Tag: The Cure

Top 30 Songs for December 8-14, 2024

On By EclecticMusicLoverIn Weekly Top 30's10 Comments
Photo by Theo Cottle

Fontaines D.C. remain on top for a third week with their heartwarming “Favourite”, while The Cure switches places with Lady Gaga & Bruno Mars as “A Fragile Thing” moves up a notch to #2 and “Die With A Smile” drops to #3. Dexter and The Moonrocks jump five spots to #4 with their bombastic earworm “Sad in Carolina”, while Beach Weather move up two spots with their sultry “Hardcore Romance” to round out the top five. The wonderful “The Faithful Heart” by Los Angeles-based Wons Phreely + The Horses is this week’s biggest upward mover, leaping 16 spots to #12.

Making their debut are songs by two acts who are totally new to me. The first, entering at #29, is “Gild the Lily” by Michigan-based singer-songwriter and bluegrass musician Billy Strings. Born William Lee Apostol, he was given his stage name Billy Strings from his aunt, who recognized his impressive skills playing multiple traditional bluegrass instruments. He’s been releasing music as a solo artist since 2017, and has won numerous music awards, including a Grammy in 2021 for Best Bluegrass Album for his second album Home. The pleasing “Gild the Lily” is from his fourth album Highway Prayers, a 20-track colossus released this past September.

Entering at #30 is the boisterous “Peace Song” by English techno punk band Fat Dog. Formed in South London in 2020, the band consists of Joe Love, Chris Hughes, Morgan Wallace, Jacqui Wheeler and Johnny ‘Doghead’ Hutch. They released their debut seven-minute long single “King of the Slugs” in 2023, followed by a number of singles which culminated in the release of their debut album WOOF. this past September. Their latest single “Peace Song” dropped November 21st, and it was love at first listen for me.

  1. FAVOURITE – Fontaines D.C. (1)
  2. A FRAGILE THING – The Cure (3)
  3. DIE WITH A SMILE – Lady Gaga & Bruno Mars (2)
  4. SAD IN CAROLINA – Dexter and The Moonrocks (9)
  5. HARDCORE ROMANCE – Beach Weather (7)
  6. CAN’T SLOW DOWN – almost monday (6)
  7. NOBODY’S SOLDIER – Hozier (8)
  8. PEACEFUL PLACE – Leon Bridges (4)
  9. BOTHERING ME – Sarah Blasko (10)
  10. THAT’S HOW I’M FEELING – Jack White (5)
  11. NEVERENDER – Justice & Tame Impala (12)
  12. THE FAITHFUL HEART – Wons Phreely + The Horses (28)
  13. SUPERSAD – Suki Waterhouse (15)
  14. BOBBY SOX – Green Day (16)
  15. KINKY – bby (17)
  16. A TEAR IN SPACE (AIRLOCK) – Glass Animals (18)
  17. BIRDS OF A FEATHER – Billie Eilish (11)
  18. MIND GAME (3:33) – Collette McLafferty & John Serrano (21)
  19. DOPAMINE – Sum 41 (22)
  20. IN THE LIVING ROOM – Maggie Rogers (23)
  21. ARROW – The Head and the Heart (24)
  22. GIVING UP – Michigander (25)
  23. GARMONBOZIA – Flying Lotus (13)
  24. AUTUMN LEAVES – Secret Postal Society (26)
  25. UP ALL NIGHT – James Bay, The Lumineers & Noah Kahan (14)
  26. ROUTINES IN THE NIGHT – twenty one pilots (30)
  27. THE DOOR – Teddy Swims (19)
  28. THE EMPTINESS MACHINE – Linkin Park (20)
  29. GILD THE LILY – Billy Strings (N)
  30. PEACE SONG – Fat Dog (N)

