The Cure

Composition and lyrics

"Just Like Heaven" is written in the key of A major and consists of an A–E–Bm–D chord progression which repeats throughout the song, except during the chorus when the band plays an F♯m–G–D progression.[2] The song's central hook is formed from a descending guitar riff which appears between song verses and in parts of the bridge and the last verse. This guitar line contrasts with the "fuzzier mix" of the rhythm guitars.[3]

According to Smith, "The song is about hyperventilating—kissing and fainting to the floor." The lyrics were inspired by a trip with his then-girlfriend (and later wife) Mary Poole to Beachy Head in southern England. Smith said the opening line of the song ("Show me, show me, show me how you do that trick") refers to his childhood memories of mastering magic tricks, but added "on another [level], it's about a seduction trick, from much later in my life".[1]

Reception

"Just Like Heaven" was the third single released from the band's Kiss Me Kiss Me Kiss Me album. Melody Maker's review of the single was undecided; writer David Stubbs described it as "a colourful, fluttery, fussy thing" and "unimpeachable", but added, "[it] turns my face green, as if having consumed too many truffles."[4] The song was The Cure's eleventh top 40 hit in the UK, and stayed on the charts there for five weeks during October and

November 1987, peaking at number 29.[5] In the United States, "Just Like Heaven" became The Cure's first top 40 hit when in January 1988 it reached number 40 on the Billboard Hot 100 for one week.[6]

Stephen Thomas Erlewine of Allmusic said "the stately 'Just Like Heaven' [...] is remarkable and helps make the album [Kiss Me, Kiss Me, Kiss Me] one of the group's very best".[7] Ned Raggett, also of Allmusic, wrote that the song was "instantly memorable, [and] sparkling with rough energy [...] it's a perfect showcase for Robert Smith's ear for wistful, romantic numbers. His main guitar line, a descending, gently chiming melody, contrasts perfectly against the fuzzier mix of the rhythm guitars, while Simon Gallup's bass and Boris Williams' strong, immediate drums make for a great introduction to the track."[3] Barry Walsh of Slant magazine said The Cure "...is at the top of its game [...] on the simply stellar 'Just Like Heaven'. Glistening descending guitar lines, Gallup's throbbing bass line, and Williams' authoritative thumping frame a typically lovelorn Smith lyric, with the end result being one of The Cure's finest singles, and perhaps one of the best pop singles of the late '80s."[8]

Although the later singles "Lovesong" and "Friday I'm in Love" reached higher chart positions, "Just Like Heaven" was the band's American breakthrough, and has been described as "in American terms, at least, the one Cure song everyone seems to know."[3] The song inspired the name of, and was used in the 2005 film Just Like Heaven. In 2004 Rolling Stone magazine ranked it number 483 on their list of the "500 Greatest Songs of All Time".[9] In 2005

Entertainment Weekly ranked "Just Like Heaven" 25th on its list of "The 50 Greatest Love Songs", saying, "Turns out guys who wear black eyeliner can be happy."[10] The following year the song placed at number 22 on VH1's poll

"100 Greatest Songs of the 80s".[11]

Robert Smith said he considers "Just Like Heaven" to be one of the band's strongest works, and called it "the best pop song the Cure have ever done".[1] Several high-profile fans have expressed their appreciation of the song. Musician Ben Folds told Blender "everything about it—the songwriting, the music—is state of the art. It’s as good as

it gets. Anytime I hear it on the radio or a mix tape, I jump around like a freak."[1] J Mascis said his band Dinosaur Jr.'s affection for the song inspired them to record a cover version that was released in 1989.[12] On 16 July 2006,

"Just Like Heaven" was played as a wake-up call for the crew of Space Shuttle Discovery on their flight STS-121 at the request of astronaut Piers Sellers' family; Sellers told Mission Control Center that the song reminded him of "the wild, happy, drinking-beer years of my youth."[13]

Chart positions

US 40

Billboard

Hot 100[19]

References

External links

•"Just Like Heaven" on Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Songs of All Time (http://web.archive.org/web/20070206102633/http://www.vh1. com/press/press_releases/2006_release/100greatestsongs80s_10302006.jhtml)

"Hot Hot Hot!!!"

"Hot Hot Hot!!!"

Single by The Cure

from the album Kiss Me, Kiss Me, Kiss Me

"Hot Hot Hot!!!" is the name of a 1988 single by The Cure from their album Kiss Me, Kiss Me, Kiss Me. It was most successful in Ireland, reaching #18, whereas it charted only at #45 in the UK.

Track listing

7": Elektra / 7-69424 United States

1."Hot Hot Hot!!!" (Remix) - 3:33

2."Hey You!!!" (Remix) - 2:23

MC: Elektra / 9 66783-4 United States

1."Hot Hot Hot!!!" (Remix) - 3:33

2."Hey You!!!" (Extended Remix) - 4:06

• released in longbox

12": Fiction / Ficsx 28 United Kingdom

1."Hot Hot Hot!!!" (Extended Remix) - 7:03

2."Hot Hot Hot!!!" (Remix) - 3:33

3."Hey You!!!" (Extended Remix) - 4:06

•All mixes by François Kevorkian

•also released on CD fixcd 28

Personnel

•Robert Smith - vocals, guitars, keyboards

•Lol Tolhurst - keyboards

•Porl Thompson - guitars, keyboards

•Simon Gallup - basses

•Boris Williams - drums, percussion

•Roger O'Donnell - appears in the official music video as a keyboardist, but did not contribute to the song

"Lullaby"

"Lullaby" is a 1989 single by The Cure from their album Disintegration.

