Shakespears Sister

The cover of Shakespears Sister's first single, showing the woodcut containing the misspelling.

Shakespears Sister was conceived as a solo project by Siobhan Fahey, a onetime punk turned chart-pop singer who had left the successful British girl-group Bananarama in 1988,[6] due to disillusionment with the group's musical direction.[7][8] The name was adapted from the title of the song "Shakespeare's Sister" by The Smiths, which was in turn a reference to Virginia Woolf's work A Room of One's Own.[9] According to Fahey, the spelling began with an accidental misspelling on a woodcut sign; however, she decided to keep it, because "It made it sort of my thing, as opposed to the song by The Smiths".[10] Fahey has described the meaning of the name being "Siobhan Fahey is the mother, the sister, the daughter, it's not the artist. The artist is Shakespear's sister."[11]

Fahey began writing and recording work for the project with their record producer Richard Feldman.[6] Several other musicians were involved in the songwriting, one of whom was Feldman's friend and colleague Marcy Levy, a veteran of live and studio work with Eric Clapton (with whom she had written "Lay Down Sally"),[6] Leon Russell and Bob Seger as well as a songwriter for artists including Jennifer Rush, Chaka Khan and Patty Weaver. An accomplished singer and multi-instrumentalist (guitar, harmonica and keyboards), Levy also made vocal and instrumental contributions to the sessions, staying on as a prominent "hired hand". During this time, Fahey suggested that Levy - who had previously tried and failed to get a couple of solo albums released - took on a new professional name in order to give herself a new lease of artistic life. Levy agreed, and restyled herself Marcella Detroit, a name she had use throughout her time with Shakespear's Sister and afterwards.

The debut Shakespears Sister single was "Break My Heart (You Really)/Heroine" (released as a double A-side in the UK and as two separate singles in the United States, although none of the releases charted successfully).[6] "Break My Heart" had been intended to differentiate Fahey's solo-artist persona from her past work with Bananarama. However, David A. Stewart (Fahey's then-husband and a member of Eurythmics) had been impressed by the musical chemistry between Fahey and Detroit in the recording studio. Seeing potential benefit in turning Shakespears Sister from a solo project into a band, he suggested that Fahey and Detroit should unite as a duo: a suggestion which was backed by Feldman, by Fahey's management and by her record company, London Records.[3] Despite initial reluctance from both women (both of whom wished to retain their independence and avoid band commitments), Detroit was invited to become "a 50% member" towards the end of the recording sessions. She would later recall "by the time we did the last song on the first album, my role became more integral... I didn't just want to be a background singer... It was Siobhan's band, this was made perfectly clear. But I was cool with that – that's the way it was."[3][12]

The second Shakespears Sister single, "You're History", gave the project its breakthrough hit.[6] The song displayed the effectiveness of the vocal pairing of Fahey and Detroit, setting the former's sly murmuring contralto against the latter's R&B-influenced soprano and falsetto parts. It also features a solo from guitarist Stevie Salas. "You're History" reached the top 10 in the UK Singles Chart in summer 1989, as did the debut Shakespears Sister album Sacred Heart,[6] which was certified Gold by the BPI.[13][14] Two further singles were released from the album, "Run Silent" and "Dirty Mind", though both failed to peak within the Top 50 of the UK chart.[15]

In October 1991, Shakespears Sister released a new single, "Goodbye Cruel World", which peaked at No. 59. However, the next single, "Stay", marked Shakespears Sister's first and only No. 1, staying at the top of the UK Singles Chart for eight full weeks, and also found similar success in international charts, and won "Best British Video" at the 1993 BRIT Awards.[15][16] Notably, the song foregrounded Detroit, who sang the majority of lead vocals and featured prominently in the video. This allegedly led to tension with Fahey, with Detroit later claiming that Fahey felt sidelined as the project's instigator and usual lead vocalist, and that Fahey did not consider the song to be representative of the band and had opposed its release as a single.[3]

Hormonally Yours was released the following month,[6] and sold well on the strength of "Stay", eventually being certified double platinum by the BPI.[13] The duo continued to enjoy success with further singles from Hormonally Yours; "I Don't Care" peaked at No. 7, "Hello (Turn Your Radio On)" at No. 14, and a re-release of "Goodbye Cruel World" at No. 32.[6] However, during 1992 tensions between Fahey and Detroit became overt, with backstage infighting and arguments marring the band's tour. A fifth single, "My 16th Apology", was released in early 1993, reaching No. 61.[14]

Although Fahey and Detroit seemed at first to have resolved their immediate differences, it became apparent that Fahey was struggling with personal issues, leading to the cancellation of what would have been the band's highest profile concert (at the Royal Albert Hall) and for her temporary hospitalization with depression. The duo decided to put Shakespears Sister on hiatus, and Detroit began working on a solo album (something which had already been agreed and scheduled around band work). During this time Fahey decided to end her partnership with Detroit, but did not choose to discuss this with her directly. Instead, Detroit was publicly dismissed at the 1993 Ivor Novello Awards ceremony,[6] at which Hormonally Yours won "Best Contemporary Collection of Songs" (and which Detroit attended, although Fahey did not). Fahey's acceptance speech, delivered by her publisher, contained a farewell to Detroit wishing her "all the best for the future, all's well that ends well."

