Siouxsie Sioux (photo by Burak Cingi) / Iggy Pop (photo by Philip Cosores)
and Iggy Pop have loaned their voices to a new advertisement for Magnum ice cream, teaming up for a duet version of Pop’s 1977 hit, “The Passenger.”
Arranged by composer Sarah deCourcy, the new take on “The Passenger” reimagines the song in an ethereal setting, with a slower tempo and a silky soundscape of harps and strings. Over top, Pop and Sioux take turns singing lines from the verses before delivering the song’s “La la la la” refrain together.
Released earlier in April for Magnum ice cream’s “Pleasure Express” campaign, the song is the first new recording from Sioux since her 2015 single, “Love Crime.” Speaking about the duet, she said, “I love this song, and I’ve always loved Iggy’s voice. I adore how instinctive and spontaneous it all feels and to hear my voice with Iggy’s is such a dream.”
For his part, Pop echoed Sioux’s sentiment, and gave credit to her cover of “The Passenger” from 1987. “Siouxsie can sing like a bird. I’ve always thought she was a great lady,” he said. “Her version of the song was already special, but what happened here, singing together, is really unique. Like ‘Volare,’ the orchestral treatment and marriage of voices flies free, in a spirit of joy.”
Though it’s not available on streaming services, two versions of the “Pleasure Express” ad are on YouTube now. Watch the extended version below.
All this comes just under a year after Sioux performed her first live show in a decade, followed by a 2023 tour. Earlier this month, Siouxsie and the Banshees celebrated the 40th anniversary of their live album Nocturne with a 2xLP half-speed reissue for Record Store Day 2024.
As for Pop, he’s booked to perform at the No Values Festival this upcoming June. Grab tickets here.