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 Walk
The Cure Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Then ran until I burst
I passed the howling woman
And stood outside your door
We walked around the lake
And woke up in the rain
And everyone turned over
Visiting time is over
And so we walk away
And both play dead then cry out loud
Why we always cry this way?
I kissed you in the water
And made your dry lips sing
I saw you look
Like a Japanese baby
In an instant I remembered everything, everything, everything
I called you after midnight
Then ran until my heart burst
I passed the howling woman
And stood outside your door
I kissed you in the water
And made your dry lips sing
I saw you look
Like a Japanese baby
In an instant I remembered everything, everything, everything
Take me for a walk
Take me for a walk
Let's go in the water
Take me for a walk
The lyrics to The Cure's song The Walk describe a romantic encounter between two people. The singer calls the person they are interested in after midnight and runs to their house. They then walk around a lake and end up in the rain, where they see other people troubled in their dreams. As visiting time comes to an end, they both walk away pretending to be dead but cry out loud, wondering why they always cry that way. The singer then kisses their love interest in the water and remembers everything. The song ends with them asking to be taken for a walk.
The lyrics of The Walk are rich in symbolism and metaphor. The act of calling the person they are interested in after midnight represents a desire for connection beyond the conventional, while running to their doorstep symbolizes a certain urgency. Walking around the lake and waking up in the rain could be seen as symbolic of change or a new beginning, while the act of kissing in the water and making lips "sing" suggests an intimate connection. The appearance of the Japanese baby could symbolize newness or innocence.
Line by Line Meaning
I called you after midnight
I reached out to you in the middle of the night
Then ran until I burst
I hurried to see you as fast as I could
I passed the howling woman
I encountered a distressed woman but didn't dwell on it
And stood outside your door
I arrived at your house and waited for you to come out
We walked around the lake
We strolled together by the lake
And woke up in the rain
We slept outside and got wet in the rain
And everyone turned over
Everyone around us was disturbed in their sleep
Troubled in their dreams again
They must have been having recurring disturbing dreams
Visiting time is over
Our meeting time has come to an end
And both play dead then cry out loud
We pretend to be unaffected but really we're both emotional
Why we always cry this way?
We keep experiencing these intense feelings but don't understand why
I kissed you in the water
We shared a romantic moment in the water
And made your dry lips sing
I made you feel something wonderful
I saw you look
I noticed your expression
Like a Japanese baby
You looked innocent and precious
In an instant I remembered everything, everything, everything
All my memories of us came back in a flash
Take me for a walk
Let's go for a walk together
Take me for a walk
I want to spend more time with you
Let's go in the water
Let's get back in the water and enjoy each other's company
Take me for a walk
I want to be with you and feel happy again
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Robert James Smith, Laurence Andrew Tolhurst
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@bloodrose2034
I called you after midnight
Then ran until I burst
I passed the howling woman
And stood outside your door
We walked around the lake
And woke up in the rain
And everyone turned over
Troubled in their dreams again
Visiting time is over
And so we walk away
And both play dead then cry out loud
Why we always cry this way?
I kissed you in the water
And made your dry lips sing
I saw you look
Like a Japanese baby
In an instant I remembered everything
I called you after midnight
Then ran until my heart burst
I passed the howling woman
And stood outside your door
I kissed you in the water
And made your dry lips sing
I saw you look
Like a Japanese baby
In an instant I remembered everything
Take me for a walk
Take me for a walk
Let's go for a walk
Take me for a walk
@scott80ca
That synth line is the bomb. Still sounds fresh after all these years.
@harro9689
I’ve always thought it was the most hilarious sounding keyboard/synth riff I’ve ever heard in modern pop music. But can’t deny it makes the song memorable.
@adamantiuscloudcat1799
Reminds me New order the beach for some reason
@christinedrake8459
I haven’t seen The Cure in concert since I was 16 years old. I’ve been through so much in my life. I buried their music deep inside along with the memories that were so painful. Tonight, I’m going to their show in Seattle. It’s been 35 years. Thankfully I’m still here and able to enjoy life better now. Thank you to my most favorite band.🥀🖤
@Blooodhail
Thank you for sharing. We’re glad you’re here! Hope you enjoyed the show 🖤
@michaelb3276
Love you Christine! Just saw them in concert in Vancouver, they played for almost 3 hours, Robert sounded just the same. I have been a fan since LoveCats when I was 13 and last Friday was the best night of my life! I'm glad to share the love of The Cure with you!
@huggymoon
Saw them in Tampa with my 17 year old daughter and we both had a fantastic time. She absolutely loves and adores the Cure like I did in my teens and still do ❤
@GothHylian
Bro you are so lucky!
@meganbecker
Sooooooo relatable. Heck yeah. ❤
@poepshoe
All the songs are characterized by the mood of Robert Smith. Excited one moment, the other time suicidal. But he is a great songwriter, that's for sure!