Face to Face (Siouxsie and the Banshees song)

"Face to Face" is a song recorded by English rock band Siouxsie and the Banshees. It was composed by the group along with Danny Elfman and was produced by Stephen Hague. The track was featured in the 1992 film, Batman Returns, and is included on its soundtrack. Film director Tim Burton asked the band to compose the main song of the movie. 

The track also appeared on the band 1992's compilation album Twice Upon a Time: The Singles and was remastered in 2002 for The Best of Siouxsie and the Banshees.

Music and reception

The song featured strings which build to a dramatic conclusion. The song featured elements from Danny Elfman's Batman Returns score. Lyrically, the song makes indirect references to the film's characters Bruce Wayne and Selina Kyle. "Face to Face" was heard in the film during a ballroom scene in which the characters dance together, not realising that, as their alter-egos (Batman and Catwoman), they are enemies. The lyrics reflected the characters' conflict ("...Cheek to cheek / the bitter sweet / commit your crime / in your deadly time / It's too divine / I want to bend / I want this bliss / but something says I must resist..."). At one point, Siouxsie can be heard purring like a cat, a reference to Catwoman. Tim Burton requested the Banshees to write the song of the film. He stated: "I've always been a fan – Siouxsie is one of very few women who can create a realistic primal cat sound."

At the time of its release as a single, the Stud Brothers wrote in Melody Maker: "It's a slow, heavily orchestral & sensuously tense piece with Siouxsie first tapt, then cracked and finally spiralling off into the ether". 

"Face to Face" peaked at No. 21 in the UK Singles Chart. It also performed well on American alternative rock radios, where the single peaked at No. 7 on the U.S. Modern Rock Tracks chart. 808 State remixed the song, issued as "Face to Face (Catatonic Mix)".

Due to contractual problems, the song was released in the US only on cassette by Warner Bros. which owned the copyright for the Batman Returns movie soundtrack. Consequently, Geffen, the band's US record compagny, was not allowed to release the song on any other format. 
In the film Batman Returns, the song can be heard in one scene and during the end credits.

Promotional video
Two versions of the music video picturing Siouxsie surrounded with cats were made: the video broadcast on music channels included shots from the movie with Michelle Pfeiffer as catwoman. Burton initially wanted to direct the video but had to cancel after Warner Bros. asked for a new sequence to change the end of the movie. Burton's assistant Neil Abramson stepped in and "followed Burton's plan to match the video to the film".

Track listing
UK 7" single
 "Face to Face"
 "I Could Be Again"

 also released on cassette

UK 12" picture disc single
 "Face to Face (Catatonic Mix)"°
 "I Could Be Again"
 "Hothead"

UK CD single (Available as a limited edition foldout digipak)
 "Face to Face"
 "I Could Be Again"
 "Hothead"
 "Face to Face (Catatonic Mix)"°

°(Mixed by 808 State)

Charts

References 

Category:1992 singles
Category:Siouxsie and the Banshees songs
Category:Batman music
Category:Song recordings produced by Stephen Hague
Category:Songs written by Danny Elfman
Category:1992 songs
Category:Warner Records singles