Christine by Siouxsie and the Banshees

Album: Kaleidoscope (1980)

Charted: 24

License This Song

lyrics

Songfacts®:

This song is about Christine Costner-Sizemore, whose struggles with multiple personality disorder were documented in the book The Three Faces Of Eve, which was written by her psychiatrists Corbett Thigpen and Hervey Cleckley. The story was then dramatized in a 1957 film also called The Three Faces Of Eve in which Joanne Woodward won an the Academy Award for Best Actress.
Two of Christine's identities, the Strawberry Girl and the Banana Split Lady, are mentioned in the lyrics of the song.
The band first became interested in the case of Christine Sizemore following the discovery (via a friend) of an article in a 1977 Observer magazine about the strange case history of Sizemore. Steve Severin got hold of the book I'm Eve, co-written by Sizemore and her cousin Elen Sain Pittillo. Inspired, Steve Severin wrote the lyrics that told of the 22 personalities that had at the time emerged throughout her life.
The B-side of the single, "Eve White/Eve Black," tells of the confrontation between the 2 major personalities and of the battle for possession of Christine's body.

Comments: 3

Darrell from EugeneI have a good friend named Christine who hates this song, along with the Stephen King "killer-car" (by the way, the California license number CQB241 and anything containing that combination will live forever as a symbol of automotive evil)novel and film and "Christine Sixteen" by Kiss, and her inflated self-righteousness tells her that these works of fiction may be disrespectful to her despite the only connections being the name.
Rayna from Pembroke Pines, FlAnd I thought it was a song about a teenage girl trying on different identities and different "selves" as she went through adolescence -- but then, i first heard the song when I myself was a teen.
Dennis from Newton, MaThis is a great site. Sensibly set up to enrich the appreciation of song lyrics. A challenge would be to discover from where the music, rhythyms, arrangement, tempo, intrumentation, vocals, etc. were inspired/developed/etc.

see more comments

More Songfacts:

Come Out And PlayThe Offspring

The line, "Gotta keep 'em separated" in "Come Out And Play" by The Offspring came to lead singer Dexter Holland when he was a medical student and needed to keep bacteria samples away from each other.

LandslideFleetwood Mac

Stevie Nicks wrote "Landslide" before she joined Fleetwood Mac. She was considering going back to school when she and her boyfriend Lindsey Buckingham were asked to join the group.

Sweet Dreams (Are Made Of This)Eurythmics

The Eurythmics' "Sweet Dreams (Are Made Of This)" came top of a 2013 Spotify poll to find out which songs music fans most commonly hear people singing incorrectly. Many believe Annie Lennox is singing: "Sweet dreams are made of cheese, who am I to disagree?"

Don't Cry For Me ArgentinaJulie Covington

Featured in the 1978 musical Evita, "Don't Cry For Me Argentina" became the biggest selling UK hit by a female vocalist (Julie Covington).

Rap GodEminem

Eminem spits a total of 1,560 words on "Rap God," earning him an entry in the 2015 Guinness Book of Records for "most words in a hit single."

Light My FireThe Doors

"Light My Fire" was the first song Doors guitarist Robby Krieger wrote. Looking for a universal theme, he decided to write about one of the four elements (air, earth, water, fire).