spelling of Shakespeare.
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Encyclopedia
Shakespears Sister was a synth-pop-rock band formed by former Bananarama singer-songwriter Siobhan Fahey in 1988. It was Fahey's first musical project since leaving Bananarama. Later in 1989, American backing vocalist and guitarist Marcella Detroit was featured more as London Records presented the band as a duo. The name is taken from the title of the song "Shakespeare's Sister" by The Smiths, which in turn refers to a section of Virginia Woolf's feminist essay A Room of One's Own, in which Woolf argues that if William Shakespeare had a sister of equal genius, as a woman she would not have had the opportunity to make use of it.
There have been minor variations in the spelling of the band's name over the years, which lost its final "e" when a friend made a woodcut logo for Fahey and misspelt the most common modern spelling of Shakespeare. The cover of the first album, Sacred Heart, also clearly includes an apostrophe (i.e. Shakespear's Sister), but this too was subsequently lost.
History
Fahey-Detroit era
Originally conceived as a Fahey solo project, Shakespears Sister's first release was the double A-sided single "Break My Heart (You Really)"/"Heroine" in October 1988, which failed to chart. In 1989, with Shakespears Sister now presented as a duo of Fahey with Marcella Detroit, the next single, "You're History", became a top ten hit in the UK. The debut album, Sacred Heart, also went top ten, though further singles taken from the album were less successful.
Taking some time off due to both members' pregnancies, Shakespears Sister returned in late 1991 with the release of the single "Goodbye Cruel World", which peaked at number 59 in the UK Singles Chart. However, in early 1992, the duo released what would become their biggest hit single, "Stay". The single reached number one in the UK for eight weeks. It was also a 6 week number one in Ireland, and became their biggest US hit, reaching number four on the Billboard Hot 100. The success of the single was enhanced by a campy, futuristic accompanying music video. Their second album, Hormonally Yours, was critically acclaimed and peaked at number three in the UK Albums Chart (spending approx one year on the chart)
After a year-long worldwide tour throughout 1992, Fahey cancelled further European touring due to physical and emotional exhaustion and subsequently admitted herself into a psychiatric unit with severe depression.
Following this, Shakespears Sister were nominated for several BRIT Awards, including best group, best album, best video, best single and best female artist (for Fahey). However, out of these they only won Best Video for "Stay", which was voted for by the British public.
At the 1993 Ivor Novello Awards, Fahey announced she had split with Marcella Detroit. Allegedly, the pair have not spoken since.
Fahey alone
Shakespears Sister carried on as Fahey by herself, and in 1994 she recorded "Prehistoric Daze" for the soundtrack to the film The Flintstones, as well as "Waiting" for the Sadie Frost/Jude Law film Shopping.
In 1996, Fahey resurfaced again as Shakespears Sister with the single "I Can Drive", a single picked by the record company from her forthcoming third album instead of Fahey's choice of "Do I Scare You". After the single peaked at no.30, London Records declined to release the full album. Fahey later parted company with the label, leaving the album unreleased. This year also marked Fahey's divorce from Dave Stewart, whom she had married in 1987.
In 2003, Fahey regained the master tapes for the unreleased album #3, which had been recorded in 1995-1996. The album was finally given an independent release in 2004 on Fahey's own record label, SF Records.
A greatest hits CD/DVD retrospective (The Best of Shakespears Sister) was also released in late 2004, containing all of the group's singles and music videos, as well as tracks intended for the #3 album. An additional compilation album, Long Live the Queens!, featuring a tracklisting of remixes and b-sides, was released in late 2005.
Discography
Albums
| Year | Album | UK | US | AUS | Additional information |
|---|
| 1989 | Sacred Heart | 9 | - | 22 | Debut album, with some differences between the European and the US versions | | 1992 | Hormonally Yours | 3 | 56 | 20 | Two issues, the first one in 1992 with original versions of the songs, the second one in 1993 with the single versions of "Goodbye Cruel World", "I Don't Care" and "Hello". Also includes a new version of "Are We In Love Yet?", but the single version of "Stay" is not included. | | 2004 | #3 | - | - | - | Siobhan Fahey without Marcella Detroit, recorded 1995-1996 and released independently in 2004 | | 2004 | The Best of Shakespears Sister | - | - | - | CD/DVD hits compilation album, contains all of the band's music videos. | | 2005 | Long Live the Queens! | - | - | - | B-sides, remixes and rarities compilation album | |
Singles
| Year | Song | UK singles | US Hot 100 | AUS | NZ | Album |
|---|
| 1988 | "Break My Heart (You Really)" / "Heroine" | - | - | - | - | Sacred Heart | | 1989 | "Heroine" (US and Canada only) | - | - | - | - | | "You're History" | 7 | - | 20 | 28 | | "Run Silent" | 54 | - | 47 | - | | 1990 | "Dirty Mind" | 71 | - | 65 | - | | 1991 | "Goodbye Cruel World" | 59 | - | - | - | Hormonally Yours | | 1992 | "Stay" | 1 | 4 | 3 | 5 | | "I Don't Care" | 7 | 55 | 18 | 11 | | "Goodbye Cruel World" (re-issue) | 32 | - | - | - | | "Hello (Turn Your Radio On)" | 14 | - | 97 | 43 | | 1993 | "My 16th Apology" | 61 | - | - | - | | 1996 | "I Can Drive" | 30 | - | - | - | #3 | |
Promotional videos
- "Heroine", directed by Sophie Muller
- "Run Silent", directed by Sophie Muller
- "You're History", directed by Sophie Muller
- "Break My Heart", directed by Sophie Muller
- "Dirty Mind"
- "Goodbye Cruel World", directed by Sophie Muller
- "I Don't Care", directed by Sophie Muller
- "Stay", directed by Sophie Muller
- "Hello (Turn Your Radio On)", directed by Sophie Muller
- "My 16th Apology"
- "I Can Drive", directed by Sophie Muller
External links
- official web site of shakespears sister/siobhan fahey
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