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
Fire In Cairo
The Cure Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
The eastern hollows catch
The dying sun
Night-time follows
Silence and black
Mirror pool mirrors
The lonely place
Where I meet you
In the fading light
And through the dark
Your eyes shine bright
And burn
Like fire
Burn like fire in Cairo
Burn like fire
Burn like fire in Cairo
Shifting crimson veil
Silken hips slide
Under my hand
Swollen lips whisper
My name
And I yearn
You take me in your arms
And start to burn
F-I-are-E-I-N-see-A-I-are-O
F-I-are-E-I-N-see-A-I-are-O
F-I-are-E-I-N-see-A-I-are-O
Then the heat disappears
And the mirage
Fades away
F-I-are-E-I-N-see-A-I-are-O
F-I-are-E-I-N-see-A-I-are-O
F-I-are-E-I-N-see-A-I-are-O
F-I-are-E-I-N-see-A-I-are-O
F-I-are-E-I-N-see-A-I-are-O
F-I-are-E-I-N-see-A-I-are-O
F-I-are-E-I-N-see-A-I-are-O
F-I-are-E-I-N-see-A-I-are-O
Burn like a fire in Cairo
Burn like a
Fire
Blaze like a fire in Cairo
Blaze like a
Fire
Flare
Burn like fire
Burn like
Fire in Cairo
The Cure's song "Fire in Cairo" is a love song with a sense of urgency and passion. As the sun sets, the singer is in a lonely place where they meet their loved one. The fading light causes their beloved's eyes to glow brighter like a fire in Cairo. The sensuality in the lyrics is palpable, as the singer describes their lover's silken hips sliding under their hand, swollen lips whispering their name, and the moment they take each other in their arms and start to burn.
The song represents the intensity of a fleeting, passionate, and physical love affair. The lyrics instill an image of a scorching-hot desert, where two people meet in the heat of the moment. The sense of burning desire reflected in the lyrics elicits a feeling of recklessness - like the singers are defying consequences for their actions and revelling in the moment.
In conclusion, "Fire in Cairo" is an interesting love song, set amidst a vividly described desert cityscape. It conjures up feelings of intense and immediate passion between two people, and the sense that the moment might be slipping away as quickly as it began.
Line by Line Meaning
Slowly fading blue
The sky is turning dark blue as the sun sets
The eastern hollows catch
The horizon in the East is where the sky is turning blue
The dying sun
The sun is setting and will soon be gone
Night-time follows
The darkness of the night is beginning to take over
Silence and black
It is quiet and dark
Mirror pool mirrors
The surface of the water is reflecting back the images around it
The lonely place
The location is desolate and isolated
Where I meet you
This is where the artist meets with their lover
See your head
The artist can see their lover's head
In the fading light
As the daylight fades away, the artist can still see their lover
And through the dark
Even in the darkness, the singer can still see their lover
Your eyes shine bright
The lover's eyes are bright and shining
And burn
The singer's feelings burn with passion
Like fire
The feelings burn with intensity comparable to fire
Burn like fire in Cairo
The singer's emotions are so intense, they burn like a fire in Cairo
Shifting crimson veil
A red, sheer fabric is moving around and revealing more of the lover's body
Silken hips slide
The lover is moving their hips in a way that feels silky smooth
Under my hand
The singer is touching the lover's body
Swollen lips whisper
The lover's lips are full and they speak softly to the singer
My name
The lover whispers the artist's name
And I yearn
The artist longs for their lover
You take me in your arms
The lover embraces the artist
And start to burn
The lover's feelings for the singer ignite
F-I-are-E-I-N-see-A-I-are-O
This is just a repeating, meaningless sequence of words
Then the heat disappears
The passion and intensity of the moment fades away
And the mirage fades away
The idea of this perfect moment being a mirage or illusion fades away
Burn like a fire in Cairo
The repetition of this line emphasizes the powerful feelings the singer has for their lover
Blaze like a fire in Cairo
The artist's emotions continue to burn like a blazing fire in Cairo
Flare
The emotions suddenly become more intense, flaring up like a flame
Burn like fire
The repetition of this line again emphasizes the strong emotions the singer feels
Burn like fire in Cairo
The singer's emotions burn with a passion and intensity comparable to a fire in Cairo
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: LAURENCE ANDREW TOLHURST, MICHAEL STEPHEN DEMPSEY, ROBERT JAMES SMITH
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind