In Greek mythology the Sirens (Greek singular: Seirḗn; Greek plural: Seirênes) were two or three dangerous bird-women, portrayed as seductresses, who lived on an island called Sirenum scopuli. In some later, rationalized traditions the literal geography of the "flowery" island of Anthemoessa, or Anthemusa, is fixed: sometimes on Cape Pelorum at others in the Sirenusian islands near Paestum, or in Capreae All locations were surrounded by cliffs and rocks. Seamen who sailed near were decoyed with the Sirens' enchanting music to shipwreck on the rocky coast. Though they lured mariners, the sirens were not sea deities. When the Sirens were given a parentage they were considered the daughters of the river god Achelous, fathered upon Terpsichore, Melpomene, Sterope, or Chthon, the Earth, in Euripides' Helen 167, where Helen in her anguish calls upon "Winged maidens, virgins, daughters of the Earth". Roman writers linked the sirens more closely to the sea, as daughters of Phorcys. Homer says nothing of their origin or names, but gives the number of the Sirens as two [Odyssey, 12:52]. Later writers mention both their names and number; some state that there were three, Peisinoe, Aglaope, and Thelxiepeia (Tzetzes, ad Lycophron 7l2) or Parthenope, Ligeia, and Leucosia (Eustathius, loc. cit.; Strabo v. §246, 252 ; Servius' commentary on Virgil's Georgics iv. 562). Eustathius (Commentaries §1709) states that they were two, Aglaopheme and Thelxiepeia. Their number is variously reported as between two and five, and their individual names as Thelxiepeia/Thelxiope/Thelxinoe, Molpe, Aglaophonos/Aglaope, Pisinoe/Peisinoë, Parthenope, Ligeia, Leucosia, Raidne, and Teles.

"Sirens" is the seventh single release from British rapper Dizzee Rascal, and the first single to be taken from his third studio album Maths and English.

The single was playlisted on BBC Radio 1's 1-Upfront list and the music video for the single made the top thirty of that chart. Despite mediocre amounts of airplay on both television and radio, the single was a success for Dizzee Rascal, returning him to the top twenty of the UK Singles Chart after previous single "Off 2 Work" / "Graftin'" was his first to miss the top forty. The song became his fourth top twenty hit and was his first single to be released on 7" vinyl.