Essential Songs of The Cure

 I became a fan of this band in the early 2000's and quickly spent plenty of cash on all of their albums I could afford, with 2004's self-titled being the first one released while I was a fan. However by the next one, 2008's 4:13 Dream, I sort of put them onto the back burner while I began exploring the world of classic rock (with the likes of Dio and Alice Cooper.) The Cure will always hold a special place though, and here are my choices for their essential songs.

10. "Close To Me" (Head On The Door)
I just like the clapping. I can't help it.

9. "If Only Tonight We Could Sleep" (Kiss Me, Kiss Me, Kiss Me)
I recall first hearing this as a Deftones cover, then looking up the original version. The cover was done for an MTV program which featured artists paying tribute to a selected rock and roll band, though I can't remember the other bands featured on the show. This is a shining example of how a cover song has driven me to check out the original and gain a greater appreciate for that artist.

8. "Hot Hot Hot" (Kiss Me, Kiss Me, Kiss Me)
This spot was originally filled by "From The Edge Of The Deep Green Sea" when I came up with a rough list. However after recently subscribing to Apple Music so I could access much more music than I own, including some albums I was missing from The Cure, the Kiss Me, Kiss Me, Kiss Me album took me by surprise. I bought it several years ago but tossed it aside because it was so inconsistent and felt really bloated with close to 20 songs. I found by myself skipping around too much, so I just tossed it aside. Thanks to Apple, I listened to the whole thing again, discovering many hidden gems. What seemed inconsistent then, now feels like bridging the gap- a handful of pop songs mixed with their darker side. "Hot Hot Hot" feels inspired by the funk songs of the 1970's.

7. "Lullaby" (Disintegration)
Maybe I'm odd (don't answer that!), but I feel like this is kind of a sexy song. 

6. "A Night Like This" (Head On The Door)
Yet another cover song that led me to The Cure. This time it was The Smashing Pumpkins' version, which was hidden amongst other covers on the "Bullet With Butterfly Wings" single. It was kind of interesting to hear James Iha on vocals, but I like The Cure's version more for the saxophone throughout the song.


5. "Lovesong" (Disintegration)
I guess I'm not so much a fan of the band's early work prior to The Head On The Door, try as I might to like it. I really like these multi-layered pop songs with keyboards, guitars, and drums, especially now after revisiting their songs after a few years away. Robert Smith has a knack for poppy hooks and this is a shining example.

4. "Maybe Someday" (Bloodflowers)
Fits great alongside their other dreamy pop songs like "Lovesong", "In-Between Days", and "Just Like Heaven" from the previous decade.

3. "Just Like Heaven" (Kiss Me, Kiss Me, Kiss Me)
This song is pretty cool and something I've only recently noticed is that it starts with the drums and then introduces each insrument: bass, guitar, lead guitar, then finally keyboards; almost like a "rock and roll role call."

2. "Fascination Street" (Disintegration)
My friend Luke who worked at a record store would always give me these CD samplers, I recall they were from some company called Concrete. They usually featured a lot of heavy metal bands of that time, like Soilwork, Lamb of God, Iron Maiden, Megadeth, and several more that likely faded into obscurity. One such band was Chimaira and a song contribution from them was "Fascination Street", which I discovered was originally by The Cure. Alongside my #1 song, this was my launching pad into the world of The Cure. I liked the original "Fascination Street" and was hooked.

1. "Burn" (The Crow Soundtrack)
I was first properly introduced to The Cure through their contribution to The Crow soundtrack but I was hesitant to get into them further. I wasn't sure if the rest of their albums sounded like that, or perhaps it was just a fluke, or maybe a leftover song. When I finally decided to dig deeper, my friend Luke recommended a Greatest Hits disc that also included a limited bonus disc, in which each song was given an acoustic version. That acoustic disc was really cool because it said they were all recorded live in the studio; I'd assumed that's how bands always did it! As for "Burn", it's a dark song (much like "Fascination Street"), which perfectly captures the mood of The Crow movie, and still remains my favorite track.