"Spellbound" is a song by English gothic post-punk band Siouxsie and the Banshees. The group wrote it and co-produced it with Nigel Gray. It was released in 1981 by record label Polydor as the first single from the band's fourth studio album, Juju. Prior to recording the song, the band toured the UK in February of 1981 to premiere new material composed with guitarist John McGeoch. When reviewing this era, Barney Hoskyns of NME described "Spellbound" as a "glorious electric storm," further adding, "Siouxsie and the Banshees are one of the great British bands of all time".

Release

"Spellbound" was released by Polydor on 22 May 1981. The single peaked at number 22 on the UK Singles Chart in 1981. It also reached 64 on the U.S. National Disco Action Top 80 chart. The 12" extended version of the song appeared on the 2006 remastered version of Juju.

Reception and legacy

In their contemporary review, Melody Maker praised the single, calling it "exhilarating". The Guardian retrospectively hailed it as a "pop marvel". In 2006, Mojo honoured McGeoch by rating him in their list of "100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time" for his work on "Spellbound". Johnny Marr of the Smiths stated on BBC Radio 2 in February 2008 that he rated guitarist John McGeoch highly for his work on "Spellbound": "It's so clever. He's got this really good picky thing going on which is very un-rock'n'roll, and this actual tune he's playing is really quite mysterious". The song featured in the end credits of the finale of the 4th season of Stranger Things, "The Piggyback," and the end credits of the season 4 episode of True Blood, "Spellbound". It is also played on the radio in the background in the 2022 film Empire of Light. English pop group Duran Duran covered the song on their 2023 album Danse Macabre.

Personnel

Track listing

Charts