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
The Only One
The Cure Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
What you do to my head
When you pull me upstairs
And you push me to bed.
I love what you do to my head.
It's a mess out there!
Oh I love, oh I love, oh I love
When you push me back down
And then pull me apart.
I love what you do to my heart.
It's the best, oh yeah!
Oh I love, oh I love, oh I love
What you do to my lips
When you suck me inside
And you blow me a kiss.
I love what you do to my lips
It's so sweet in there.
Oh I love, love, love, love
What you do to my hips
When you blow me outside
And then suck me like this.
I love what you do to my hips
It's the beat oh yeah!
You're the only one I cry for
The only one I try to please.
You're the only one I sigh for
The only one I die to squeeze.
And it gets better everyday, I play
With you it's such a scream.
Yeah it gets better everyday, I say
With you it's so extreme.
Yeah it gets wetter everyday, I stay
With you it's like a dream.
Oh I love, oh I love, oh I love
What you do to my skin.
Please slip me on
And slide me in.
I love what you do to my skin
It's a ? oh yeah.
Oh I love, love, love, love
What you do to my bones
When you slide me up
And take me home.
I love what you do to my bones
It's the crush oh yeah.
You're the only one I cry for
The only one I try to please.
You're the only one I sigh for
The only one I die to squeeze.
And it gets hazier anyway, I sway
With you it's such a scream
Yeah it gets mazier every play, I say
With you it's so extreme.
Yeah it gets crazier everyday, I stay
With you it's like a dream.
Oh I love, oh I love, oh I love
What you do to me.
The Cure's "The Only One" is a sensual and evocative song about the intense physical connection between two lovers. The lyrics suggest that the singer is completely captivated and entranced by the way his partner makes him feel, both mentally and physically. It's an ode to the pleasure and excitement of a passionate, physical relationship, and the insatiable desire that comes with it.
The first verse speaks to the headiness of the experience, with lines like "I love what you do to my head / When you pull me upstairs / And you push me to bed," and "It's a mess out there!" The singer is swept up in the moment, unable to resist the other person's charm and power.
The second verse focuses on the heart, with the singer reveling in the intense emotions that arise from this all-consuming love. The third and fourth verses describe the physical sensations in more detail, with the singer delighting in the way his partner makes him feel with their touch, kiss, and caress.
The chorus emphasizes the singular focus the singer has on this one person - they are the only one he cries for, tries to please, sighs for, and dies to squeeze. The song ends with a final verse that emphasizes the addictive, exhilarating nature of this love, with lines like "Yeah it gets better everyday, I say / With you it's so extreme," and "Yeah it gets crazier everyday, I stay / With you it's like a dream."
Line by Line Meaning
Oh I love, Oh I love, Oh I love
Expressing the strong emotions of love towards the subject.
What you do to my head
Being fascinated by the effect that the subject has on their thoughts.
When you pull me upstairs
And you push me to bed.
Being charmed by the subject's dominance and being led to intimacy.
I love what you do to my head.
It's a mess out there!
Despite being left confused by the subject, they are still in love with them.
What you do to my heart
Being impressed by how the subject makes them feel emotionally.
When you push me back down
And then pull me apart.
Being drawn to the subject's push and pull towards them.
I love what you do to my heart.
It's the best, oh yeah!
Feeling that the subject is the best thing that has ever happened to them.
What you do to my lips
Being enamored with the subject's kissing ability.
When you suck me inside
And you blow me a kiss.
Being consumed by the subject's kiss and the tenderness they show.
I love what you do to my lips
It's so sweet in there.
Feeling like the kiss is a sweet and magical experience.
What you do to my hips
Being turned on by the subject's sensuality towards their body.
When you blow me outside
And then suck me like this.
Being aroused by the subject's oral sex skills.
I love what you do to my hips
It's the beat oh yeah!
Feeling like the subject's attention to their hips is the best feeling in the world.
You're the only one I cry for
The only one I try to please.
You're the only one I sigh for
The only one I die to squeeze.
Expressing how the subject is the only one they are truly devoted to.
And it gets better everyday, I play
With you it's such a scream.
Feeling as if every day spent with the subject is better than the last, and it's so exhilarating.
Yeah it gets better everyday, I say
With you it's so extreme.
Experiencing extreme feelings of love and passion towards the subject.
Yeah it gets wetter everyday, I stay
With you it's like a dream.
Feeling as if their connection to the subject is a dream come true, and their love is intense.
What you do to my skin.
Loving how the subject's touch feels on their skin.
Please slip me on
And slide me in.
Asking the subject to take control and have sex with them.
I love what you do to my skin
It's a ? oh yeah.
Finding pleasure in the sensation of the subject's touch on their skin.
What you do to my bones
Being swept away by the subject's touch that feels down to their bones.
When you slide me up
And take me home.
Feeling like they are in paradise with the subject.
It gets hazier anyway, I sway
With you it's such a scream
Despite feeling disoriented, they still find their time with the subject to be exciting.
Yeah it gets mazier every play, I say
With you it's so extreme.
Expressing how their connection with the subject is becoming more obscure, but their love remains at an extreme level.
Yeah it gets crazier everyday, I stay
With you it's like a dream.
Being happy with the subject, despite the situation being confusing and unusual. Their love remains strong and profound.
What you do to me.
Being in awe of the subject for the immense joy and intensity they bring to their life.
Lyrics © CAPITOL CHRISTIAN MUSIC GROUP, Universal Music Publishing Group, Capitol CMG Publishing
Written by: BRIAN JOSEPH BURTON, THOMAS SMITH
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind