My Cure II – Another personal choice of songs by The Cure

Alright, I admit it. My first list was way too short to put in every song I like. I didn’t want to write an overextended list, but then again, I had to choose only the best songs. Which is pretty difficult, since every song from my choice is simply great. So, here I go, a new chart with songs, and here I’m going to quote myself: […] which never get boring, which attended me since I first heard them. Songs I can listen to whenever I feel sad or happy, when I’m depressed or fond of life, when I’m thoughtful or don’t care about anything. And because there has been a distinct lack of ideas of what to write for my Blog, I figured a new list may be interesting. By the way, as a note, there is no ranking, except for the last song.

Here it is …

1. The Same Deep Water As You (first appeared on “Disintegration“, 1989)
Now that’s a great song to start with. Someone mentioned the lack of songs from Disintegration. At that time, I couldn’t have cared less. Although it was my first regular album (my first being Standing On The Beach), I never ever really got into it. No matter how desperate and sad I was. A half year later, it turns out it really is a great record. And which song is better than this? None. It’s enormous, partially epic, heavy and just gloomy. Try listening to this song at night when it’s raining. An experience everyone should make some day. Trust me …
Favourite part: But I don’t see // And I don’t feel // But tightly hold up silently // My hands before my fading eyes // And in my eyes // Your smile

2. Trust (first appeared on “Wish”, 1992)
As I said, Trust me, literally. Well … that pun wasn’t intended. And it was pretty lame. Never mind. Have you ever been in a situation where you think, the one you love doesn’t believe you? I have. And this song is dedicated to this kind of hopelessness. The desperation makes you think you not only just lost the beloved one, but also everyone else. ‘Trust’ is a beautiful song and I really like how the piano synchronizes with the lyrics.
Favourite part: And still the hardest part for you // To put your trust in me // I love you more than I can say // Why won’t you just believe?

3. Home (first appeared on the B-Side of “Mint Car”, 1996)
Here I have to say it’s ironic how ‘Trust’ is followed by ‘Home’. And yet again, it fits in a manner. You didn’t lose anyone, but you’re about to lose someone some day soon. And why? Because of your speechlessness, maybe even dumbness. You’re in love and just can’t say it, though it might be just a few words. You just can’t do it. And what are you doing instead? Well, being an idiot, risking the relationship. Sometimes, love is very complicated …
Favourite part: There’s nobody else in the whole wide world // Makes me feel this way // There’s nobody else in the whole wide world // Takes my breath away

4. Where The Birds Always Sing (first appeared on “Bloodflowers”, 2000)
I believe there are things beyond. Things we don’t understand and we’re never going to understand. I’m not describing some kind of conspiracy theory, no. Just some things beyond our imagination, things we never really see or never really feel. I feel there’s more to life than we actually know and we don’t live up to. We are born, we live our life and then we just die. As if everything was planned beforehand. And what is left when we’re gone? The memory and dreams the others have. We rush our life, grow up so fast and as soon as you blink, you grew so old. Life is too short to be wasted and everyone deserves to make the best possible thing out of everything. I dream of a world, where the sun always shines, the birds always sing and nothing ever dies.
Favourite part: But living on in others, in memories and dreams // Is not enough // And it never is // You always want so much more than this…

5. To Wish Impossible Things (first appeared on “Wish”, 1992)
Some time ago, I was listening to this song daily, alongside “Trust”. It just wasn’t a great time for me. The relationship I had gave me, literally, the hope to wish impossible things. But things went wrong, the relationship broke and I was left alone with my wishes for the impossible. Nowadays, I still like listening to this song, despite some bad memories. When going for a walk, especially in winter, and the snow everywhere, it fills me … well, you may already know it.
Favourite part: It was the sweetness of your skin // It was the hope of all we might have been // That filled me with the hope to wish // Impossible things

6. To The Sky (first appeared on the “Stranger Than Fiction” sampler, 1989)
One kind of song I want to hear every morning I wake up. It’s just the perfect song for the morning, because it’s not so intrusive. There is just this catchy vibe, a dreamy and soft thing about it like it’s saying ‘This day is going to be awesome.’ Like … well, musical sunshine? That’s all that comes to my mind about it.
Favourite part: And in my dreams I was a child // Flowers in my mouth and in my eyes // And I was floating through the colours of a sky // Up to the stars and angels

7. A Chain Of Flowers (first appeared on the B-Side of “Catch”, 1987)
This particular song is just deeply sad. I think it’s about losing someone you love. And with ‘lose’ I mean ‘gone forever’, in this case death. On the other hand, the ‘you’ is just a personification of something, memories maybe? That’d fit perfectly with the line “All I want is summer”, at least, for me (I’ll explain this later). It’s beautiful, but also painful. I usually don’t listen to it with my MP3-Player. When I’m all alone and nothing is distracting me, this song is just too lethal.
Favourite part: I’ll never tell you // Of all the different ways // You make me so afraid…

8. Ching Chang Chong (never officially released; early version of Spilt Milk, around 1997?)
Since I really loved Spilt Milk, I had to put this one in the second list. The sound is almost the same, but the lyrics are totally different. Whereas Spilt Milk was about making decisions and their consequences, Ching Chang Chong is about the lack of decision you have. In this song, there isn’t really someone to blame for this lack, but I imagine it could be the boy-/girlfriend. I like the play of words and their ambiguity. Example: “And if I don’t want 2/And if I don’t want U”. The ambiguity is something I’ve always loved about Roberts writing skills.
Favourite part: But just this once // Give me what I really want // Give me a choice // And give me now // Not tomorrow not when // I want now now now // Not yesterday not then // Give me now now now // Not never not forever // I want now

9. Do The Hansa (first appeared on the B-Side of the re-release of “Boys Don’t Cry, 1986)
Okay, this song is just plain stupid and actually not even worth a thought. I like it though. It’s just really funny and makes me giggle. I like how Robert tries to speak German here. If I remember correctly, it’s just a pun of The Cure’s former label, Hansa Records. Not to mention it was a German label. That explains the kind-of-retarded German lines in the song.
Favourite part: Even though I’m German, I don’t understand anything. There are actually lyrics!?

