The Cure: Wish

While The Cure is known to most as a sad-boy Goth band, Robert Smith is actually one of the most versatile and clever songwriters of the 1980s and 1990s. The music of The Cure is laced with 60s bubble gum pop influences, jagged post-punk sounds, bleak austerity, uptempo ska, and disco.

Smith has a whinging delivery and a fashion aesthetic. If you look beyond the voice, Smith is an incredibly talented multi-instrumentalist. His ability to produce pop songs that continue to resonate years after release, as well as album-length artistic statements, is impeccable.

In 1992, The Cure released “Wish”, a record that was the last to feature their drummer Boris Williams, the first with Perry Bamonte on guitars and keyboards, as well as the last with guitarist Porl Thompson for sixteen years.

“Wish” is a lighter collection of songs than the record it was following up, “Disintegration”. Some say that’s because 1989’s “Disintegration”, while labeled perfect by many, had an overall dark sound.

The band was in an unusual position. “Disintegration” gave them a new status as an international pop act, but the album was dark. This caused concern from some label representatives. However, The Cure adjusted due to the grunge scene in the United States and the popular shoegaze scene that was happening in the UK.

“High”, the first single from the album, debuted on March 16th, 1992. It’s a song about being in a relationship with someone you care about so much it hurts. It’s the feeling that you want to be that person forever. Robert Smith’s lyrics in “High” express the qualities of their significant other he just adores. He is also singing about the happiness he might lose, since there are lyrics about how he “Could have let you go” and then restates, “I could have let you leave.”

Those lines hint at past challenges that the relationship had and a constant problem that one of the partners has. The song is about the relationship that was basically love on the rocks, but it turned a corner and they are high on the love that they share.

“Friday, I’m in Love”, the second single from the album, is the highest charting song The Cure had in the United States, reaching #2 behind Janet Jackson’s “Miss You Much”.

“Friday, I’m in Love”, in some respects, is the band’s “Bohemian Rhapsody”. While it’s a great song, and when they play live it gets the crowds going, people are dancing, smiling, and singing along when they play Friday.

But, you don’t hate it, and you don’t really love “Friday, I’m in Love” but you do know every single word. It’s the track on the album that hardcore Cure fans want to skip, but then they leave it on as it’s not as annoying as you would like it to be. It is a great pop song that brought the band to the masses.

The final single from “Wish”, “A Letter To Elise”, is a song about Robert Smith’s period of depression. He has said the song is about resignation. He says the song is a stream of consciousness. The song is about the face of inevitable change.

Unlike “Friday, I’m in Love”, “Elise” is a dramatic breakup song. Like “Friday”, Smith is making urgent appeals to his partner. He is set out to rekindle a lost romance. The song is almost like puppy-love heartbreak. It is pure basic raw emotion, the turmoil of a breakup.

While the song remains a favorite among fans, The Cure has to this day performed “A Letter To Elise” less than fifty times live, possibly due to the emotional nature of the lyrics and Smith not wanting to sing something that may take him personally to a dark place.

In reflecting on The Cure’s album “Wish” and its enduring impact, one cannot help but recognize the band’s ability to traverse various musical styles while maintaining their signature emotional depth. Through tracks like “High,” “Friday, I’m in Love,” and “A Letter To Elise,” Robert Smith and company navigate themes of love, loss, and resilience with poignant lyricism and infectious melodies. As fans continue to cherish these songs decades later, “Wish” stands as a testament to The Cure’s timeless artistry and the profound connection they forge with listeners worldwide.

Must Listen To Tracks: Open, High, From The Edge of The Deep Green Sea, Friday I’m In Love, A Letter To Elise

Purchase “Wish” on Amazon.