Ta-Dah is the second studio album by American 5-piece band Scissor Sisters, released in September 2006. The album's release in the UK, on September 18, 2006 was preceded by the release of the new single, "I Don't Feel Like Dancin'". The song reached #1 on both the UK Singles and Download charts in September 2006 (see 2006 in British music). This follow up to their debut featured collaborations with Elton John, Carlos Alomar and Paul Williams. The album entered the Irish Albums Chart at #1 on September 21, followed three days later by a #1 entry in the UK Albums Chart. The album had a respectable debut on the Billboard 200 in the US, coming in at #19 and selling 41,992 units in its first week.

"Land of a Thousand Words" was released as the second single from the album, peaking at #19 in the UK. "She's My Man" was the third single released in early March 2007 and managed to chart at #29. The next single that was released was "Kiss You Off" on May 28, the video for which can be seen in the media section of the . This was the poorest charting of the singles of Ta-Dah, only being able to reach #43. This has, so far, been the lowest charting UK single on initial release. "I Can't Decide" charted at #64 on downloads alone, on the strength of being used in the Doctor Who episode "Last of the Time Lords".

Personnel

* Jake Shears – vocals

* Babydaddy – bass guitar, keyboards, vocals, guitar

* Ana Matronic – vocals

* Del Marquis – guitar, bass guitar

* Paddy Boom – drums, percussion

* Elton John - piano on 'I Don't Feel Like Dancing' and 'Intermission'

Release dates

Charts

Song uses in popular culture

*The song "I Can't Decide" was featured in the Doctor Who episode "Last of the Time Lords", specifically referred to as "Track Three". Here, the song plays as the Master performs his daily ritual, and he makes a point at aiming the lyrics towards the Doctor.

*"I Can't Decide" was also included at the end of Zero Punctuation's review of the game BioShock.

*"Ooh" can be heard in the background of the Ugly Betty episode "I'm Coming Out", during the Fashion Week scenes.

*The album's lead single, "I Don't Feel Like Dancin'" was used in the opening scene of the ABC drama Private Practice, wherein the show's main character, Addison Montgomery, dances to it in the nude, after taking a shower.

* of the Internet radio station for Kingdom of Loathing uses "I Can't Decide" as a sign-off.

*The band performed "I Don't Feel Like Dancin'" and "Land of a Thousand Suns" on the NBC soap opera "Passions."

Footnotes

Artist/Band Information

The Scissor Sisters are an American alternative band formed in 2001. The members consist of vocalists Jake Shears and Ana Matronic, multi-instrumentalist Babydaddy, lead guitar/bassist, Del Marquis, and drummer Randy Real (who replaced former drummer Paddy Boom). "Spawned by the scuzzy, gay nightlife scene of New York",Hannaford, Alex (2005). Scissor Sisters. London: Artnik. Page 29. they took their name from a sexual position between two women also known as tribadism.

Released in 2004, their self-titled debut album raised public awareness of the band's existence. The album gained much success in the United Kingdom – a country they call their "spiritual home" – where the album went to number one, was the best-selling album of that year and was later certified platinum by the BPI. Although merely successful in their native United States, the album was also a chart success in countries around Europe, in Australia and in Canada. Several releases from the album accomplished positions within the top-twenty of the UK Singles Chart including: "Laura", "Comfortably Numb", "Take Your Mama", "Mary" and "Filthy/Gorgeous" – the latter also went to number one on the Billboard chart for Hot Dance Club Songs. In 2006, the band released their second studio album, Ta-Dah, which proved to be a commercial and critical success and scored the band two consecutive number-one albums in UK as well producing their debut number-one single in the UK "I Don't Feel Like Dancin'". Displaying a shift towards a more club-oriented sound, their third studio album, Night Work, was released in 2010; charting at number two on the UK Albums Chart.

Scissor Sisters have collaborated with a number of other well known pop musicians including Elton John and Kylie Minogue; these particular collaborations have been received positively by both critics and other notable figures. Bono, lead vocalist of rock band U2, described Scissor Sisters as "the best pop group in the world" in 2004.Bono, quoted in Hannaford, Alex (2005). Scissor Sisters. London: Artnik. Blurb. They also collaborated with Global Cool in 2007, on one of their green lifestyle campaigns.