While unsurprised at the final dissolving of the partnership, Detroit was distressed at the way in which it ended and how it was announced. Many years later, she would comment "I was never in it to steal anyone’s glory away; I just did my job. I was asked by everybody to become part of it and then everybody wanted me out... I learned a lot about what it means to be an artist... To put two people as different as we were together – well, we were bound to have differences personality-wise. In the video for ‘Stay’, I was singing to this guy who was dying and she (Siobhan) was the Angel of Death. We used our personality differences to our advantage, but it was a little too real!"[12]

Detroit and Fahey had not spoken to or seen each other for 25 years,[3] before eventually meeting and talking again in 2018.[17]

Having now reverted to being a Siobhan Fahey solo project, Shakespears Sister remained inactive for three years while Fahey attended to issues in her personal life, including a divorce from Stewart (who nonetheless was one of the two producers of her new material). In June 1996, the project returned with a new single, "I Can Drive". This met with a lukewarm commercial reception - peaking at No. 30 on the UK charts[14] - and was not released at all outside of the UK.[4] The relative failure of "I Can Drive" prompted London Records to cancel the release of Shakespears Sister's completed third album, #3. Continuing disagreements between London and Fahey resulted in her leaving the company with whom she had been signed for fifteen years since being with Bananarama. Fahey would later claim that Shakespears Sister was dropped not because of "I Can Drive"'s commercial performance, but due to London Records thinking that the album (which had a notably darker and rockier tone than its predecessors) was "too alternative for a woman of my age".[18]

Discouraged with the Shakespears Sister identity, Fahey would go on to release her next single, "Bitter Pill" under her own name in 2002. In 2004, The Best of Shakespear's Sister was released, compiling the group's hits and B-sides as well as including a number of tracks from the unreleased third album. In the same year, Fahey obtained the full rights to #3 from London Records and made plans to release it independently.

In 2004, #3 was finally made available via Fahey's own website. Also in 2005, a second compilation album, Long Live the Queens!, collected various Shakespears Sister rarities, remixes and unreleased tracks. 2005 also saw the release of a second Fahey solo single, "Pulsatron", which charted slightly better than its predecessor, reaching No. 95 - to date, Fahey's final chart appearance.

"Bitter Pill" and "Pulsatron" were originally intended to appear on Fahey's post-Shakespears Sister solo album, Bad Blood. In the event, although the title track was released as Fahey's third solo single in 2005, the album release was cancelled. Bad Blood did not surface for another four years, until Fahey opted to relaunch the Shakespears Sister name in 2009. The album was retitled Songs from the Red Room and came out on Fahey's own label, SF Records. A fourth and final single from the record, "It's a Trip", followed in April 2010. Around the same time a deluxe version of the album was released with an extra CD of material.

Shakespears Sister completed a ten date April 2010 UK Tour.[19] The band also performed at the Isle of Wight Festival in 2010.[20]

In 2012, Shakespears Sister released two further compilation albums – Cosmic Dancer, consisting of left-over and acoustic tracks, some of which had previously been sold digitally through the band's website; and a remix compilation. An expanded edition of #3 was also issued, containing tracks that had only previously been available to purchase online.

In May 2019, it was announced that Fahey and Detroit would reunite on stage later in the year.[21] A UK tour, titled Shakespears Sister Ride Again, was announced during the same month, and is scheduled to launch in Nottingham on 31 October 2019.[22] A new single, “All the Queen's Horses”, was released on 15 May, with an accompanying music video.[23] This was followed by the compilation album, Singles Party, in July 2019.[5]

The duo performed "Stay" on The Graham Norton Show on 10 May 2019; their first TV performance together since 1993. They also announced that they were recording an EP of new material.[24] The EP Ride Again was released on 25 October 2019, preceded by the single “When She Finds You” released 4 September 2019. The single is a collaboration with Richard Hawley. Hawley also appears in the accompanying music video.

• Sacred Heart (1989)
• Hormonally Yours (1992)
• #3 (2004)
• Songs from the Red Room (2009)

• Cosmic Dancer (2011)
• Singles Party (2019)

• Ride Again (2019)