"Just Like Heaven" was the third single released from the band's 1987 album Kiss Me, Kiss Me, Kiss Me, while Smith's memories of the trip formed the basis for the song's accompanying music video. The song became The Cure's first American hit and in 1988 reached number 40 on the Billboard charts. It has been highly praised by critics and covered by artists such as Dinosaur Jr and Katie Melua. Smith has said he considers "Just Like Heaven" to be one of the band's strongest songs.
Background and recording
In order to develop material for Kiss Me, Kiss Me, Kiss Me, Robert Smith forced himself to write music for 15 days of each month. During this regimen, he developed the chords and melody which form the basis of "Just Like Heaven". Structurally, Smith found what he had written was similar to The Only Ones's 1979 hit "Another Girl, Another Planet". When he brought an instrumental demo of the song to the album recording sessions in Southern France, Cure drummer Boris Williams increased the tempo and added an opening drum fill which inspired Smith to introduce each instrument singularly and in sequence.
When the French TV show Les Enfants du Rock asked The Cure to provide a theme song Smith offered the instrumental version. As he explained, "it meant the music would be familiar to millions of Europeans even before it was released". He completed the lyrics when the group moved the sessions to Studio Miraval, located in Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur. The band completed the song quickly, and at the time Smith considered it to be the most obvious potential single from the songs the band had recorded during their two week stay at Miraval.
B-side - "Snow in Summer"/"Breathe"/"Sugar Girl"/"A Chain of Flowers"
Released - 5 October 1987
Format - 7", 12", CD
Recorded - Studio Miraval, France, 1987
Genre - Alternative rock
Length - 3:32
Label - Fiction
Writer(s) - Robert Smith, Simon Gallup, Porl Thompson, Boris Williams, Lol Tolhurst
Producer - David M. Allen, Robert Smith
Just Like Heaven
The Cure Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
The one that makes me scream", she said
"The one that makes me laugh", she said
And threw her arms around my neck
Show me how you do it
And I promise you, I promise that
I'll run away with you
I'll run away with you
Spinning on that dizzy edge
Kissed her face and kissed her head
Dreamed of all the different ways
I had to make her glow
"Why are you so far away?", she said
"Why won't you ever know that I'm in love with you
That I'm in love with you?"
You
Soft and only
You
Lost and lonely
You
Strange as angels
Dancing in the deepest oceans
Twisting in the water
You're just like a dream
You're just like a dream
Daylight licked me into shape
I must've been asleep for days
And moving lips to breathe her name
I opened up my eyes
And found myself alone, alone
Alone above a raging sea
That stole the only girl I loved
And drowned her deep inside of me
You
Soft and lonely
You
Lost and lonely
You
Just like heaven
The lyrics to The Cure's song "Just Like Heaven" describe someone who is deeply in love with another person and is desperate to know the secret to making that person "scream" with pleasure while also making them "laugh". This desire for intimacy is emphasized when the singer promises to "run away" with the person if they show him the trick. The second verse describes the dizzying intoxication of being in love and the experience of dreaming up ways to make the other person happy. But despite this, there is still a sense of sadness and longing in the lyrics, as the singer wonders why the object of his affections is "so far away" and unable to see that he is in love with them.
The final verse turns darker and more introspective, as the singer wakes up alone and realizes that the person he loves has been taken from him by a "raging sea" that has drowned her inside of him. The repetition of the phrase "soft and lonely" suggests the pain that the singer is feeling, and the phrase "just like heaven" seems to imply that the memory of the person he loves is both a source of happiness and a source of torment.
Line by Line Meaning
Show me, show me, show me how you do that trick
She asks him to show her the trick that makes her scream
The one that makes me scream", she said
She wants to see the trick that makes her scream
"The one that makes me laugh", she said
She wants to see the trick that makes her laugh
And threw her arms around my neck
She hugged him tightly
Show me how you do it
She asks him to show her the trick
And I promise you, I promise that
He promises her that something will happen
I'll run away with you
He will leave with her
I'll run away with you
He will leave with her
Spinning on that dizzy edge
He is feeling dizzy
Kissed her face and kissed her head
He is kissing her on the face and head
Dreamed of all the different ways
He imagined all the different ways to make her happy
I had to make her glow
He needed to make her happy
"Why are you so far away?", she said
She wonders why he is emotionally distant
"Why won't you ever know that I'm in love with you
She loves him but he is unaware
That I'm in love with you?"
