The Last Beat of My Heart

"The Last Beat of My Heart" is a song written, produced and recorded by English rock band Siouxsie and the Banshees. It was released in late 1988 as the third and final single from the band's ninth studio album, Peepshow. In 2021, Spin rated it in their list of "the 50 best alt-rock love songs", for its "slow-climbing swell of accordion and muted tom-tom thump", qualifying it as a "perfect marriage of words and atmosphere".^[1]

"The Last Beat of My Heart"
Single by Siouxsie and the Banshees
from the album Peepshow
B-side	El Dia de Los Muertos Sunless
Released	21 November 1988
Recorded	1988
Genre	Alternative rock, art rock
Label	Polydor
Songwriter(s)	Susan Ballion, Peter Edward Clarke and Steven Severin
Producer(s)	Siouxsie and the Banshees/ Mike Hedges
Siouxsie and the Banshees singles chronology
"The Killing Jar" (1988) "The Last Beat of My Heart" (1988) "Kiss Them for Me" (1991)
Music video
"The Last Beat of My Heart" on YouTube
Siouxsie singles chronology
"The Killing Jar" (1988) "The Last Beat of My Heart" (1988) ""Standing There" The Creatures" (1989)

Music and legacy

The song is a ballad with strings and accordion. Siouxsie's vocals addressed a lover who is leaving a relationship, as she asked for him to return to her. She declared her desire to be "close to you til the last beat of my heart".

Several musicians later praised the song. The Decemberists qualified it as one of their favourite Siouxsie and the Banshees songs.^[2] Arcade Fire singer Win Butler suggested the band DeVotchKa to cover it and they recorded a version on their 2006 EP Curse Your Little Heart.^[3] The Flowers of Hell released a version on their 2012 album Odes, on which they covered their influences.^[4]

"The Last Beat of My Heart" reached number 44 in the UK Singles Chart in December 1988.^[5] Upon its inclusion on the 1992 compilation album Twice Upon a Time - The Singles, a live version of the song from 1991 recorded on the last date of the Lollapalooza festival replaced the single version. A live video of that version was also filmed by a production company on the same day and uploaded on YouTube in 2007.^[6]

References

1. Reed, Ryan. "The 50 Best Alt-Rock Love Songs: 25. Siouxsie & the Banshees – “The Last Beat of My Heart”". Spin.com. February 12, 2021. Retrieved February 12, 2021.
2. Meloy, Colin. Decemberists interview.Pitchfork.com. 15 September 2006. "The Last Beat of My Heart" : "It's one of my favorite Siouxsie and the Banshees songs".
3. Frenette, Brad. "DeVotchKa finds joy in the sadness – interview". Nationalpost.com. 7 March 2011. Retrieved 20 January 2014. "We were playing in Montreal, and Arcade Fire stopped by, back in the earlier days. We were doing this covers album and Win [Butler] recommended that we record The Last Beat of My Heart" "DeVotchKa finds joy in the sadness | National Post". Archived from the original on 22 January 2014. Retrieved 20 January 2014.
4. Adams, Gregory. Flowers of Hell Reveal 'Odes' Details, Share Joy Division Cover Exclaim.ca. 7 September 2012.
5. "Siouxsie & the Banshees [uk charts]". officialcharts.com. Retrieved 29 April 2013.
6. ""The Last Beat of My Heart" live video at Lollapalooza Seattle 28 August 1991. Recently an upload of the live footage with much improved audio and video quality was uploaded to YouTube by The Astradyne Cafe". Youtube. Archived from the original on 19 December 2021. Retrieved 2 February 2021.