History

2000–03: Early career

The band, originally named the Fibrillating Scissor Sisters, was founded in 2000, after Jake Shears and Scott "Babydaddy" Hoffman, two friends who had met in 1999 in Lexington, Kentucky, both moved to New York, enjoying its openly gay-friendly ethos. They subsequently decided to begin producing music together, with Babydaddy composing the songs and Shears writing the lyrics. The duo released a couple of singles to little success and began appearing at underground clubs on New York City's Lower East Side, which at the time was in the grip of electroclash, a genre that subsequently influenced them.Hannaford, Alex (2005). Scissor Sisters. London: Artnik. Page 13-16.

On a trip to Disneyland, they met a woman named Ana "Ana Matronic" Lynch at a screening of Michael Jackson's Captain EO, and on a subsequent teacup ride they discussed the type of music that they liked, they discovered that they had a lot in common. Shears would later remark that "I really thought she was a freak but when I started singing "Just Another Part Of Me" she showed me the best moonwalk I've ever seen."Hannaford, Alex (2005). Scissor Sisters. London: Artnik. Page 19. Ana Matronic ran a weekly cabaret event known as Knock Off at a club called the Slipper Room, where she liked to hire eccentric and alternative acts; one reporter described it as a place that "served up a racy, multigender revue of kitsch", and that a performer dressed as a giant vagina "enfolded me with her labia while singing "Lick Me in My Wet Spot" to the tune of "Hit Me With Your Best Shot"."Hannaford, Alex (2005). Scissor Sisters. London: Artnik. Page 23. Matronic invited the Scissor Sisters to appear at Knock Off, which they did on 21 September 2001, 10 days after the 9/11 terrorist attack shook the city. Shears dressed as his character "Jason the Amazing Back-Alley Late Term Abortion" whilst Matronic dressed as a reject from Andy Warhol's Factory. During the performance, she joined them on stage and sang. Shears and Babydaddy felt she was very effective and asked her to join the band on a permanent basis, to which she agreed. The trio then began appearing at other clubs, dropping the word "Fibrillating" from their name. They primarily played electroclash, which was popular at the time in the underground Club Scene in New York with bands like Peaches and Chicks on Speed.Hannaford, Alex (2005). Scissor Sisters. London: Artnik. Page 26-28.

They were soon joined by Derek "Del Marquis" Gruen on lead guitar, who knew Shears from when they both worked at the IC Guys club where Shears had been a stripper.Hannaford, Alex (2005). Scissor Sisters. London: Artnik. Page 35. They were joined by a fifth member, Patrick "Paddy Boom" Seacor, on drums, who – being heterosexual – had to explain to his mother after joining that "it's not a gay band … there gay members, but it doesn't matter. It's about the music and about performance."Hannaford, Alex (2005). Scissor Sisters. London: Artnik. Page 37.

In 2002 the band signed with a small New York record company called A Touch of Class for a two single deal. Their first single, "Electrobix", dealt with gay men's obsessions with working out. The single proved to be less popular than its B-side, a cover version of Pink Floyd's "Comfortably Numb". Later commenting on their rendition of the progressive rock classic, Matronic stated that "It's one of those songs that people were either gonna love or hate, and that's really, really powerful, because it basically means you're evoking a reaction in everyone. The first time I heard it, I thought that if it doesn't make us famous, it'll make us infamous because somebody will shoot us!" "Comfortably Numb" became a hit in many dance clubs and, after sending Pink Floyd themselves a copy, the Scissor Sisters received positive remarks from the song's original writers, Roger Waters and David Gilmour.Hannaford, Alex (2005). Scissor Sisters. London: Artnik. Page 39-43. The song proved to be particularly popular in the United Kingdom, where various record labels soon took an interest in the band. In 2003 they decided they would tour Europe, which they believed would be more receptive of them and their music than their homeland.Hannaford, Alex (2005). Scissor Sisters. London: Artnik. Page 45.

2003–05: Debut album and breakthrough success

"Comfortably Numb" came to the attention of British label Polydor, who signed the group to a contract. Their first single for the label, "Laura", had a limited release in 2003 (reaching #54 in the UK Singles Chart), receiving little attention with the exceptions of British music paper New Musical Express, Channel 4's entertainment programme V Graham Norton, and the same channel's music programme Popworld for which they were interviewed. The track also got plenty of radio play in Australia. 2003 also saw the inclusion of the atmospheric "It Can't Come Quickly Enough" on the soundtrack of the film Party Monster; the song played over its ending credits.