Top 30 Songs for December 1-7, 2024

On By EclecticMusicLoverIn Weekly Top 30's11 Comments

As its title would suggest, my favorite song again this week is “Favourite” by Irish band Fontaines D.C., who’ve also become one of my favorite bands. And from posts I’ve read, on the strength of their latest album Romance, they’ve become the favorite of many others as well. In an interview with Fontaines D.C. front man Grian Chatten in September on his Rocket Hour radio show on Apple Music, Elton John told Chatten “For me, you’re the best band out there at the moment. You seem to have found your feet with this album in such a big way… it’s a brilliant record. I think this album takes you – and I’ve been around for a long time – to a different level, and it’s going to stay around for a long, long time. But what’s more important about it: the music is really, really, really special. Congratulations on everything, Grian. It’s bloody wonderful.” I couldn’t agree more. “Favourite” is the second song from Romance – and Fontaines D.C. – to top my Weekly Top 30, following “Starburster”, which spent three weeks at #1 this past August.

In other noteworthy chart developments, the wonderful duet “Die With A Smile” by Lady Gaga and Bruno Mars climbs two spots to #2, while “A Fragile Thing” by legendary alternative goth-rock band The Cure jumps three spots to #3. Entering the top 10 are “Sad In Carolina” by Texas rock band Dexter and The Moonrocks and “Bothering Me” by Australian singer-songwriter Sarah Blasko.

Two songs make their debut, the first of which is the heartwarming “The Faithful Heart” by Australian-born and Los Angeles-based singer-songwriter Wons Phreely and his band The Horses, entering at #28. I wrote about the song and its delightful video a few days ago, which you can read here. The second, entering at #30, is “Routines In The Night” by twenty one pilots. It’s the third song from their latest album Clancy to appear on my chart, following “Overcompensate”, which reached #2, and “The Craving”, which spent three weeks at #1.

  1. FAVOURITE – Fontaines D.C. (1)
  2. DIE WITH A SMILE – Lady Gaga and Bruno Mars (4)
  3. A FRAGILE THING – The Cure (6)
  4. PEACEFUL PLACE – Leon Bridges (2)
  5. THAT’S HOW I’M FEELING – Jack White (3)
  6. CAN’T SLOW DOWN – almost monday (7)
  7. HARDCORE ROMANCE – Beach Weather (8)
  8. NOBODY’S SOLDIER – Hozier (9)
  9. SAD IN CAROLINA – Dexter and The Moonrocks (12)
  10. BOTHERING ME – Sarah Blasko (11)
  11. BIRDS OF A FEATHER – Billie Eilish (5)
  12. NEVERENDER – Justice & Tame Impala (14)
  13. GARMONBOZIA – Flying Lotus (10)
  14. UP ALL NIGHT – James Bay, The Lumineers & Noah Kahan (13)
  15. SUPERSAD – Suki Waterhouse (17)
  16. BOBBY SOX – Green Day (18)
  17. KINKY – bby (19)
  18. A TEAR IN SPACE (AIRLOCK) – Glass Animals (20)
  19. THE DOOR – Teddy Swims (14)
  20. THE EMPTINESS MACHINE – Linkin Park (18)
  21. MIND GAME (3:33) – Collette McLafferty & John Serrano (23)
  22. DOPAMINE – Sum 41 (24)
  23. IN THE LIVING ROOM – Maggie Rogers (26)
  24. ARROW – The Head and the Heart (28)
  25. GIVING UP – Michigander (29)
  26. AUTUMN LEAVES – Secret Postal Society (30)
  27. DEATH VALLEY HIGH – Orville Peck & Beck (21)
  28. THE FAITHFUL HEART – Wons Phreely + The Horses (N)
  29. GOOD LUCK, BABE! – Chappell Roan (27)
  30. ROUTINES IN THE NIGHT – twenty one pilots (N)

Top 30 Songs for November 3-9, 2024

On By EclecticMusicLoverIn Weekly Top 30's12 Comments

Leon Bridges holds onto the top spot for a second week with his bucolic and soulful “Peaceful Place”, while “That’s How I’m Feeling” by Jack White and “BIRDS OF A FEATHER” by Billie Eilish remain at #’s 2 and 3 for a second week. Lady Gaga and Bruno Mars enter the top 10 with their duet “Die With A Smile”.