History

The US-only single "Fascination Street" included the B-sides from the UK release of "Lullaby"; therefore, the US release needed some new B-sides. The two live cuts, "Homesick" and "Untitled", are from the limited edition live album Entreat, which was recorded during the Disintegration tour.

The song was remixed for single release, giving it more of an electronic feel.

Reception

"Lullaby" reached number five in the UK upon release, becoming the band's highest charting single; it remains, in fact, their only single to grace the Top 5 in the UK.

The song won Best Video at the 1990 Brit Awards.

Covers

The song has been sampled by various artists, including Just Jack in the song "Snowflakes" for his 2002 album The Outer Marker, Rachel Stevens in the song "All About Me" from her 2005 album Come and Get It, and by Sono in the song "Someday" from the 2007 album Panoramic View. It was also sampled by hip hop artist Akala (rapper) in the song "I Don't Know" on his 2007 album Freedom Lasso. It has been covered by British post-punk revival band Editors on the compilation Radio 1: Established 1967, and by Jimmy Page and Robert Plant while on tour in 1995 (with Porl Thompson as support musician). Editors' version reappeared on Pictures of You – a tribute to Godlike Geniuses The Cure, which came with the 28 February 2009 issue of NME. "'Lullaby' is the greatest dark pop song… possibly of all years," said bassist Russell Leetch.

Faithless's 2006 album To All New Arrivals features "Lullaby" within the track "Spiders, Crocodiles, and Kryptonite", where Robert Smith has re-recorded the vocals.

Usage

The track is used as the backing to the trailer to the TV show The Secret Circle and was featured in the British TV show Misfits.

Track listing

7": Fiction / FISC 29 (UK)

1."Lullaby" - 4:08

2."Babble" - 4:16

7": Elektra / 7-69249 (US)

1."Lullaby"

2."Homesick" [live]

• also released on cassette (9 46924-9)

12": Fiction / ficx 29 (UK)

1."Lullaby" (extended mix)

2."Babble"

3."Out of Mind"

12": Elektra / 0 66664 (US)

1."Lullaby" (extended mix)

2."Homesick" [live]

3."Untitled" [live]

CD: Fiction / ficcd 29 (UK)

1."Lullaby" [remix]

2."Babble"

3."Out of Mind"

4."Lullaby" [extended mix]

• gatefold 3" CD

CD: Elektra / 9 66664-2 (US)

1."Lullaby" [remix]

2."Lullaby" [extended remix]

3."Homesick" [live version]

4."Untitled" [live version]

Personnel

•Robert Smith - voice, 6-string bass, keyboard

•Simon Gallup - bass

•Porl Thompson - guitar

•Boris Williams - drums

•Roger O'Donnell - keyboards

CD: Elektra / 66702-2 (US)

1."Fascination Street" [Remix] (4:17)

2."Babble" (4:16)

3."Out of Mind" (3:51)

4."Fascination Street" [Extended Remix] (8:48)

Personnel

•Simon Gallup - bass

•Robert Smith - lead guitar, keyboards, vocals, producer, engineer

•Porl Thompson - guitar

•Boris Williams - drums

•Roger O'Donnell - keyboards

•Lol Tolhurst - other instruments

"Lovesong"

"Lovesong" (sometimes listed as "Love Song") is a song originally recorded by the English alternative rock band The Cure, released as the third single from their eighth studio album Disintegration in 1989. The song saw considerable success in the United States, where it was a #2 hit and the band's only top ten entry on the Billboard Hot 100; in the United Kingdom, the single charted at #18.

Though the song has been covered by several artists, the most famous and successful cover is the 2004 version by American reggae rock band 311, recorded for the soundtrack for the film 50 First Dates and also released as a single. This version actually charted higher on the U.S. Modern Rock Tracks chart (reaching #1) than the Cure original (which peaked at #2). This song was also covered by Adele on her 2011 album 21.

The Cure

Original release

Upon release as a single, the song received worldwide success, and first peaked at #2 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, making it the group's most successful single in the US to date. The song also charted at #2 on the Billboard Modern Rock Tracks chart, #27 on the Billboard Mainstream Rock Tracks chart [1] and #18 on the UK Singles Chart. Robert Smith originally wrote the song for his long-time girlfriend and then fiancée, Mary, as a wedding present. A music video featuring the band performing inside a cave was also released with the single.

Title

Similar to the title variations of the Cure song "In Between Days", there doesn't seem to be a universally agreed-upon spacing method of the title of Lovesong, as it varies between "Lovesong" and "Love Song" on many official Cure releases. The original 1989 artwork for the album Disintegration uses "Love Song" on the tracklisting and "Lovesong" on the lyrics sheet: the revised art for the 2010 remaster of the album consistently uses "Lovesong". When released as a single in 1989, the cover artwork displayed the title as "Lovesong", while the printing on the disc itself read "Love Song" all three times. Subsequent releases of Paris and Galore both use "Lovesong" exclusively, whilst 2001's Greatest Hits compilation uses "Lovesong" on the track listing and "Love Song" within the liner notes. 2004's Join the Dots also uses "Lovesong" within the booklet presentation.

Track listing

7" single - Fiction (FISC 30 - UK)

1."Lovesong - 3:24"

2."2 Late - 2:36"

12" single

1."Lovesong" (Extended Mix)

2."2 Late"

3."Fear of Ghosts"

CD single

1."Lovesong" (Remix) (3:24)

2."Lovesong" (Extended Remix) (6:18)

3."2 Late"

4."Fear of Ghosts"

Official versions

•Lovesong (Album Version)

•Lovesong (Extended Mix)/(Extended Remix)

•Lovesong (Remix)