A column dedicated to great songs, old and new.
December 6, 2005
Lyrics by Robert Smith
Music by Robert Smith, Simon Gallup, Porl Thompson, Roger O'Donnell,
and Laurence Tolhurst
From Disintegration, Elektra Records, 1989
I'm the first to admit that I'm quite the funky-come-lately when it comes to The Cure. When they first started making records, I was too knee-deep in funk and soul to give them much of an ear, despite the many pleadings of certain black-clad, eyeliner-sporting friends of mine. That's sort of strange, considering my affinity for Gary Numan, Lene Lovich, Ultravox, Cabaret Voltaire, and other darkish new-wavey/no-wavey types, but nevertheless, for years I didn't give Robert Smith and his group much attention.
Disintegration
The Cure
The Cure's absence from my collection doesn't mean I wasn't aware of why the group was popular, or what Smith was all about. I had heard their more popular songs blaring in my college dorms, and as a young musician, I always read all of the interviews in the music magazines I bought, whether or not I was a fan of the interviewee. Over the years, I found that I always enjoyed reading interviews with Robert Smith, though I still resisted picking up the albums, for some reason. Even my long-standing predilection for goth-girls didn't motivate me to pick up their records. I guess in the early 80s I may have been under the impression that there was some kind of mandatory dress-code that went along with the records, and I wasn't sure if the standard Cure-fan duds and accessories would mesh well with the kinds of outfits I was actually aspiring to wear: Kid Creole/Morris Day-style zoot-suits and baggies.
I had to banish all sartorial anxiety about being a Cure fan when I first heard "Lovesong". The music is credited collectively to the group, and it is not unfamiliar territory for The Cure---big beat, ringing guitars, catchy keyboard hook, heartfelt vocals, a strong emphasis on rhythm. Lyrically, it might be one of the most effective love songs I've ever heard. Smith's declarative directness here not only trumps the manipulative sugar-talk we encounter much too often in "love" songs, but also renders superfluous any kind of analysis of his true intention. It's all there in the lyric, clear as day:
Whenever I'm alone with you
You make me feel like I am home again
Whenever I'm alone with you
You make me feel like I am whole again
(Chorus)
However far away
I will always love you
However long I stay
I will always love you
Whatever words I say
I will always love you
I will always love you
When Smith sings those last lines of the chorus, there's no question that he means it. There's an odd combination of determination, tenderness, wistfulness, and desperation in his vocal, which makes the entire track compelling. It's not suprising that this song has been covered many times---there are few love songs that possess this kind of direct emotional quotient, minus any sap or syrup. Some may find irony in the fact that these words were penned by someone more known for brooding, moody pieces, but I wasn't surprised at all to hear this lyric from Smith. After all, "Lovesong" is not filled with promises of good times or visions of endless joy; it simply expresses an undying love, in very direct terms.
After hearing "Lovesong" in 1989, I pretty thoroughly investigated The Cure's work, and have found I like quite a bit of their stuff. I've since endured an endless chorus of "I-told-you-so's" from various folks (who indeed did try and tell-me-so). That's alright; I don't mind coming a little late to the party. I'm definitely a convert, now.
And come to think of it, a little black eyeliner goes just fine with a zoot suit.
pcm
Purchase:
Disintegration
at Amazon.com
at Tower
Records