Highly influenced by The Beatles, Jimi Hendrix and even David Bowie he started playing guitar at the age of 12. Smith has played the 6 and 12 string guitars; 4 and 6 string bass guitars; double bass; piano; drums; violin; trumpet and trombone, in various combinations.
Robert is the third of four children born to Alex and Rita Smith. His siblings are Richard, Margaret, and Janet (who is married to Porl Thompson, the lead guitarist of The Cure).
Smith grew up in a Catholic atmosphere and went to St. Mary's high school in England as a teenager. However, he is not religious, but sometimes he feels that he wishes he was. One example of his desire for belief is in the aptly-titled Faith.
Smith has written or co-written the bulk of The Cure's music and lyrics in a career spanning 35 years. He has also been involved in other musical projects, including a stint with Siouxsie & the Banshees and his side-project with Steven Severin called The Glove. He has also contributed vocals to a number of independent projects and performances, among them the B-side of the Faith cassette which is a 30 minute track from a movie project - Carnage Visors.
Robert Smith is instantly recognizable for his image, which includes deliberately smeared red lipstick and messy black hair that some have compared to a large spider. He first used Siouxsie Sioux's lipstick while he was high on opium. Smith's image has contributed to the frequent classification of The Cure as a goth band, a moniker Smith rejects. Smith is also known for his distinctive wavering singing style.
Smith's lyrics are frequently poetic and as frequently inscrutable. Smith has stated that they are often the product of some "altered state," such as drugs or sleep.
Smith met Mary Poole in school when he was 14 years old. Smith explains that his class was asked to choose partners for an activity. He mustered the courage to ask Mary and, as he says, got lucky. They have been together since and were married in 1988. The song "Love Song" was written as a wedding present for Mary. They have agreed to remain childless.
In October 2004, he stood in as one of three guest presenters for John Peel on BBC Radio 1, a week before the DJ's untimely death.
"Just Like Heaven" is reportedly Smith's favorite pop song that The Cure has produced and easily one of the public's most popular in which he details a lost love: " found myself alone alone alone above the raging sea / that stole the only girl I loved / and drowned her deep inside of me. "
Public opinion has often been that, according to the music he writes, Robert Smith must be a deeply depressed soul. However, this quote disputes that sentiment:
" At the time we wrote Disintegration...it's just about what I was doing really, how I felt. But I'm not like that all the time. That's the difficulty of writing songs that are a bit depressing. People think you're like that all the time, but I don't think that. I just usually write when I'm depressed." -Robert Smith in a 1989 interview
Smith is the only member who has been in The Cure the whole time it has existed. When asked who their favorite lineup is, most fans will almost always mention Smith along with Simon Gallup, Porl Thompson, and Boris Williams.
Collaborations
In 2003, Robert Smith worked in collaboration with the band Blink-182 on the track "All of This" off their album Blink-182.
In 2004, Blank & Jones remixed " A Forest" featuring Robert Smith on vocals. There is an EP+ Bonus DVD with 4 audio remixes, The music video featuring Robert Smith and an interview by Blank & Jones with Robert Smith that takes place before the video shoot. That year, he also provided vocals for Junior Jack for the club hit "Da Hype". In November, he joined Placebo onstage at their Wembley arena gig to sing Placebo's "Without You I'm Nothing" and Smith's own "Boys Don't Cry." Robert Smith also co-wrote and supplied vocals for the Tweaker song "Truth Is".
In 2004, Junior Jack also did a remix of the song Da Hype on his album Trust It featuring Robert Smith.
In 2005, Robert Smith teamed up with Billy Corgan, the former lead singer of both the Smashing Pumpkins and Zwan, to do a cover of the Bee Gees' "To Love Somebody" on Corgan's first solo release, TheFutureEmbrace.
Solo discography
For more than two decades, Robert Smith has been hinting at a solo album which has never materialized. It is often believed that most of his solo writing ends up in The Cure, with such closer tracks as "Homesick", "Untitled", "Treasure", "Bare", "Going Nowhere", but Smith denied this, crediting those songs to other members:
" I didn't write "Homesick" and I didn't write the music too. It's another misconception. […] Out of the 12 songs on the CD, I think I only wrote six musically... "Untitled"... (to Simon [Gallup]) You wrote that one ? ...It was Roger [O'Donnell]. So it [(Disintegration)] couldn't have been a solo album and if I'd done on my own it wouldn't have sounded anything like The Cure anyway apart from my own voice. The Top album could have been a solo album but it's not true the way we worked in studio […] " – Robert Smith in a 1989 interview
In 2001 Robert was going to end "The Cure" and work on his solo album. He was convinced otherwise by producer Ross Robinson, who himself is a massive fan of The Cure. Ross told Robert that he "had to make at least one more Cure album, the Cure album". This is why the 2004 album is simply titled "The Cure" (says Smith in an AOL interview). Making that album reminded Smith of why he enjoys doing what he does and another Cure album is due out in April of 2006, putting the solo album on hold once more.
Pictures Of You
Robert Smith Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Well, I would only be in your way
And so I'll go, but yet I know
That I'll think of you each step of my way
And I will always love you
I will always love you
Bitter-sweet memories
Good-bye, oh, please don't cry
Cause we both know that I'm not
What you need
I will always love you
I will always love you
And I hope life, will treat you kind
And I hope that you have all
That you ever dreamed of
Oh, I do wish you joy
And I wish you happiness
But above all this
I wish you love
I love you, I will always love
I, I will always, always love you
I will always love you
I will always love you
I will always love you
These lyrics are from Robert Smith's song Pictures Of You. The song is about a breakup and the feelings of love and loss that come with it. The singer is saying goodbye and acknowledging that they are not what their partner needs. They express their love and hope for the best for their partner's life moving forward.
