The Cure's full lineup history is as follows: Robert Smith (vocals, guitar 1976-present), Lol Tolhurst (drums, keyboards 1976-1989), Michael Dempsey (bass 1976-1979), Porl Thompson (guitar, keyboards 1976-1978, 1983-1992, 2005 -2010), Simon Gallup (bass, keyboards 1979-1982, 1985-present), Matthieu Hartley (keyboards 1979 -1980), Andy Anderson (drums 1983-1984), Phil Thornalley (bass 1983-1984), Boris Williams (drums 1984-1994), Roger O'Donnell (keyboards 1987 -1990, 1995-2005, 2011-present), Perry Bamonte (guitar, keyboards 1990-2005), Jason Cooper drums 1995-present) and Reeves Gabrels (guitar 2012-present)
Just as the group's lineup has changed, the band's sound has evolved throughout the years, starting off as a post-punk band similar to Wire and Gang of Four before morphing into a gothic rock band in the early 80's, to a synthpop group in the mid-80's and a power-pop-alternative band in the early 90's. The Cure has always been an alternative and very independent band which was evident from the early days. Shunning the anarchistic tendencies of many punk bands after their formation in 1976 , The Cure's first release was Killing an Arab, based on material from French writer Albert Camus' "L'Etranger" (translated into English as The Stranger or The Outsider). This track courted controversy because of its theme (misinterpreted as racist, it was in fact, about the futility of killing any ethnicity), but it started to secure a small following, which grew following the release of debut album Three Imaginary Boys and non-LP single Boys Don't Cry in 1979, the latter of which would become one of The Cure's most famous songs. At that time, The Cure embarked on tour as the support for Siouxsie & the Banshees' Join Hands Tour. After the sudden departure of guitarist John McKay, Robert was recruited as guitarist for the Banshees as the band 'felt he was the only person capable of taking on the task.' As a result, Robert completed the tour playing two sets a night with The Cure and Siouxsie and the Banshees.
Following this, The Cure moved from their punk leanings into the portentous post-punk territory, releasing three albums of doom-laden rock in three years, Seventeen Seconds, Faith and Pornography, the latter of which charted inside the UK top 10, though the band were repeatedly dogged by the "Second-class Joy Division" tag. Following their third set of line-up changes, the group released Japanese Whispers, a compilation of three singles and their b-sides. Through their desire to escape the Joy Division description, the singles were a poppier effort, featuring danceable tracks like Let's Go To Bed alongside pop songs like Love Cats. Following the commercial disappointment of follow-up album The Top in 1984, The Cure returned to form with 1985's The Head On The Door. Featuring the singles In Between Days and Close To Me, The Head on the Door was distant from the band's punk roots, having more in common with successful alternative bands like The Smiths and Echo & The Bunnymen than their gloomier roots.
Two years later, the eighth studio album Kiss Me, Kiss Me, Kiss Me was a more stadium-sized effort, though featuring audacious pop songs like Why Can't I Be You, it was seemingly caught between two styles. However, it was the band's ninth effort (following the departure of last surviving founder member other than Robert Smith, Lol Tolhurst), Disintegration, that would be their greatest success, both critically and commercially. Disintegration spawned hit singles like Lullaby (no.5 in the UK), Love Song (an impressive no. 2 in the USA), Pictures of You, and Fascination Street. The album itself was a culmination of The Cure's directions through the eighties, featuring the poppier side combined with the more tender aspects, as well as the gloomier facets.
Following this, a remix compilation named Mixed Up was released in 1990, featuring one new track, Never Enough, and two years later tenth studio album Wish surfaced, which was a hit mainly from the momentum gained by Disintegration, though it also featured their most famous pop song, Friday I'm In Love (no.6 in the UK and no.18 in the US). During the years following this, the band became distracted and discouraged by the lawsuit launched by former member Lol Tolhurst, who felt he had been deprived of royalties. As a result, the 1996 album Wild Mood Swings felt unfocused, and was a critical and commercial failure, though the single Mint Car was a moderate hit.
