Fear (of the Unknown)

For the album by Martin Briley, see Fear of the Unknown.

"Fear (of the Unknown)" is a U.S.-only single written and recorded by English rock band Siouxsie and the Banshees and produced by Stephen Hague. It was released in late 1991 as the second U.S. single from the band's 10th studio album, Superstition. It didn't get any domestic release in the UK and was the only Siouxsie and the Banshees single not to be issued in their home country.^[1]

"Fear (of the Unknown)"
Single by Siouxsie and the Banshees
from the album Superstition
B-side	"Spiral Twist" "I Could Be Again"
Released	26 November 1991
Recorded	1991
Genre	Dance-rock, alternative rock
Label	Geffen
Songwriter(s)	Susan Ballion, Peter Edward Clarke and Steven Severin
Producer(s)	Stephen Hague
Siouxsie and the Banshees singles chronology
"Shadowtime" (1991) "Fear (of the Unknown)" (1991) "Face to Face" (1992)
Music video
"Fear (of the Unknown)" on YouTube

The track, in its original form, was an uptempo dance-oriented number with heavy percussion work by Banshees drummer Budgie. For its release as a single, "Fear (of the Unknown)" was drastically remixed by Junior Vasquez to accentuate its 4/4 rhythm and give it a house music feel.^[1] A 12-inch was released with several remixes. When included on the 1992 compilation album Twice Upon a Time - The Singles, the track was presented in the "House of Fear Mix", the one which had been used for the promo video.

The song became the Banshees' biggest hit on the U.S. Billboard magazine's Hot Dance/Disco chart, climbing to number 6, as it was heavily played by many DJs.^[2] "Fear (of the Unknown)" received moderate airplay on American alternative rock radio, peaking at number 12 on Billboard's Modern Rock Tracks chart.

The cover art is an homage to James Stewart's dream sequence in Alfred Hitchcock's film Vertigo.

12" vinyl track listing

1. "Fear (of the Unknown) (CHR Mix)" *
2. "Fear (of the Unknown) (House Of Fear Extended Mix)" *
3. "Fear (of the Unknown) (LP Version)"
4. "Fear (of the Unknown) (Vertigo Mix)" *
5. "Fear (of the Unknown) (Urban Fear Mix)" *
6. "Spiral Twist"

(* remixed by Junior Vasquez)

CD track listing

1. "Fear (of the Unknown) (LP Version)"
2. "Spiral Twist"
3. "I Could Be Again"
4. "Fear (of the Unknown) (Vertigo mix)"

Charts

Chart (1991)	Peak position
US Modern Rock Tracks	12
US Hot Dance/Disco[2]	6

References

1. Unsworth, Cathi (17 October 1992). "Through the past, darkly". Melody Maker.
2. "Siouxsie and the Banshees - Awards". Allmusic. Archived from the original on 22 October 2011. Retrieved 8 July 2012.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)