Their first hit was in 2004 with the release of "Comfortably Numb", a Pink Floyd cover (reaching #10 in the UK), featuring Paul Leschen on piano and keyboards. This success was followed by "Take Your Mama" (#17 in the UK), a re-release of "Laura" (#12 in the UK), the ballad "Mary" (#14 in the UK), and the hedonist anthem "Filthy/Gorgeous" (#5 in the UK).

All the singles came from the debut album Scissor Sisters, which reached No. 1 on the UK Albums Chart and became the best selling album of 2004, beating Keane's Hopes and Fears by 582 copies. As of 2006, it is the 10th biggest-selling album of the 21st Century, and the 51st biggest-selling of all time in the UK.http Several media outlets have noted that Scissor Sisters "stick out like a sore thumb" on the list of artists who have sold over 2 million copies of an album in the UK in the 21st Century, the others being James Blunt, Robbie Williams, Keane, Dido, Coldplay and Norah Jones — artists considered "mainstream" compared to the Scissor Sisters' brash and controversial image.

The band had been particularly keen on producing an album that fitted together well rather than simply producing a string of singles. According to Babydaddy, their purpose was "to create a perfect pop rock album that would pick you up at the beginning, take you on a journey in the middle, and set you right back down again in the same place at the end."Hannaford, Alex (2005). Scissor Sisters. London: Artnik. Page 62.

About six months after its British release, Scissor Sisters was released in the USA. To publicise it the band appeared on the popular morning television show Live with Regis and Kelly, an event that Shears later recalled: "Kelly Ripa loved us, after the first time we played, she gave me a hug and whispered in my ear, 'I just want you to know that this is my favorite music performance we’ve ever had.' It was amazing."Hannaford, Alex (2005). Scissor Sisters. London: Artnik. Page 108. Nonetheless, neither the band nor the album proved to be a big commercial success in the United States. The major chain store Wal-Mart refused to stock it, claiming on its website that it contained "a snarling, swaggering attack on conservatism" in the form of the song "Tits on the Radio".Hannaford, Alex (2005). Scissor Sisters. London: Artnik. Page 112. The band refused to produce a "clean" version of the album, and Babydaddy remarked that, "We did have to slap a parental warning sticker on the disc, which is completely absurd. I think a kid listening to Eminem is getting a much more negative message than what we've been putting forward. We've only got one 'shit' and a few 'tits!'"Hannaford, Alex (2005). Scissor Sisters. London: Artnik. Page 65. Band members have shown their dissatisfaction with the decision on a number of occasions. Shears is even heard in a Spanish live performance on the band's DVD saying, "Wal-Mart won't stock our album ... well, ya know what? Fuck Wal-Mart!"

At Halloween 2004 they performed a concert at Brixton Academy, where they asked all the audience to dress up and they themselves performed dressed as the characters from The Rocky Horror Show.Hannaford, Alex (2005). Scissor Sisters. London: Artnik. Page 56-57.

2005–07: Ta-Dah

Recording of the second album, Ta-Dah, commenced in mid-May 2005 at the Discoball; sneak previews of new songs were played at live performances, including "Everybody Wants the Same Thing", performed at the Live 8 concert, "Paul McCartney", "I Can't Decide", "Hybrid Man", "Forever Right Now" and "Hair Baby" (a title that refers to the phenomenon of tumors containing partially formed fetuses). Among the assumed pseudonyms used to play a series of secret shows to test this new material were "Bridget Jones' Diarrhea", "Portion Control" and "Megapussi"., By The Numbers; February 2009. Retrieved Jan. 17, 2009.

N20713350 32917073 8547.jpgthumbleftJake Shears on tour in St. Louis, 2007

The band fulfilled one of its dreams: Elton John collaborated with them on "I Don't Feel Like Dancin'" (as pianist and co-writer). The song reached No. 1 in the United Kingdom on Sept. 10, 2006, and remained in the top spot for four consecutive weeks. "I Don't Feel Like Dancin'" also peaked at No. 1 on the Australian ARIA Singles Chart and the Euro Hot 100. "I Don't Feel Like Dancin'" became the group's biggest hit to date.