Perhaps the biggest music event of this past week was the release of Songs of a Lost World, the long-awaited fourteenth album by The Cure. The legendary English alternative goth rock band has undeniably had a massive influence on too many artists and bands to name over the past 40 years, so for them to release an album of all new material – their first new album in 16 years – is a momentous occasion. And more importantly, Songs of a Lost World does not disappoint, as Robert Smith (who’s now 65) and The Cure sound every bit as great and relevant as they ever have. The band teased the new album with the release of “Alone” in late September, a sprawling cinematic masterpiece running nearly seven minutes. They followed two weeks later with “A Fragile Thing”, an equally gorgeous song that enters my chart at #26.

The second, long-overdue debut this week is “Mind Game”, a lovely collaboration by Chicago-based singer-songwriter and author Collette Mclafferty and Spanish singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and producer John Serrano, a hyper-talented artist whose music I’ve previously featured a couple times on this blog. Mclafferty wrote the lyrics and sang lead vocals, while Serrano composed the music, played all instrumentation, sang backing harmonies and produced the track.

  1. PEACEFUL PLACE – Leon Bridges (1)
  2. THAT’S HOW I’M FEELING – Jack White (2)
  3. BIRDS OF A FEATHER – Billie Eilish (3)
  4. THE DOOR – Teddy Swims (6)
  5. STARGAZING – Myles Smith (4)
  6. DEATH VALLEY HIGH – Orville Peck & Beck (8)
  7. FAVOURITE – Fontaines D.C. (9)
  8. GOOD LUCK, BABE! – Chappell Roan (5)
  9. UP ALL NIGHT – James Bay, The Lumineers & Noah Kahan (10)
  10. DIE WITH A SMILE – Lady Gaga & Bruno Mars (11)
  11. THE LIGHTHOUSE – Stevie Nicks (14)
  12. MESSY – Lola Young (7)
  13. GARMONBOZIA – Flying Lotus (16)
  14. CAN’T SLOW DOWN – almost monday (17)
  15. HARDCORE ROMANCE – Beach Weather (19)
  16. NOBODY’S SOLDIER – Hozier (23)
  17. BOTHERING ME – Sarah Blasko (20)
  18. RAINBOW – Cage the Elephant (12)
  19. INTO GOLD – London Grammar (13)
  20. THE EMPTINESS MACHINE – Linkin Park (22)
  21. NEVERENDER – Justice & Tame Impala (24)
  22. SAD IN CAROLINA – Dexter and the Moonrocks (27)
  23. ESPRESSO – Sabrina Carpenter (15)
  24. SUPERSAD – Suki Waterhouse (28)
  25. BOBBY SOX – Green Day (29)
  26. A FRAGILE THING – The Cure (N)
  27. BIG CAT TATTOOS – Hamish Hawk (18)
  28. KINKY – bby (30)
  29. YOU JUST PLAYED MY MIND – Oli Barton (21)
  30. MIND GAME – Collette Mclafferty & John Serrano (N)

EML’s Favorite Songs – “Why Can’t I Be You?” by The Cure

On By EclecticMusicLoverIn Favorite Songs9 Comments

The first song I ever remember hearing by English goth rock band The Cure was “Why Can’t I Be You?”, back in 1987. Though they began releasing singles in 1978 (and albums in 1979), none of their songs made the Billboard Hot 100 in the U.S. until 1985, when “In Between Days” reached #99 (though a few of their earlier singles appeared on the dance charts). 

Released in April 1987 as the first single from their seventh studio album Kiss Me, Kiss Me, Kiss Me, “Why Can’t I Be You?” was played on the radio in Los Angeles, where I lived at the time, and I immediately loved it’s bombastic energy, blaring horns and band frontman Robert Smith’s unusual and quirky high-pitched vocals. Not only did that album help The Cure break into the American music mainstream, becoming their first to enter the top 40 of the Billboard 200 Album chart, the song became their most successful in the U.S. up to that time as well, peaking at #54 on the Hot 100, with a remix of the track reaching #27 on the Hot Dance Music/Club Play Singles chart. (“Just Like Heaven”, their follow-up single from Kiss Me, Kiss Me, Kiss Me, – which is my all-time favorite song by The Cure – shockingly peaked at only #40. I wrote about that song in 2019, which you can read here.)

As it’s title suggests, Kiss Me, Kiss Me, Kiss Me is filled with songs about love and romance, and “Why Can’t I Be You?” is a shining example. The lyrics are sung by Smith to a woman he’s deeply smitten with, telling her she’s so perfect and gorgeous that he’d do anything for her, his obsession so overwhelming he even wants to be her.

You’re so gorgeous I’ll do anything!
I’ll kiss you from your feet
To where your head begins!
You’re so perfect!
You’re so right as rain!
You make me
Make me hungry again

Everything you do is irresistible
Everything you do is simply kissable
Why can’t I be you?

I’ll run around in circles
‘Til I run out of breath
I’ll eat you all up
Or I’ll just hug you to death
You’re so wonderful!
Too good to be true!
You make me
Make me hungry for you

Everything you do is simply delicate
Everything you do is quite angelicate
Why can’t I be you?

You turn my head when you turn around
You turn the whole world upside down
I’m smitten I’m bitten I’m hooked I’m cooked
I’m stuck like glue!
You make me
Make me hungry for you

Everything you do is simply dreamy
Everything you do is quite delicious
Why can’t I be you?
Why can’t I be you?
Why can’t I be you?

You’re simply elegant!

The odd video for the song was directed by Tim Pope, who’d worked with The Cure on some of their previous videos. Referred to by Pope as “the video I’ve always wanted to make“, it featured the band members performing what The Cure biographer Jeff Apter later described as “some of the most poorly choreographed dancing ever seen on MTV“. All five band members wore various costumes: Robert Smith was dressed as a bear and a school-girl in a pinafore dress, Simon Gallup as both a crow and a Morris dancer, Porl Thompson as a Scotsman as well as cross-dressed, Boris Williams as a schoolgirl and a vampire, and Lol Tolhurst in blackface and a bumblebee. In a 2019 interview with The Quietus, Pope said he regretted featuring Tolhurst in blackface, calling it “A very inappropriate choice, and not a thing I feel great about retrospectively.” (Wikipedia)

Here’s a video of The Cure performing the song for Dutch television program TopPop in April 1987:

EML’s Favorite Songs – THE CURE: “Just Like Heaven”

On By EclecticMusicLoverIn Favorite Songs10 Comments

I’m starting a new blog feature “EML’s Favorite Songs”, in which I post an old classic that’s an all-time favorite of mine. A few weeks ago, I wrote about “Nature Boy” by Nat “King” Cole, and today my pick is the brilliant “Just Like Heaven” by The Cure. The song is from their 7th studio album Kiss Me, Kiss Me, Kiss Me, and along with “Lovesong” is my favorite among their scores of great songs. It was released in October 1987, and was the band’s first song to break the top 40 in the U.S. though, shockingly, only peaked at #40 on the Billboard Hot 100! Over time, the song has come to be recognized as one of The Cure’s finest, and Pitchfork ranked it as the 12th best song of the 1980s. It certainly ranks among my favorites of the 1980s.

Band frontman Robert Smith was inspired to write “Just Like Heaven” after a trip to the seashore with his girlfriend and future wife Mary Poole, who he met in high school and to whom he’s been married for over 30 years. The song immediately grabs hold with Boris Williams’ fantastic opening drumroll, then Smith’s jangly descending guitar line enters, chiming its way through waves of glittery synths, tinkling piano keys and crashing cymbals, sweeping us headlong into a gorgeous and dreamy soundscape. Simon Gallup’s pulsating bass line and Williams’ powerful thumping drumbeat provide a solid rhythmic vibe, propelling the song into the sonic stratosphere. It’s a masterpiece!