The first verse speaks to the singer's realization that they need to leave. They acknowledge that they will always love their partner but understands that they would only be in the way if they were to stay. The second verse expresses the singer's feelings about leaving. They are taking only memories with them and ask their partner not to cry because they both know that they are not what each other needs. The chorus repeats that the singer will always love their partner. The bridge expresses hope for the future of their partner's life. They wish them joy and happiness but above all, love.
As a whole, the song is bittersweet and emotional. It speaks to the pain of loving someone and having to let them go. It's a powerful reminder that just because a relationship ends, it doesn't mean that the love was never real or meaningful.
Line by Line Meaning
If I should stay
If I continue to be a part of your life
Well, I would only be in your way
It will not be healthy for you and I, being with me will do you more harm than good
And so I'll go, but yet I know
Therefore, I will leave, but I am still aware
That I'll think of you each step of my way
That I will constantly have you on my mind as I move on
And I will always love you
I will always cherish and care for you
I will always love you
I will always cherish and care for you
Bitter-sweet memories
Memories that come with a mixture of emotions, both good and bad
That's all I have, and all I'm taking with me
These memories are all I have left and will be the only things I carry with me as I leave
Good-bye, oh, please don't cry
Farewell, but I plead with you not to cry
Cause we both know that I'm not
Because we both know that I am not the right person for you
What you need
Who you need to be happy in life
I will always love you
I will always cherish and care for you
I will always love you
I will always cherish and care for you
And I hope life, will treat you kind
I hope life will treat you well and with kindness
And I hope that you have all
And I hope that you have everything
That you ever dreamed of
That you have ever wished for in life
Oh, I do wish you joy
I genuinely hope that you find happiness
And I wish you happiness
I hope that you find true happiness
But above all this
But above everything else
I wish you love
I hope that you find true love
I love you, I will always love
I have always loved you and I will continue to do so
I, I will always, always love you
I will love you constantly and forever
I will always love you
I will always cherish and care for you
I will always love you
I will always cherish and care for you
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Dolly Parton
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Juan Camacho
I've been looking so long at these pictures of you
That I almost believe that they're real
I've been living so long with my pictures of you
That I almost believe that the pictures
Are all I can feel
Remembering you standing quiet in the rain
As I ran to your heart to be near
And we kissed as the sky fell in
Holding you close
How I always held close in your fear
Remembering you running soft through the night
You were bigger and brighter and wider than snow
And screamed at the make-believe
Screamed at the sky
And you finally found all your courage
To let it all go
Remembering you fallen into my arms
Crying for the death of your heart
You were stone white
So delicate
Lost in the cold
You were always so lost in the dark
Remembering you how you used to be
Slow drowned
You were angels
So much more than everything
Hold for the last time then slip away quietly
Open my eyes
But I never see anything
If only I'd thought of the right words
I could have held on to your heart
If only I'd thought of the right words
I wouldn't be breaking apart
All my pictures of you
Looking so long at these pictures of you
But I never hold on to your heart
Looking so long for the words to be true
But always just breaking apart
My pictures of you
There was nothing in the world
That I ever wanted more
Than to feel you deep in my heart
There was nothing in the world
That I ever wanted more
Than to never feel the breaking apart
All my pictures of you
Rabbit
Been hearing this song in my head thinking about the only person I've ever had mutual happiness with and loved more than anyone.
A girl named Lucia. The highlight of my life. When we met, we were seeing each other at our worst, but we connected on a level I've never found in my life. We were both in bad situations but we found so much happiness in each other. From holding hands everywhere, to the little tug of war battles in the stores and elsewhere, to cuddling in bed to watch videos on her phone, to feeding ducks and swinging in the park, and so many more things, every one of them special to me.
I was there for her since the moment we met, and I always will be.
But I said too many dumb things, and things that got misunderstood. I got emotional over small things too much because of my past. I focused too much on being happy and making her happy, so much so that I neglected other priorities which would have helped us both, like making more money so we could move closer to her friends and family. Ultimately that led to her feeling trapped and isolated and emotionally wrecked.
She's young and still figuring a lot of things out, so I don't blame her for anything. I understand the things that made her feel how she felt to leave. I do wish she hadn't let other people get in the way and second-guessed who I am though. She's the only person I've never told a lie to, but I couldn't convince her to trust and believe me over people who speak from a position of "authority" or who have their own motives. But with time, maybe eventually she'll realize these people were wrong.
I wish I could just have a chance to fix myself and make up for my mistakes and try again. I would give anything for that.
Now I feel like I don't matter at all. Every day I'm thinking of her. I wish I wasn't such a broken human being. If only I'd thought of the right words...
I wonder if she misses me as much as I miss her.
I am the Cheese
My wife passed away 7 weeks ago and here I am looking at all the pictures of her and wishing she were still here. It's all I have left of her now.
Annabelle S
I'm so sorry for your loss. ❤😥
Alessandria Leleo-Akana
I lost my husband 5 months ago and we both loved the Cure. Pictures is all I can feel!
J Villanueva
no its not those feelings you have in your heart are worth more than any picture. those will stay with you. she loved you and never forget my friend.
Pamela B
My husband died March 1st 2019. My teenage son left home and I don’t know where he is. I’m heartbroken.
Aleda Moon
Love and positive vibes sent to you
Ellen Hicks
I don’t always listen to The Cure but when I do, so do my neighbors.❤
Jerry
Hello Ellen, how are you doing?
Stephen Collins
🙌🙌🙌
Belle_Est_LaVie
Indeed❤