Elton John also contributed to the song "Intermission" on Ta-Dah and played piano on a demo of the song Bad Shit (that can be found on the Lights CDsingle).

The album was released Sept. 18, 2006, in the United Kingdom, and on Sept. 26, 2006, in the United States. According to Shears, the album is a combination of '60s-era psychedelia, glam rock and disco.

In 2006, they acted as an opening act for Depeche Mode's Touring the Angel Tour. Their first gig in the UK for promotion of the second album took place at the KOKO Club, Camden, London, on Aug. 31, 2006, and was filmed for MTV. 2006 performances at the Bowery Ballroom and Siren Music Festival in New York and the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival have allowed the band to showcase an array of songs from the new album. A free concert was given in Trafalgar Square to 10,000 ballot winners on Sept. 16, 2006, to promote the Red charity.

The album Ta-Dah leaked onto the Internet on Sept. 10, 2006, five days before its release in the United Kingdom. It reached No. 1 in the UK Albums Chart in its first week of release, officially taking the top spot Sept. 24, 2006, marking a first for the Scissor Sisters, consisting of a single and album at the top of the UK charts simultaneously.

The band has also been in the Latin America Top 40 Airplay. "I Don't Feel Like Dancin'" is still charting and is so far their biggest hit to date in Latin America, reaching No. 23, charting mostly in South America, particularly Peru.

"Land of a Thousand Words" was released as the second single from the album, peaking at No. 19 in the UK. "She's My Man" was the third single released in February 2007, peaking at No. 29.

"Kiss You Off" was the fourth and final single released in May 2007 but failed to dent the Top 40, their first single since their debut Laura to do so. The "Kiss You Off" video centered around Ana Matronic in a futuristic beauty salon.

2008–present: Night Work

Scissor Sisters -Fuji Rock Festival, Japan-31July2010.jpgthumbrightJake Shears and Ana Matronic performing in 2010 at the Fuji Rock Festival, Japan

After touring the world in 2007, the band had a short hiatus in order to work on their next studio album. Premiering new material of this album at secret gigs in New York City's Mercury Lounge in October 2008, they assumed the names Queef Latina and Debbie's Hairy. New songs included on the set list were "Television", "Who's Your Money", "Other Girls", "Major for You", "None of My Business", "Singularity", "Do the Strand", "Who's There", "Not the Loving Kind", "Taking Shape" (with Babydaddy on lead vocals), and "Uroboros". Shears stated on the band's website there was a possibility that none of these songs would appear on the album, as the band was less than satisfied with most of them. This was confirmed to be the case when the tracklist was revealed. Drummer Paddy Boom was absent at these gigs and it was later announced that he had amicably parted from the band. Drummer Randy "Real" Schrager was introduced at these gigs and is now part of the current line-up.

Scissor Sisters spent much of 2008 and early 2009 in the recording studio. However, after working on new material for approximately 18 months, the band decided to shelve their third album. Shears explained: "In my heart I knew it wasn't right. I didn't really know what it was trying to say. It left me a little bit cold.". BBC. London. May 7, 2010. Reportedly, an entire record had been worked on but that the group had "shelved it about a year ago." Shears admits, "If it wasn't something we could fully get behind and believe in, I think the band was going to be over."

The band returned to the studio and begun to work on new tracks in June 2009, which made it onto their replacement third album Night Work. Produced in collaboration with Stuart Price, Night Work was released on June 28, 2010. The album was described as "supersexual and sleazy" with its first single, "Fire with Fire" as "a really epic song that makes you feel really good". With the album, the band have toured worldwide on The Night Work Tour. As an opening act, they are currently joining Lady Gaga on her third leg of The Monster Ball Tour from February 2011.