Smith’s distinctive vocals, which occasionally sound off-kilter on some of their songs, are perfection here as he sings of the dizzying love and lust two people feel for each other:

‘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 and 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…

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

The Cure are finally being inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame today, March 29, 2019.

HOUSE OF HARM – EP Review: “Coming of Age”

On By EclecticMusicLoverIn Reviews6 Comments

house of harm ep

It may be 2019, but the lasting legacy of 1980s post-punk and new wave (and all its sub genres) is very much alive and well, probably due in part to the fact it sounds so awesome! I know of several artists and bands whose sound is heavily influenced by the electronics-dominant music of bands like New Order, The Cure and Depeche Mode, to name some of the biggest acts from that period. One such band that I have the pleasure of featuring today is House of Harm, a duo from Boston consisting of Michael Rocheford on lead vocals & Cooper Leardi on guitar and synths. With just a casual listen, they could be unfairly labeled a New Order or Depeche Mode cover band, but a closer listen reveals the guys to be skilled songwriters and composers, crafting outstanding songs that easily hold their own against the aforementioned bands.

House of Harm released their excellent debut EP Demo in June 2017, followed later that year with a darkwave single “Isolator”, and in November 2018, they dropped their second EP Coming of Age, featuring four gorgeous tracks. First up is “Past Life“, a brooding but beautiful song that really channels Depeche Mode both instrumentally and vocally. The guys employ lush swirling synths, razor sharp percussion, and layers of richly textured, chiming guitars to create a magnificent shimmering soundscape.  Rocheford’s arresting vocals convey a sense of urgency and sad resignation as he laments “Let the past lay down tonight, I want it to, I want it to. Let the summer light catch your eyes. There’s someone new, someone new“.

About the track’s meaning, Rocheford told the webzine Vanyaland “The song is about spending time with someone you were formerly involved with and the struggles that come along with that.” Leardi added his feelings about the song: “‘Past Life’ was one of those songs that came to us like a lightbulb flash. All the elements were there. We were coming down from playing a string of shows, completely exhausted, and in one afternoon we wrote and recorded the whole song. It felt wrong to go back and change the magic we got that day, so the version you hear is just that. I can’t deny that there was a certain flavor in the air when we were working on it, something that reminds me of an ecstasy-fueled club in Ibiza or something… I think it puts us in a place and time, and that time is right now. I feel as though the song is there to say ‘We’re House Of Harm and this is what we’re about’.”

“Always” is an updated version of a track that originally appeared on Demo. Leardi’s exuberant jangly guitars are the highlight here, accompanied by sparkling synths and wildly crashing cymbals. Rocheford fervently sings “You always keep it still. You always speak until. You always turn it around and smile in pain.” The marvelous title track “Coming of Age” features a powerful driving beat and a deeply resonant mix of swirling and moody synths that create a dramatic backdrop for Rocheford’s impassioned, soaring vocals as he implores to a former loved one: “And would you still run at the sight of me? And do you still you feel that you’ve thrown it away? And would you still lie, if I ever told you? And would you still say it’s a coming of age?” “Valentine” sounds a bit similar to “Coming of Age”, but with a frenetic beat that’s classic post-punk/new wave. If this bouncy, high-energy song doesn’t get you up and moving, nothing will.

Coming of Age is a wonderful little EP, and if you’re a fan of 80s post-punk/new wave, you’ll like this record. The arrangement and production are flawless, and the music and vocals sound clear and perfectly balanced. My only criticism is that with just four tracks, it feels rather like a teaser, leaving me wanting more. Perhaps that’s a good thing, as I eagerly await what House of Harm will grace our earbuds with next.

Connect with House of Harm:  Facebook / Twitter / Instagram
Stream their music on Spotify / Apple Music / Soundcloud
Purchase on Bandcamp / iTunes