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
Freakshow
The Cure Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I must be dreaming
She turns
The sound down
Says "I am heaving
This is a freakshow"
And I am screaming
She spins
I want to stop
Bittersweet again
Her opening move
Down and out in black
Soft shiny and smooth
Looks like the alien
Crowd got groove
She burns her name
Into my arm
But I can never
Get through
To play the game
She's trying to lose
Her ultraviolet makes it
Harder to choose
Looks like the edge
Of the earth got moved
She blurs a way
Across the floor
I spin
To swallow the view
[Chorus]
And it's the same sway
Yeah
It's the same slide
It's the same stare
Oh
It's the same smile
Yeah
It's the same but
It's not quite right
Oh
It's insane
She shakes like a freak
Stuck in the middle
Of the room for a week
Looks like the only way
To get on the beat
Is take her up
On how to swing
But I am
Missing my feet
[Chorus]
I'm in a step, out
She two more steps
Down
For three steps up
Clap
And go around
Ow
It makes my head buzz
She wants to come now
I try to stop
Always infradig her
Finishing move
Up and down in black
Soft shiny and smooth
Looks like the alien
Crowd got groove
She cuts a number
Out my arm
But I can never
Get through
To play this game
She's trying to lose
The stuff from Mars
Makes it harder
To choose
Looks like
The final frontier
Got moved
She blurs a way
Across the floor
I spin to swallow
The view
[Chorus]
I can't believe it
I must be dreaming
She turns
The lights up
Says she is leaving
This is a freakshow
And I am beaten
She spins
The world round
I have to stop
The opening lines of The Cure's "Freakshow" describe a surreal, dreamlike scene: the singer is unable to believe what is happening before his eyes. The woman he is fixated with turns the sound down and declares that she is "heaving" – grossed out or upset by the situation around her. She calls the scene a "freakshow," while the singer screams in response. Despite this apparent chaos, the woman spins the world round and captivates the singer with her movements.
Later in the song, The Cure explores themes of alienation and disconnection. The woman the singer admires seems to be isolated in the middle of the room, and he struggles to join in on the beat. She cuts a number into the singer's arm, leaving a permanent mark, yet he feels unable to fully connect with her or understand the game she is playing. As the song reaches its conclusion, the singer is left feeling beaten and unable to continue with the surreal dance he has been participating in.
In summary, "Freakshow" presents a dreamlike scene full of bizarre and unsettling imagery. The singer is left feeling disconnected from the woman he admires and unable to fully join in on the world around him.
Line by Line Meaning
I can't believe it
The singer is in disbelief about the situation
I must be dreaming
The singer believes that this can't be real
She turns
The subject abruptly changes direction
The sound down
The volume is lowered
Says "I am heaving
The subject reveals that they are overwhelmed
This is a freakshow"
The situation is chaotic and bizarre
And I am screaming
The singer is reacting drastically to the situation
She spins
The subject turns or moves quickly
The world round
The environment is shifting or changing
I want to stop
The artist desires to end the chaos
Bittersweet again
The situation is emotionally mixed
Her opening move
The subject is initiating a plan or action
Down and out in black
The subject is feeling defeated or hopeless
Soft shiny and smooth
The subject's appearance is attractive or appealing
Looks like the alien
The subject seems different or strange
Crowd got groove
The people around the subject are moving and dancing
She burns her name
The subject marks the artist as theirs
Into my arm
The subject leaves a permanent physical mark
But I can never
The singer is unable to
Get through
The artist is unable to connect with the subject
To play the game
The artist is trying to participate in the chaos
She's trying to lose
The subject is not trying to win
Her ultraviolet makes it
The subject's presence is intense or overwhelming
Harder to choose
The situation is difficult to navigate
Looks like the edge
The boundaries of the situation are unclear
Of the earth got moved
The situation has shifted and changed
She blurs a way
The subject moves quickly and indistinctly
Across the floor
The subject is moving rapidly
I spin
The artist moves in response to the subject
To swallow the view
The singer takes in the chaos
And it's the same sway
The situation is repetitive
Yeah
Adding emphasis
It's the same slide
The situation is predictable
It's the same stare
The subject's gaze is consistent
Oh
Adding emphasis
It's the same smile
The subject's expression is uniform
Yeah
Adding emphasis
It's the same but
The situation is similar but not identical
It's not quite right
The situation is off or unsettling
She shakes like a freak
The subject is displaying extreme behavior
Stuck in the middle
The subject is unable to escape the situation
Of the room for a week
The situation feels endless
Looks like the only way
The subject appears to provide the solution
To get on the beat
To participate in the chaos
Is take her up
The solution requires engaging with the subject
On how to swing
The subject has the key to participation
But I am
The singer is
Missing my feet
The artist feels off balance or disoriented
I'm in a step, out
The singer is hesitant or unsure
She two more steps
The subject moves with confidence
Down
The situation is becoming more negative
For three steps up
The situation improves before getting worse again
Clap
The artist is engaging in the dance
And go around
The situation is circular
Ow
Indicates pain or discomfort
It makes my head buzz
The situation is overwhelming the artist
She wants to come now
The subject wants the artist to engage
I try to stop
The artist wants to end the situation
Always infradig her
The singer is putting the subject down
Finishing move
The situation is nearing an end
Up and down in black
The situation is unstable
She cuts a number
The subject leaves a mark on the singer
Out my arm
The subject is leaving a permanent physical mark
To play this game
The artist is participating in a game or activity
The stuff from Mars
The subject is otherworldly
Makes it harder
The situation is difficult
To choose
The singer is torn between choices
Looks like
The situation appears to be
The final frontier
The situation is unfamiliar or new
Got moved
The situation has shifted
I have to stop
The singer needs to end the situation
She turns
The situation is abruptly changing again
The lights up
The environment is getting brighter
Says she is leaving
The subject is ending the situation
This is a freakshow
The situation is insane and unusual
And I am beaten
The artist is emotionally defeated
She spins
The subject is moving again
The world round
The environment is changing again
Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: ROBERT EUGNEE EARLY, STEPHEN JASON SMITH
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind