"The Staircase" is the second single released by British rock band Siouxsie and the Banshees. Issued in the UK by Polydor Records

Polydor Records

Polydor is a record label owned by Universal Music Group, headquartered in the United Kingdom.-Beginnings:Polydor was originally an independent branch of the Deutsche Grammophon Gesellschaft. Its name was first used as an export label in 1924, the British and German branches of the Gramophone...

 in 1979, the track was written by Banshees members Siouxsie Sioux

Siouxsie Sioux

Siouxsie Sioux is an English singer-songwriter. She is best known as the lead singer of the critically acclaimed rock band Siouxsie and the Banshees and of its splinter group The Creatures . The Banshees produced eleven studio albums and a string of hit singles including "Hong Kong Garden",...

, Steven Severin

Steven Severin

Steven Severin , is an English musician, composer, bassist and co-founding member of Siouxsie and the Banshees....

, John McKay

John McKay (musician)

John McKay was the first studio guitarist of Siouxsie and the Banshees.He was member of the band from July 1977 until September 1979. He played on the albums The Scream and Join Hands...

 and Kenny Morris

Kenny Morris (musician)

Kenny Morris was the first studio drummer of Siouxsie and the Banshees.He was a member of the band from January 1977 until September 1979. He played on the albums The Scream and Join Hands...

 and produced by Nils Stevenson. The B-side of the single is a cover of the T. Rex

T. Rex (band)

T. Rex were a British rock band, formed in 1967 by singer/songwriter and guitarist Marc Bolan. The band formed as Tyrannosaurus Rex, releasing four folk albums under the name...

 song "20th Century Boy

20th Century Boy

"20th Century Boy" is a song by T. Rex, written by Marc Bolan. It was released as a single in 1973 and reached #3 in the UK Singles Chart. The song did not feature on an original studio album but was included as a bonus track on a reissue of 1973 album Tanx.It later returned to the UK Top 20 in...

"

Although their debut album The Scream

The Scream (album)

The Scream is the debut album by English post-punk band Siouxsie and the Banshees, released in November 1978 on Polydor Records. Even before this release, the band already had a strong reputation as a live act, as well as having a Top 10 UK single under their belt with "Hong Kong Garden"...

had already been released, "The Staircase (Mystery)" did not appear on it. Released as a stand-alone single, it became the group's second top forty hit, peaking at number twenty-four in the UK singles chart

UK Singles Chart

The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...

. The track later surfaced on the singles compilation album Once Upon a Time: The Singles

Once Upon a Time: The Singles

Once Upon a Time: The Singles is Siouxsie and the Banshees's 1981 compilation album featuring the band's UK single releases to date. The album featured several songs that had been released as singles yet had not appeared on any of the Banshees' four albums.In 2002, Q Magazine named Once Upon A...

. When The Scream was re-mastered and re-issued in 2005 with bonus material, "The Staircase (Mystery)" was included in the package.