Artistry

Content of music

The lyrics of their songs, largely written by Shears and Babydaddy, are known for their mixture of wit and tragedy. The songs on their debut album dealt with a number of subjects and issues in a variety of styles, from drug abuse within the gay community ("Return to Oz"), to Shears' deep platonic love for his best friend, Mary ("Mary"). Mary died of a brain aneurysm in April 2006, news that devastated members of the band.http

Scissor Sisters' music can be generally described as a mixture of glam rock, disco and alternative music. They appear to have been heavily influenced by Elton John (Elton John also played the piano on "I Don't Feel Like Dancing"). However, Shears has gone on record as not having been very familiar with John's work prior to the release of their record, although he's stated he's since become a big fan. The band echoes not only Elton John but also ABBA, the Bee Gees, Blondie, KC and the Sunshine Band, Duran Duran ("the reason we got into music", as Ana says), Supertramp, Siouxsie and the Banshees (Ana said at the 2005 BRIT Awards that "she wouldn't be here without Siouxsie"), David Bowie, 1970s-era Kiss, Queen, Chic, Richard O'Brien and various other dance/disco, rock, and funk acts; they admit that their music is hard to categorise. During a public signing in Brisbane, Australia, Shears stated that the Beatles have been an influence for him and that he is a huge fan of Paul McCartney and Wings.

Many of the Scissor Sisters' songs deal with themes in the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transsexual community, relating to the fact that three of the band members, including the two founders, are gay. "Filthy/Gorgeous" is about transsexual prostitutes while "Take Your Mama" deals with coming out of the closet to family members. Despite this, the group refuses to consider itself to be a "gay band", with Jake Shears stating that "I don't believe sexuality really matters when it comes to music."Hannaford, Alex (2005). Scissor Sisters. London: Artnik. Page 32. In an interview featured on the We Are Scissor Sisters… And So Are You DVD, Jake states, "The fact that some of us are gay affects our music the same amount as it does that some of the members of Blondie are straight".

They were the opening act for Duran Duran's 2004 reunion tour and opened for U2 on some of their UK dates for the Vertigo Tour. They also supported Depeche Mode on some of their dates of Touring the Angel.

Visual

The visuals for Scissor Sisters' self-titled first album and its singles featured artwork by an English illustrator named Spookytim, who has a studio in Brighton called . The artwork was created by a wide variety of techniques and mixed traditional paper-based processes with digital and photographic elements in order to reflect the multi-referential nature of the band's music.

The Scissor Sisters are known for their extravagant live performances. In some of their early shows, Jake Shears was known to remove all of his clothes onstage, harking back to his former profession as a go-go stripper; while in others he threw inflated condoms into the audience.Hannaford, Alex (2005). Scissor Sisters. London: Artnik. Page 107.

Popular impact

Fans

Several fan societies have sprung up in the official forums. These include the "Jake Groupies", "Ana Matronic Appreciation Society", and the "Scissor Sisters Party Bus", the latter two having spilled over to their own sites. The band have a close relationship with the fan community, even holding a small private gig for select forum members on Aug. 14, 2005, at which a number of new tracks were previewed, and fans had the opportunity to meet the band and give birthday cards and presents to Ana Matronic. In the fan community, those fans who hold a special affinity for Ana are known as "nuns".

Producing

In late 2004, Shears and Babydaddy co-wrote and produced the hit "I Believe in You" with Kylie Minogue, which featured on the Ultimate Kylie compilation. They also wrote the unreleased "(Everything) I Know", which leaked online in November 2004 and "Ooh (The Blues)", of which Kylie's version remains unreleased. The Scissor Sisters went on to cowrite a new song for Kylie entitled "White Diamond", which was showcased in her Showgirl Homecoming Tour that kicked off in Australia in November 2006. A stirring ballad version of "White Diamond" was featured as an exclusive pre-order bonus track from Minogue's 2007 album, X, as well as being the theme song of her 2007 tour documentary, White Diamond. The live version is available on the Showgirl Homecoming Live 2-CD release. While the studio ballad version was commercially released on the Special Edition X DVD, , as well as Kylie: Live in New York. It can also be found on many fan-sites available for download.Scissor Sisters.JPGthumbrightScissor Sisters on tour in St. Louis, 2007

In 2006, Babydaddy remixed Louisville band VHS or Beta's "You Got Me". VHS or Beta are huge fans of the Scissor Sisters and the two bands have toured together.

Appearances

* The group were one of the headlining acts at the British V Festival in 2005, where they collaborated on stage with Scottish rock group Franz Ferdinand to perform a cover version of David Bowie's "Suffragette City".

