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
Jumping Someone Else's Train
The Cure Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
You might spoil your face
If you walk in the crowd
You won't leave any trace
It's always the same
Your jumping someone else's train
It won't take long to learn
You have to adapt
Or you'll be out of style
It's always the same
Your jumping someone else's train
If you pick up on it quick
You can say you were there
Again and again and again
Your jumping someone else's train
It's the latest wave that you've been craving for
The old ideal was getting such a bore
Now your back in line
Going not quite as far
But in half the time
Everyone's happy, they're finally all the same
Because everyone's jumping everybody else's train
Jumping someone else's train
Jumping someone else's train
Jumping someone else's train
The Cure's song "Jumping Someone Else's Train" is a commentary on conformity and peer pressure. The first stanza warns against being too outspoken or individualistic, as it might make one stand out in the crowd. The next lines explain that it's easy to adapt to the latest trend or fashion, and that it's better to do so as it ensures one’s staying in line with everyone else. The chorus emphasizes that one is simply jumping on the bandwagon of others and following their lead.
The second verse describes the process of adaptation – how one learns to “fit in” by conforming and adopting the same smile, style and behavior as the crowd. The repetition of the words "again and again and again" emphasizes the cyclical nature of conformity - once one jumps on the train, they keep doing it again and again. The third stanza is an invitation to join the masses and become one of the crowd. The song concludes by noting how everyone is happy because they are all conforming and jumping onto each other’s train.
The song is a warning against blindly following others, and it urges people to think critically and independently. It’s a message that resonates even more nowadays with social media and the constant pressure of fitting in with the latest trends. "Jumping Someone Else's Train" was typical of the style of The Cure in the late 70s and early 80s. These were formative years for the band and helped establish them as one of the pioneers of Alternative Rock.
Line by Line Meaning
Don't say what you mean
Do not express your true feelings or thoughts
You might spoil your face
You may negatively impact your reputation or appearance
If you walk in the crowd
If you follow the masses
You won't leave any trace
You won't stand out or make a lasting impression
It's always the same
The situation is repetitive and unchanging
Your jumping someone else's train
You are blindly following someone else's lead
It won't take long to learn
It's easy to adapt to the new trend
The new smile
The new face or persona to display
You have to adapt
You need to conform to fit in
Or you'll be out of style
Or risk being ostracized
If you pick up on it quick
If you catch on fast
You can say you were there
You can claim to be a part of the craze
Again and again and again
Repeatedly
It's the latest wave that you've been craving for
It's the new trend you've been wanting to be a part of
The old ideal was getting such a bore
The old way of life or perspective was becoming dull
Now your back in line
Now you are conforming to the new trend
Going not quite as far
Not committing fully to the trend
But in half the time
But doing it quickly
Everyone's happy, they're finally all the same
Everyone is content with conformity
Because everyone's jumping everybody else's train
Because everyone is blindly following everyone else
Jumping someone else's train
Following someone else's lead without questioning it
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: LAURENCE ANDREW TOLHURST, MICHAEL STEPHEN DEMPSEY, ROBERT JAMES SMITH
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind