The Cure, one of the most important and popular modern rock bands (with over 28 million records sold), will be inducted into Hollywood's Rockwalk (7425 Sunset Blvd) tomorrow, April 30 at 8pm, joining Jimi Hendrix, Lou Reed, Johnny Cash, Aerosmith, B.B. King, Sonic Youth, James Brown, George Martin, Brian Wilson, Van Dyke Parks, Carlos Santana, Carl Perkins, John Lee Hooker, The Ramones, Bonnie Raitt, Holland-Dozier-Holland, Los Lobos, Motorhead, and X among numerous others.
The Cure began as a spare art-rock band in the late-70s and had several excellent hits, including "Boys Don't Cry," "Let's Go to Bed," "The Love Cats," "Close to Me," and "In Between Days" (all included in the collection Staring at the Sea - The Singles ('86)), but their commercial breakthrough came with 1987's double album Kiss Me, Kiss Me, Kiss Me.
The Cure has rigorously explored the terrain of emotional self-flagellation - irony turned upon oneself - so that when they indulge in a kind of post-ironic romanticism, it is a breath of fresh air and genuinely poignant. "Just Like Heaven" is that kind of achievement.
"Heaven" opens with a driving bass melody and a thumping backbeat worthy of Buddy Holly. Electric rhythm guitar, elecric lead guitar, acoustic guitar and synth strings are added, doubling and tripling the melody line. As each instrument joins in the unison voicing, it becomes clear that Robert Smith's ironic point is that there can be conviction beyond irony. The instruments in the intro build into a beautiful, rhythmic, powerful and sumptuous climax that is shattered by Smith's gelatinous warble:
"'Show me, show me, show me
How you do that trick
The one that makes me scream,' she said."
Older men are attracted to younger women for a variety of reasons including plain old biology - younger women are more fertile and have more time left to breed. Another reason is that the enthusiasm a younger woman brings to a relationship can strip away the ennui and jadedness accumulated over the years and allow the man to experience love again through the eyes of a neophyte. The years and the pain and the disappointments melt away creating the illusion of youth's return.
Article comments
1 - Douglas Mays
Cool! The Cure made it to the Rockwalk. When I heard 'The Forest' for the first time on a single imported from England back in '79 or so, I knew these guys were good. But man, they have really hung in there.
I remember when the club DJs would play 'Forest' and 'Primary" back to back. Good Stuff!
peaceloveguidance
2 - brown_boognish
Amazing band. Seeing them perform at coachella this weekend.
3 - Eric Olsen
I love the period from "Let's Go to Bed" through Disintegration best: Staring at the Sea, Kiss Me, and Disintegration are as good as just about anything out there.
Have fun at the show.
4 - jack e. jett
disintergrantion is one of those timeless album/cd that is timeless and would be in that standard list of music to take on a deserted island.
very cool news.
jack
5 - Eric Olsen
I agree Jack E, thanks. I am really surprised there aren't more Cure fans around here.
6 - Eric Olsen
Update on the forthcoming Cure album.
7 - Joe
Hey, I love the Cure! But you know, Robert Smith needs to find a new look. I caught them on MTV a year or two back and I couldn't figure out if I was watching either Divine or Faye Dunaway.
8 - Eric Olsen
I agree: the Theda Bara look doesn't really cut it when you get fat and pass 40.
9 - jack e. jett
joe:
i love the faye dunaway comparison.
can i steal it?
jack e. jett
10 - Joe
Of course, mi comedia es su comedia (I hope that means what I think it means). Yeah, I considered Jocelyn Wildenstein, but that would have been over the top. I also appreciated Eric's Theda Bara reference, exceptionally obscure, but it is a fun name to say out loud.
11 - Eric Olsen
She is "the Vamp"
12 - Eric Olsen
Or I should say "was."
13 - sheri
I became a Cure fan after hearing them in The Crow. Great post....
14 - Eric Olsen
Thanks Sheri, kind words always appreciated.
15 - Aaron, Duke De Mondo
Eric, that was one of the best analysis or whatever of a pop song i've read in a long time. Good stuff. Just Like Heaven is one of my favourite Cure numbers, alongside Pictures Of You and so on.
I really must get a copy of Disinitegration.
"robert smeeeth, robert smeeeth"
16 - Eric Olsen
Thanks very much Duke, much appreciated, especially from such a keen analyzer! Disintegration is dark, brooding and mes-mo-rizing.
17 - Ross
Are you sure you haven't read a bit too much into it?