* Sept. 10, 2006, saw them headline the Bestival festival on the Isle of Wight. They closed the three day event with the most spectacular show the island has seen for years. The band took to the stage at Robin Hill dressed as clowns, and by the encore — "Filthy/Gorgeous" — they had been joined by dancers in 10-foot-high clown costumes. Singer Jake Shears ended the set bare-chested and covered in fake blood. They succeeded in thrilling a capacity crowd, although they spectacularly failed to observe the "don't dress as clowns" advice, which had been introduced for the annual fancy dress parade, so as not to deter people with coulrophobia (fear of clowns) from attending the festival.

* The Scissor Sisters ended their first UK tour at Wembley Arena, London, from Nov. 24 to 26, 2006, supported by new artist Lily Allen, who performed during the three days there.

* On Sept. 15, 2006 the group were invited to the BBCs Maida Vale studios to perform different songs on every show broadcast on BBC Radio 1. The event, dubbed "Scissor Sisters Day", culminated in them actually standing in for presenter Pete Tong and hosting his three-hour slot themselves. The show took an unexpected turn when a woman in labour telephoned the show to share her experience with the band and they played "Push It" by Salt-n-Pepa for her. Several performances, interviews, and a humorous jingle that was written in an hour, were filmed and edited into a special seven-day, looped broadcast on BBCi.

* The group was the main event during the New Year's Eve celebrations for 2007 in Berlin.

* On Feb. 8 and 9, 2007, the group appeared on the American daytime soap opera Passions. They performed "I Don't Feel Like Dancin'" and "Land of a Thousand Words", from the album Ta-Dah.

Mash-Ups

DJ Earworm's 2005 hit mashup "No One Takes Your Freedom" combined "Take Your Mama" with The Beatles' "For No One", George Michael's "Freedom '90" and Aretha Franklin's "Think".

In early 2008, online record label bastard pop netlabel WHA!?, in association with Scissor Sister fansite released a free-to-download bootleg album entitled Da-Tah. The album featured "Mash-Ups" of Scissor Sister songs with songs by artists as diverse as Beck, Peter Gabriel, Lauryn Hill and Nine Inch Nails at WhatStudios official website

Soundtracks

* "Skins" was used in Season 5 of the Showtime original series "Queer As Folk", and also appeared on the physical soundtrack.

* In the Doctor Who episode "Last of the Time Lords", the song "I Can't Decide" was used in a scene of the Master singing along to it in a mocking fashion towards the Doctor. Subsequently, the song debuted at #64 on the UK Singles Chart, despite not officially being released as a single. (Only the final verse of the song was used, as the previous two verses contain swearing. While not named, it is referred to as "Track 3", so it is presumably from the Ta-Dah! album,)

* In the Torchwood episode "Something Borrowed", the song "Comfortably Numb" & "Filthy/Gorgeous" are playing in the club where Gwen Cooper is having her hen party before the wedding to Rhys Williams.

* "Filthy/Gorgeous" plays during a scene in the film Smiley Face (2007).

* "Filthy/Gorgeous" is also featured in a scene from Season 2, episode six of the television program Nip/Tuck.

* "Filthy/Gorgeous" serves as the theme music to the U.S. version of the sit-com Kath & Kim.

* "Take Your Mama" was featured in a scene from Season 3, Episode 4 of the television program Big Love.

* "Take Your Mama" was featured in the episode "Six Months Ago" of Heroes, in Season 1.

* "I Don't Feel Like Dancin'" is featured in the Nintendo Wii video game "Dance Dance Revolution: Hottest Party" And is also included in the game Singstar, by Sony Computer Entertainment, on the PlayStation 3.

* Also in 2005, "Filthy/Gorgeous" was licensed by Activision and appears in Neversoft's Tony Hawk's American Wasteland.

* EA Sports' FIFA series had two Scissor Sisters's songs on its soundtrack. "Take Your Mama" for FIFA 2005 and "Fire with Fire" for FIFA 11.

* Filthy/Gorgeous" plays during the movie "It's a Boy/Girl Thing"

* "It Can't Come Quickly Enough" was featured in the film Party Monster during the end credits.