10. Shiver And Shake (first appeared on “Kiss Me Kiss Me Kiss Me”, 1987)
I highly doubt there’s a better song that says “Fuck you” straight into someone’s face. It just has an effervescent touch of pure hatred. And I know a lot of people who could just die as I snap with my finger. Additionally, it has a sense of irony, in my opinion: “And I shiver and shake when I think of how you make me hate” – we rarely shiver, nor do we shake because we hate someone, do we? It’s hard to describe what I mean, but I’m sure you get the point.
Favourite part: You’re just a waste of time // You’re just a babbling face // You’re just three sick holes that run like sores // You’re a fucking waste

11. Ocean (first appeared on the B-Side of “The 13th”, 1996)
Here I have to admit that there’s no special reason why I like this song so much. I just like it … I feel like the lyrics were written by me. Every single word could have been made up just by me. If you look them up, you may get a point why. It’s a mix between disillusion and hopelessness. Because, sometimes, I feel like I’m not closer to anything than I was at 15, no matter if it’s my career, love or anything else. And then again, there are times where just a single person lets my hope turn to despair. Interestingly, at 15 I started to listen to The Cure. What a nice coincidence!
Favourite part: So how can you ever let // My hope turn to despair? //How can you ever stop // Telling me you care?

12. This Twilight Garden (first appeared on the B-Side of “High”, 1992)
I have an irrational affection for The Cure’s love songs. No wonder “Why Can’t I Be You?” and “Just Like Heaven” were in my first list. I connect some very beautiful memories with this song, since I was writing something about someone I really like while listening to this song. As soon as I finished the story, Winamp randomly played This Twilight Garden. I felt like this was a sign. That’s why this song is ‘dedicated’ to her. I literally lost myself in here. Sometimes, I imagine lying in a large field at night, the moon’s shining down on us, the stars are sparkling and all that can be heard is this song… A beautiful song for a wonderful as-of-yet-imagination-but-hopefully-soon-a-memory… Though this might never happen at all. Whatever.
Favourite part: No one will ever take your place // I am lost in you // No one will ever take your place // So in love with you…

13. The Last Day Of Summer (first appeared on “Bloodflowers”, 2000)
This song gives me chills. Most of the time, I can’t listen to this without at least a single teardrop. Once in a summer, I was relocating around 600km away. I had to give up everything I had: my friends, my house, my memories, everything. At first I thought this might be a possibility for things to change, but I soon realized nothing would change at all. Every time I listen to this song, I think of the day I was moving away. The guitar solo parts just make this song even more intense. And whenever I listen to it, all the memories come back again and it literally feels like the last day of summer…
Favourite part: All that I have // All that I hold // All that is wrong // All that I feel for or trust in or love // All that is gone

14. The Figurehead (first appeared on “Pornography”, 1982)
Whenever I listen to this song, one thing comes to my mind: Mental suicide. It just means purely ‘death’ to me. It’s gloomy, dark, depressive and ‘awful’. A song I identify to the word ‘hopelessness’. In times when I’m in a really bad mood and I’m extremely bored, I try not to listen to it too often. It just kills me and my mood is getting even worse. And then again, it helps me to survive certain situations. Sometimes, I hate The Cure, since they really make me feel a thought…
Favourite part: Too many secrets // Too many lies // Writhing with hatred // Too many secrets // Please make it good tonight… // But the same image haunts me // In sequence // In despair of time

15. Lovesong (first appeared on “Disintegration”, 1989)
And now again: the last for the best. It even is a song from Disintegration and yet again another love song. And what’s a better love song than a self-titled one? At first I couldn’t decide whether I preferred “Love Song” over “This Twilight Garden” or not. But the choice has been made clearly, hasn’t it? Anyway … Robert dedicated it to his wife, Mary Poole, as a gift for the wedding. And it’s as beautiful as the title promises, but not that cheesy nor does it sounds trite. In some way, it’s a bit gloomy, maybe even sad though it still puts a smile on my face. I believe, when you’re single, you’re incomplete until you get to find someone special that will fill in the blank, to complete the puzzle that you are. And this song describes the feeling of completeness your better half gives you. “Lovesong” is one of my all-time favourites, one of The Cure’s best songs ever. On top of that, I’m proud to say that I’ve got it as a vinyl as well!
Favourite part: I could just quote the whole song, but that would have been too long. It’s just too beautiful. I’m sorry.

So, that’s it. This is the end of my second ‘My Cure’ list. I hope you enjoyed reading this little piece and it hopefully gave you a new idea of some songs. If there’s anything left you’d like to know, just leave me a message or post or comment. I’d really appreciate that since I put a lot of passion and effort into this. And who knows, maybe there will be a third list? No-one knows. One thing left to say:

The Cure is awesome. No doubt.