In 1997, The Cure released the compilation Galore, featuring new song Wrong Number. Three years later, at the release of original album Bloodflowers, Robert Smith announced it would be the last album for the band, the album itself being a return to the gloomier rock of Pornography and Faith. Resultantly, another hits compilation was released in 2001. However, in 2004, the band surprised all by returning with a self-titled album, their twelfth studio album, which was a surprise hit, reaching the US Top 10, its lead single - The End of the World - becoming a modest hit on Modern Rock radio, and receiving a relatively warm reception from the press.
In May 2005, Smith fired Roger O'Donnell and Perry Bamonte from the band, along with Bamonte's brother Daryl, who had been The Cure's tour manager for many years. The remaining members of the band (Robert Smith, longtime bassist Simon Gallup and Jason Cooper) made a few appearances as a trio before it was announced that founding member Porl Thompson would be returning to The Cure.
In early 2007 the band toured Asia and Oceania, but a planned North American tour in Autumn 2007 was delayed until Spring 2008 so the band could continue recording their next album.
The band released their thirteenth album 4:13 Dream on 27 October 2008. Four singles and a remix EP called "Hypnagogic States" were releases on the 13th of each month preceding the album's release.
In 2009, Robert Smith won the Godlike Genius award at the NME Awards. On April 19, 2009, the band performed at the Coachella Festival in California.
During 2010, Robert Smith contributed songs to the soundtrack of the Tim Burton film "Alice in Wonderland" and provided guest vocals on the songs "Not in Love" by Crystal Castles and "Come to Me" by 65daysofstatic.
Between 31 May 2011 and 1 June 2011, the band performed three concerts at the Sydney Opera House performing the entirety of one of their first three albums on each night. Porl Thompson did not perform with the band at any of the concerts, but Roger O'Donnell performed with the band for the "Seventeen Seconds" and "Faith" concerts, and co-founding member Lol Tulhurst performed with the band for the first time since 1988 for the "Faith" concert. As of 2011, O'Donnell has returned to the lineup officially. In 2012, the band added former Tin Machine guitarist Reeves Gabrels to the lineup.
In 2013 The Cure started The Great Circle Tour, headlining festivals in Japan, South Korea and North America. In 2014 Robert Smith announced the upcoming release of a new album, to be called 4:14 Scream, featuring 14 songs recorded during the 4:13 Dream sessions and also an accompanying double album 4:26 Dream containing all the tracks from those sessions.
The Cure official website: www.thecure.com
The Cure official Myspace: http://www.myspace.com/thecure
The Cure on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#/thecure?ref=ts
The Cure - Disintegration Microsite: http://www.thecuredisintegration.com/bin/thecure
A Letter To Elise
The Cure Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I just can't stay here every yesterday
Like keep on acting out the same
The way we act out
Every way to smile, forget
And make-believe we never needed
Any more than this
Any more than this
Oh, Elise, it doesn't matter what you do
I know I'll never really get inside of you
To make your eyes catch fire
The way they should
The way the blue could pull me in
If they only would, if they only would
At least I'd lose this sense of sensing
Something else that hides away
From me and you, they're worlds to part
With aching looks and breaking hearts
And all the prayers your hands can make
Oh, I just take as much as you can throw
And then throw it all away
Oh, I throw it all away
Like throwing faces at the sky
Like throwing arms 'round yesterday
I stood and stared
Wide-eyed in front of you
And the face I saw looked back the way I wanted to
But I just can't hold my tears away the way you do
Elise, believe I never wanted this
I thought this time I'd keep all of my promises
I thought you were the girl I always dreamed about
But I let the dream go
And the promises broke and make-believe ran out
So, Elise, it doesn't matter what you say
I just can't stay here every yesterday
Like keep on acting out the same
The way we act out
Every way to smile, forget
And make-believe we never needed
Any more than this
Any more than this
And every time I try to pick it up
Like falling sand
As fast as I pick it up
It runs away through my clutching hands
But there's nothing else I can really do
There's nothing else I can really do
There's nothing else I can really do
At all
The lyrics of the song A Letter to Elise by The Cure speaks about the singer's relationship with Elise. He confesses that he can't keep living in the past, playing out the same actions and pretending that they didn't need more than what they had. He goes on to express his desire to connect with Elise on a deeper level, but he knows that he will never be able to truly understand her. He longs for her to feel the same passion and intensity he feels about their relationship but is unable to do so. The song culminates in him admitting that he needs to let the dream of their relationship go and forget all the promises he made, as make-believe has run out.
The lyrics are symbolic of many relationships that falter because of an inability to communicate effectively, leading to a sense of unfulfilled longing for deeper connection. The singer's admission that he wants to let go of the promises he made highlights the futility of holding onto something that is no longer real or attainable. The overall tone of the song is melancholic and wistful, reflecting the emotions of someone who has been unable to make a relationship work despite their best efforts.
Line by Line Meaning
Oh, Elise, it doesn't matter what you say
It doesn't matter what you say, I cannot stay in the same place every day.
I just can't stay here every yesterday
I can't keep reliving the same day, I need to move on.
Like keep on acting out the same
We keep acting out the same script over and over again.
The way we act out
Our actions are predictable and repetitive.
Every way to smile, forget
We try to move on and forget, but it's just a facade.
And make-believe we never needed
We pretend we didn't need more than what we had.
Any more than this
We were satisfied with what we had, even though it wasn't enough.
Oh, Elise, it doesn't matter what you do
No matter what you do, I can't truly connect with you.
I know I'll never really get inside of you
I'll never be able to understand you fully.
To make your eyes catch fire
I can't ignite that spark in your eyes that I once saw.
The way they should
I want your eyes to light up with passion, but something's holding you back.
The way the blue could pull me in
Your blue eyes used to draw me in, but now they're distant.
If they only would, if they only would
If only your eyes could bring us together again.
At least I'd lose this sense of sensing
If your eyes were how they used to be, I wouldn't feel so lost and disconnected.
Something else that hides away
There's something between us that's keeping us apart.
From me and you, they're worlds to part
Our worlds are so different that we can't seem to find common ground.
With aching looks and breaking hearts
Our longing looks and broken hearts are a reflection of how much we're struggling.
And all the prayers your hands can make
You're doing everything you can, but it still feels like we're drifting apart.
Oh, I just take as much as you can throw
I try to absorb everything you give me, even though it's not enough.
And then throw it all away
But in the end, I have to let it all go.
Like throwing faces at the sky
As futile as throwing something at the sky, trying to change our situation is hopeless.
Like throwing arms 'round yesterday
We're trying to hold onto a past that has slipped away.
I stood and stared
I froze, not knowing what to do next.
Wide-eyed in front of you
Standing there, vulnerable and uncertain.
And the face I saw looked back the way I wanted to
Seeing that familiar face looking back at me made me feel hopeful.
But I just can't hold my tears away the way you do
I can't keep up the emotional wall that you seem to have built.
Elise, believe I never wanted this
I never wanted us to end up like this.
I thought this time I'd keep all of my promises
I thought I could make things right this time and keep my word.
I thought you were the girl I always dreamed about
I thought you were the one who would make my dreams come true.
But I let the dream go
But I've come to terms with the fact that it was just a dream.
And the promises broke and make-believe ran out
Our promises fell apart and our make-believe relationship ended.
And every time I try to pick it up
I keep trying to fix things, but I keep failing.
Like falling sand
Like trying to grasp onto something that keeps slipping away.
As fast as I pick it up
I can never pick it up fast enough before it all falls apart again.
It runs away through my clutching hands
No matter how hard I try, everything slips away from me.
But there's nothing else I can really do
There's nothing left but to accept the reality of the situation.