* In 2008, "I Don't Feel Like Dancing" was featured in a special DVD created by noted photographer and cinematographer Dennys Ilic as a tribute to director Michael Rymer and his wife Loretta. This video was shown at the cast and crew wrap party for Battlestar Galactica (re-imagined) and shows footage of the cast and crew during the final days of shooting. Briefly available on the Internet, bootleg versions still exist in fan collections and portions can be seen on fansites.

* In the movie "How to Lose Friends and Alienate People" "I Don't Feel Like Dancing" is featured in the costume party.

* In the movie "Shrek Forever After" "Isn't It Strange" is featured in the film. The track was created during the band's recording session for their Night Work album.

Awards, nominations and press

At the 2005 BRIT Awards, the group won all the awards they were nominated for: International Group, International Breakthrough, and International Album (Ana asked Siouxsie to present this award). It was the first time in the Awards history that an act won all three International categories. They also opened the show with "Take Your Mama", on a set made by The Jim Henson Company. At the 2007 awards, the group did not win any awards, but opened the ceremony with a rendition of "I Don't Feel Like Dancin'."

In 2004, the gay members of the band, Jake Shears, Babydaddy, and Del Marquis, were honored in the Out 100, Out magazine's List of the 100 Most Intriguing Gay People of the Year. The band won a GLAAD Media Award for Outstanding Music Artist on March 28, 2005. On July 2, 2005, the group performed at Live 8. Their set included the previously unheard song "Everybody Wants the Same Thing".

In November 2006, they won the German media award Bambi in the category "Shooting Star".

They have received some heavy attention in the United States by VH1 and magazines such as Out and Entertainment Weekly. They have also been interviewed on VH1's website and Del Marquis has been interviewed by the music section of IGN.com. It is a little known fact that there are several tracks recorded by the band before their eponymous debut which were never released; these tracks have entered the fan community and, although sometimes difficult to find, can be obtained freely. These songs include "Someone to Touch", "Doctor (I'm Only Seeing Dark)", "Bicycling with the Devil", "Electrobix", "Monkey Baby", a Elton John-esque cover of Franz Ferdinand's "Take Me Out", as well as demo versions of "Laura", and "Filthy/Gorgeous".

Members

The members of the band:

* Jake Shears (born Jason Sellards): vocals, piano, guitar (2001–present)

* Babydaddy (born Scott Hoffman): bass guitar, keyboards, vocals, rhythm guitar (2001–present)

* Ana Matronic (born Ana Lynch): vocals, 'Mistress of Ceremonies', percussion, keyboards (2001–present)

* Del Marquis (born Derek Gruen): lead guitar, bass guitar (2001–present)

* Randy Real (born Randy Schrager): drums, electronic drums, percussion (2008–present)

Former members:

* Paddy Boom (born Patrick Seacor): drums, electronic drums, percussion (2001–08)

Live shows and performances have included John "JJ" Garden—son of Graeme Garden of The Goodies — on keyboards, rhythm and bass guitar.

Discography

* Scissor Sisters (2004)

* Ta-Dah (2006)

* Night Work (2010)

Remixes

* Robbie D.: Lotion (Spread After Midnight Mix) (2001)

* The Ones: Superstar (Scissor Sisters Fallen Star Remix) (2002)

* Blondie: Good Boys (Scissor Sisters' Gyad Byas Myax Ya Mix) (2003)

* Bucci Bag: More Lemonade (Scissor Sisters Sticky Tits Mix) (2004)

* Pet Shop Boys: Flamboyant (Scissor Sisters Silhouettes And Shadows Mix) (2004)

* The B-52's: Funplex (Scissor Sisters Witches at the Wet Seal Mix) (2008)

* Amanda Lear: I'm Coming Up (Special Ops Waiting For Dali Remix) (2010)

Filmography

* We Are Scissor Sisters… And So Are You (2004)

* Hurrah! A Year of Ta-Dah (2007)

Tours

* Untitled European Tour (2003)

* The Ta-Dah Tour (2007)

* The Night Work Tour (2010/2011)

As supporting act

* Vertigo Tour in support of U2 (2005)

* Touring the Angel in support of Depeche Mode (2006)

* The Monster Ball Tour in support of Lady Gaga (2011)

References

See also

* List of number-one dance hits (United States)

* List of artists who reached number one on the U.S. Dance chart