She wants him to know
You
Referring to the subject of his love
Soft and only
The subject is gentle and unique
You
Referring to the subject of his love
Lost and lonely
The subject is lost and lonely
You
Referring to the subject of his love
Strange as angels
The subject is mysterious and angelic
Dancing in the deepest oceans
A metaphor for the subject being remote and inaccessible
Twisting in the water
A metaphor for their inner turmoil and struggle
You're just like a dream
The subject feels like an ideal dream
You're just like a dream
The subject feels like an ideal dream
Daylight licked me into shape
He was awakened by daylight
I must've been asleep for days
He was asleep for multiple days
And moving lips to breathe her name
He was mumbling her name in his sleep
I opened up my eyes
He finally woke up
And found myself alone, alone
He woke up alone
Alone above a raging sea
He is alone and overwhelmed by emotions
That stole the only girl I loved
He has lost the love of his life
And drowned her deep inside of me
He is consumed by grief and pain
You
Referring to the subject of his love
Soft and lonely
The subject is gentle and unique
You
Referring to the subject of his love
Lost and lonely
The subject is lost and lonely
You
Referring to the subject of his love
Just like heaven
The subject is perfect and like heaven
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: Robert James Smith, Porl Thompson, Laurence Andrew Tolhurst, Boris Williams, Simon Johnathon Gallup
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@flutterself4453
Show me, show me, show me how you do that trick
The one that makes me scream she said
The one that makes me laugh she said
Threw her arms around my neck
Show me how you do it and I'll promise you
I'll promise that I'll run away with you, I'll run away with you
Spinning on that dizzy edge
Kissed her face and kissed her head
Dreamed of all the different ways, I had to make her glow
Why are you so far away she said
Why won't you ever know that I'm in love with you?
That I'm in love with you?
You, soft and only, you lost and lonely
You, strange as angels
Dancing in the deepest oceans
Twisting in the water
You're just like a dream
You're just like a dream
Daylight licked me into shape
I must have been asleep for days
And moving lips to breathe her name
I opened up my eyes
And found myself alone, alone, alone above a raging sea
That stole the only girl I loved and drowned her deep inside of me
You soft and only
You lost and lonely
You just like heaven
=thanks 4 listening Xd
@milagroscastillo1887
Show me, show me, show me how you do that trick
The one that makes me scream, she said
The one that makes me laugh, she said
And threw her arms around my neck
Show me how you do it
And I promise you, I promise that
I'll run away with you
I'll run away with you
Spinning on that dizzy edge
I kissed her face, I kissed her head
And dreamed of all the different ways
I had to make her glow
Why are you so far away, she said
Why won't you ever know
That I'm in love with you
That I'm in love with you?
You, soft and only
You, lost and lonely
You, strange as angels
Dancing in the deepest oceans
Twisting in the water
You're just like a dream
You're just like a dream
Daylight licked me into shape
I must have been asleep for days
And moving lips to breathe her name
I opened up my eyes
I find myself alone, alone
Alone, above a raging sea
That stole the only girl I loved
And drowned her deep inside of me
You, soft and only
You, lost and lonely
You, just like Heaven
@davehenry7262
I was in college when this song came out. I remember dancing with my girlfriend countless times as we listened to it. We were young, in love and everything was possible. I eventually lost that girl as life sent us down different paths. Years later, I got the news that she passed away from cancer. Every time I hear this song, I go back to dancing with her with this song framing the moment. It's a perfect memory I hope to keep with me for the rest of my days. Peace.
@Veronica-kz5dq
Muy triste 😢
@RePapero1
I'd like to know her name
@morellawalker373
You are lucky to have such a treasured memory...
@mattmorrow7777
Great story brother. I hope you doing good and still like this song.
@slightlytriggered8550
And just with that memory alone she still lives on.
Peace brother ✌️
@the_ebalay
When you listen to The Cure, you feel happy and depressed at the same time.
@wass006
I have to agree..... Makes me think of the past the good and the bad times
@thedamnedrose6665
This is why I love the Cure. No other band/music makes you feel that way.
@vourefletir1914
neh it,s perfect to listen when study... 🇧🇷