At all
There's nothing else to try, we've reached the end.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: Robert James Smith, Porl Thompson, Boris Williams, Perry Bamonte, Simon Johnathon Gallup
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Otis Notibrus
0:29 [Chorus]
Oh, Elise it doesn't matter what you say
I just can't stay here every yesterday
Like keep on acting out the same
The way we act out
Every way to smile, forget
And make-believe we never needed
Any more than this
Any more than this
1:08 [Verse]
Oh, Elise it doesn't matter what you do
I know I'll never really get inside of you
To make your eyes catch fire
The way they should
The way the blue could pull me in
If they only would, if they only would
At least I'd lose this sense of sensing
Something else that hides away
From me and you, there are worlds to part
With aching looks and breaking hearts
And all the prayers your hands can make
Oh, I just take as much as you can throw
And then throw it all away
Oh I'll throw it all away
Like throwing faces at the sky
Like throwing arms round yesterday
I stood and stared
Wide-eyed in front of you
And the face I saw looked back the way I wanted to
But I just can't hold my tears away the way you do
Elise, believe I never wanted this
I thought this time I'd keep all of my promises
I thought you were the girl I always dreamed about
But I let the dream go
And the promises broke and make-believe ran out
3:22 [Chorus]
So, Elise it doesn't matter what you say
I just can't stay here every yesterday
Like keep on acting out the same
The way we act out
Every way to smile, forget
And make-believe we never needed
Any more than this
Any more than this
3:48 [Outro]
And every time I try to pick it up
Like falling sand
As fast as I pick it up
It runs away through my clutching hands
But there's nothing else I can really do
There's nothing else I can really do
There's nothing else I can really do
At all
Jessica Sander
Lyrics
Oh Elise it doesn't matter what you say
I just can't stay here every yesterday
Like keep on acting out the same the way we act out
Every way to smile forget and make-believe
We never needed any more than this
Any more than this
Oh Elise it doesn't matter what you do
I know I'll never really get inside of you
To make your eyes catch fire the way they should
The way the blue could pull me in
If they only would
If they only would
At least I'd lose this sense of sensing
Something else that hides away
From me and you there're worlds to part
With aching looks and breaking hearts
And all the prayers your hands can make
Oh I just take as much as you can throw
And then throw it all away
Oh I throw it all away
Like throwing faces at the sky
Like throwing arms round
Yesterday, I stood and stared wide-eyed in front of you
And the face I saw looked back the way I wanted to
But I just can't hold my tears away the way you do
Elise believe I never wanted this
Thought this time I'd keep all of my promises
Thought you were the girl I always dreamed about
But I let the dream go
And the promises broke
And the make-believe ran out
So Elise it doesn't matter what you say
I just can't stay here every yesterday
Like keep on acting out the same the way we act out
Every way to smile forget and make-believe
We never needed any more than this
Any more than this
And every time I try to pick it up like falling sand
As fast as I pick it up
It runs away through my clutching hands
But there's nothing else I can really do
There's nothing else I can really do
There's nothing else I can really do at all
Source: Musixmatch
Songwriters: Robert James Smith / Simon Gallup / Perry Bamonte / Boris Williams / Porl Thompson
A Letter to Elise lyrics © Fiction Songs Ltd.
Elise Schipper
My name is Elise. I'm 17 years old. I love The Cure. And with this song, my life is already complete.
João Victor
do your eyes catch fire the way they should?
Ivan Jerez
Well...
There's a good girl!
Vítor de Holanda Jó
I listened quite often this song when I was younger, about my 17, 18 years. Now, I am 29 years. Life passes like thunder. I had an Elise, once, and it has passed away as well...
Now you are 25 years old. How many things you thought couldn't be more than that?
In the end, "There is nothing we can do, at all".
Paul Fox
Elise Schipper this is 1 of my all time fave song,i love it..i love cure as well Elise their class i grew up with their music..keep loving them..
david beniston
Elise Schipper I know you are a lot older now and by god YOU hit the cure at there peak it blows me away this song always will peace and love to ya family in These troubled times x
Cureboy1
I've been a massive fan of the Cure since I was 15 in 1996. I always said if I had a daughter I would call her Elise, after this song. I'm now 41 and I have a daughter and her name is Elise and I couldn't be more proud ❤
Samuel Wesley Idris Trueman Snipes
Were you not concerned she would sound like a tracksuit from the 1980s "Ellesse" ?
Well at least you didn't call her Fila or Kappa 😉
Ent Sprallung
Proud of what? I can see no reason to be proud of anyrhing in that case.
The Hungry Pigeon
@Ent Sprallung Proud of his daughter I'd imagine...