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
This. Here And Now. With You
The Cure Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Here and now
With you
Oh please don't ask me who I am
Or when and where my life began
Or why I ended up like this or how
Don't ask me what I was before
Its nothing you can know
About me now
You hold my spinning head to stare
And strip me bare of memory
Your black eyes burning into me
So slow
The sounds and lights and others fade
And fall away in symmetry
Your black eyes burning hungrily
And unafraid I know
[Chorus]
Everything I ever dared forget is here
Too scared before I never let
Tonight be all I need
Everywhere I never tried to get is here
Too tired before to ever let
Tonight be all I feel
Every time I ever thought regret is here
Too caught before I never let
Tonight be all I dream
There isn't any yesterday
Tomorrow starts a day away
This
Here and now
With you
I can't believe this is coming true I'm up so close to kissing you
A breathe away from never going home
I don't remember getting here
It seems to be sometime next year
I hope you wont be
Leaving me alone?
No please don't tell me who I am
Or when and where my life began
Or why I ended up like this or how
Don't ask me what I was before
If I was anything at all
Its nothing you can know
About me now
You pull my shaking body close
To make the most of tangency
I bite your mouth so fearfully
And slow
The taste of summers yet to shine
A perfect time to change the scene
I bite your mouth in urgency
And terrified I know
[Chorus]
Tonight be all I dream
There isn't any yesterday
Tomorrow starts a day away
This here and now with you is how
Always should always be
This
Here and now
With you
The lyrics to The Cure's "This. Here and Now. With You" describe a moment of intense vulnerability and connection between two people. The singer asks the listener not to question who they are or how they got to this point, but to exist fully in the present moment with them. The song is full of powerful imagery, such as the listener's "black eyes burning hungrily" and the taste of "summers yet to shine." The chorus repeats a mantra of living in the present moment and embracing all the possibilities of the here and now.
The song can be interpreted in many ways, but one reading is that it's about the intensity and unpredictability of new love. The singer is swept up in the moment without knowing where it will lead or how it will end, but they're willing to take the risk and enjoy the experience. There's a sense of urgency and a fear of being left alone, but also a willingness to surrender to the moment.
The lyrics are poetic and full of rich imagery, which is typical of The Cure's style. The song is atmospheric and dreamlike, with a sense of longing and emotional depth. Overall, "This. Here and Now. With You" is a powerful meditation on the nature of existence and the joy and risk of being fully present in the moment.
Line by Line Meaning
Oh please don't ask me who I am
I do not want to reveal my identity
Or when and where my life began
I do not want to share my personal history
Or why I ended up like this or how
I do not want to explain my current situation
Don't ask me what I was before
I do not want to reveal my past
If I was anything at all
I do not want to share my existence
Its nothing you can know
You cannot know anything about me
You hold my spinning head to stare
You have my attention
And strip me bare of memory
You are making me forget the past
Your black eyes burning into me
Your gaze is intense
So slow
The moment is taking its time
The sounds and lights and others fade
Everything around us is disappearing
And fall away in symmetry
Everything is in balance and harmony
Your black eyes burning hungrily
Your gaze is intense and desiring
And unafraid I know
You are not afraid to express your feelings
Everything I ever dared forget is here
Everything I tried to forget is now present
Too scared before I never let
I was too scared to face the memories
Tonight be all I need
All I need is this moment
Everywhere I never tried to get is here
Every place I avoided is now present
Too tired before to ever let
I was too tired to explore my options
Tonight be all I feel
All I feel is this moment
Every time I ever thought regret is here
Every moment I regretted is now present
Too caught before I never let
I was too caught up in the past to move on
There isn't any yesterday
The past does not matter anymore
Tomorrow starts a day away
The future is not here yet
I can't believe this is coming true I'm up so close to kissing you
I cannot believe that we are about to kiss
A breathe away from never going home
We are so close to being completely lost in the moment
I don't remember getting here
I do not remember how we ended up here
It seems to be sometime next year
The moment feels timeless and eternal
I hope you wont be
I hope you will not leave me alone
Leaving me alone?
Are you going to leave me alone?
You pull my shaking body close
You are holding me tight
To make the most of tangency
We are enjoying our physical closeness
I bite your mouth so fearfully
I kiss you with fear and trembling
And slow
The moment is taking its time
The taste of summers yet to shine
The moment feels like a future memory
A perfect time to change the scene
This moment feels like a turning point
I bite your mouth in urgency
I kiss you with determination and desire
And terrified I know
I am both scared and excited at the same time
This here and now with you is how
Being in this moment with you is what matters
Always should always be
This moment with you should last forever
This
This moment
Here and now
Right here, right now
With you
With you by my side
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: JASON TOOP COOPER, PORL THOMPSON, ROBERT JAMES SMITH, SIMON GALLUP
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind