Published by Mason Oldridge, 3 December 2024
Hello? Is there anybody in there? Just nod if you can hear me. Is there anybody home? These are the opening lyrics to, of course, the legendary 70s progressive rock anthem Comfortably Numb by Pink Floyd, however, only a group as unique as Scissor Sisters could turn the classic into such an epic dance banger. As we hit the 20th anniversary of their overwhelmingly successful debut record, we take a look back at their career spanning four studio albums.
Born out of the New York gay scene, Scissor Sisters are a glam rock band with an original lineup comprising of lead singer Jake Shears, female vocalist Ana Matronic and instrumentalists Babydaddy, Del Marquis and Paddy Boom. With their genre-splicing instrumentation, flamboyant personalities and stage presence, falsetto vocals and a sexually explicit band name, the sisters had what it takes to land on the scene with a bang.
Their self-titled debut album (2004) opens with lead single Laura. Built upon playful keys and otherworldly guitar, the track discusses proving oneself and financial difficulty. Take Your Mama places acoustic guitar as the central instrument and is about coming out to your family and, on a more literal level, taking your mother on a night out! Mary is a sombre piano track that takes a more serious tone, focusing on Shears’ real life platonic friend, who later died of a brain aneurysm. Filthy/Gorgeous details transgender prostitution and features some outrageously sexualised lyrics. Later on into the tracklist, It Can’t Come Quickly Enough is the overlooked highlight. A hauntingly beautiful track, it capitalises on Shears’ falsetto vocals on the chorus and contains some of the most innovative lyrics too, with the first pre-chorus proclaiming “we knew all the answers and we shouted them like anthems, anxious and suspicious that God knew how much we cheated” as well as the chilling chorus talking of deflating disappointment arising from something long-awaited as “it can’t come quickly enough” but then “it passed you by and left you so defeated”. The album closes on Return to Oz, a commentary on drug abuse within gay culture. Opening on sinister acoustic guitar, it turns the fictional Land of Oz into a horrifying dystopia akin to the film of the same name and also contains some impressive lyrics on its dark subject matter. On face value, the album is greatly entertaining to listen to. However, scratching beneath the surface to take a deeper look allows you to fully appreciate how cleverly drafted (and also crude!) the lyrics are and the difficult and taboo topics it tackles, further cementing the record as one of the most iconic albums of all time.
Follow-up album Ta-Dah (2006) also enjoyed some success, primarily from its opening track and lead single I Don’t Feel Like Dancing. Arguably their signature song, it sees the band lean into disco influences and features co-writing duties and guest piano from the legend that is Elton John. She’s My Man contains some gender-challenging lyrics whereas I Can’t Decide embraces murderous tendencies set to contrasting fun and playful music. Tracks like Lights and Ooh welcome elements of funk before later tracks such as The Other Side and Might Tell You Tonight are more toned down with emotive lyrics on love and loss. However, Land Of A Thousand Words stands out as an Elton John-style ballad with a more cohesive feel that highlights the band’s true talent.
Night Work (2010) saw a major shift in the band’s sound as they moved towards being a more dance-orientated outfit. Having abandoned a heap of new material from a couple of years prior, the band teamed up with producer Stuart Price to start afresh. The sound may be different but the attitude remains the same, as echoed in the controversial album cover. The opening and titular track begins the album and new phase for the sisters with a burst of energy before Whole New Way contains some sexually suggestive lyrics. Fire With Fire is a worthy lead single that was commercially successful while Any Which Way is a fun second release, though Harder You Get shines as the highlight. Exuding confidence and desire, it is an electronically heavy track laced with more sexual innuendos. Something Like This is super catchy, Skin Tight discusses the desire for intimacy and Sex and Violence discusses the desire for, well, sex and violence. The album closes with lengthy outro track Invisible Light, an epic club banger with a surprising spoken word bridge read by Sir Ian McKellen of all people, believe it or not! Despite the change in sound, the sisters master dance music too as the album contains not one bad song.
Fourth album Magic Hour (2012) is their final release and continues the dance-orientated sound. Lead single Only The Horses is co-produced by Calvin Harris, who brings his trademark house music to the track, while Inevitable is co-produced by Pharrell Williams, though this track is more subdued yet with a message of hope. Year of Living Dangerously talks of being adventurously experimental in life and maintains a nice clean production with a gentle violin bridge whereas Let’s Have A Kiki saw Scissor Sisters credited with coining the term kiki as a social gathering. Shady Love, originally planned to be the first single, features Azealia Banks with Shears adopting hip hop vocals along with a backing techno beat, contrasting with San Luis Obispo, which sounds like an ode to the Californian city, with tropical and laid-back vibes across the track. The Secret Life of Letters is somewhat eerie and incorporates string sounds before Somewhere plays the album out nicely. Unfortunately, this marked the end of the Scissor Sisters’ incredible discography.
After years of inactivity, the band are planning a reunion tour, albeit without Ms Matronic. Despite being a trio now, there is still a positive in that these songs are truly unique and fully deserve to be celebrated.