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
Doubt
The Cure Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And die
And take a stand to change my life
So savage with red desperation
I clench my hands
You draw your claws
A hidden rage consumes my heart
Fueled by years of wasted time
And tense myself
And screaming
Throw myself in fury over the edge
And into your blood
Tear at flesh
And rip at skin
And smash at doubt
I have to break you
Fury drives my vicious blows
I see you fall but still I strike you
Again and again
Your body falls
The movement is sharp and clear and pure
And gone
I stop and kneel beside you
Drained of everything but pain
Screaming throw myself in fury
Over the edge and into your blood
Kiss you once and see you writhe
Hold you close and hear you cry
Kiss your eyes and finish your life
Kiss your eyes
Finish your life
Again and again
Your body falls
The movement is sharp and clear and pure
And gone
I stop and kneel beside you
Knowing I'll murder you again tonight
Knowing I'll murder you again
Knowing I'll murder you again
Knowing I'll murder you again
Knowing I'll murder you again
Tonight
The lyrics of The Cure's song Doubt describe a mixture of emotions that are intense and violent, yet also desperate and tragic. The singer is torn between wanting to fight and change their life, and being consumed by hidden rage and doubt. The imagery of claws, blood and fury suggests a savage struggle with inner demons, but also a fierce determination to overcome them. The lyrics depict the singer as both victim and aggressor, switching between throwing themselves into the battle and kneeling beside their fallen opponent, drained of everything but pain.
The music of Doubt reflects this mix of emotions through its driving beat, crashing guitars and soaring vocals. The repetition of the chorus, with its insistent cadences and haunting melody, adds to the sense of desperation and despair. The lyrics also draw on themes of mortality, with the singer seeing the fragility of life and the inevitability of death. The final line, "Knowing I'll murder you again tonight", suggests a tragic cycle of violence and self-destruction that cannot be broken.
Line by Line Meaning
Stop my flight to fight
Pausing to confront a challenge instead of running from it
And die
Being willing to sacrifice oneself for a cause
And take a stand to change my life
Making a firm decision to alter one's course
So savage with red desperation
Feeling intense and wild desperation, highlighted by the color red
I clench my hands
Tensing up from built-up aggression
You draw your claws
The opponent also prepares to fight back
A hidden rage consumes my heart
Feeling a deep-seated anger that dominates one's emotions
Fueled by years of wasted time
Motivated by the realization of time wasted on a negative situation
I close my eyes
Focusing intensely on the confrontation
And tense myself
Preparing physically for the upcoming fight
And screaming
Letting out a loud, ferocious yell
Throw myself in fury over the edge
Acting recklessly and with extreme anger
And into your blood
Blinded by rage, attacking aggressively
Tear at flesh
Acting violently and causing harm to the opponent
And rip at skin
Continuing the aggressive behavior and causing more injury
And smash at doubt
Overcoming feelings of uncertainty or hesitation
I have to break you
Determined to defeat the opponent
Fury drives my vicious blows
The intense anger fuels the violent actions
I see you fall but still I strike you
Continuing to act out of pure rage despite having already defeated the opponent
Again and again
Repeatedly attacking the opponent
Your body falls
Bringing the opponent to the ground
The movement is sharp and clear and pure
Acting precisely and efficiently with each move
And gone
The aggression dissipates as the fight ends
I stop and kneel beside you
Stopping to reflect on the aftermath of the fight
Drained of everything but pain
Feeling physically and emotionally exhausted, only pain remains
Screaming throw myself in fury
Letting out a furious yell and preparing for another fight
Over the edge and into your blood
Acting recklessly, without consideration for the consequences
Kiss you once and see you writhe
Killing the opponent and watching them suffer
Hold you close and hear you cry
Taking pleasure in the opponent's pain
Kiss your eyes and finish your life
Killing the opponent with a final act of violence
Knowing I'll murder you again tonight
Having an intense desire to continue this violent behavior
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: LAURENCE ANDREW TOLHURST, ROBERT JAMES SMITH, SIMON GALLUP
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind