Shakespears Sister

As a member of pop sensation Bananarama, Siobhan Fahey had experienced nearly a decade of chart success by 1988. However, Fahey’s roots as a young punk led her to feel disillusioned with the group’s musical direction and she formed Shakespears Sister, taking the name from a 1985 single by The Smiths. Initially conceived as a solo project, Shakespears Sister’s debut A-Side Break My Heart (You Really)/Heroine presented a more musically serious break from Fahey’s pop past. Fahey worked with singer Marcy Levy (who would soon adopt the stage name Marcella Detroit), a veteran of writing and recording sessions with Eric Clapton and Leon Russell among others. At the suggestion of Eurythmics guitarist Dave Stewart, Detroit joined as an official member and Shakespears Sister became a duo. Their breakthrough second single You’re History landed at number seven in the 1989 UK charts. Fahey’s darker, sly vocals providing a more alternative-leaning counterpoint to Detroit’s soulful falsetto. Debut album Sacred Heart (London Records / FFRR Recordings) followed, going top ten in the UK. 1992’s second LP, Hormonally Yours, was the perfect encapsulation of Shakespears Sister’s musical ying and yang. It featured international hit, Stay which topped the UK single charts for eight weeks.