I’m not sure if there’s a band that I can claim as my favorite of all time, because the reality is I have a different favorite every day. This process of choosing one favorite over all others seems futile. But, for me, The Cure, is about as close as it gets. For me, their music is irreplaceable. There are things that I feel when I put on a Cure record that I can’t experience with anything else. For the month of June, I hope to share some of this as a I cover a different Cure song each day – counting down from #30 to #1. And, in this case, I have no qualms stating my #1. #30DaysofTheCure
U.S. original release: Disintegration (1989) - Track 4
Ranking: 21
One thing about the entire Disintegration album is that my love for it has never really wavered. I can’t say the same for other Cure albums. My affinity for Seventeen Seconds and Pornography has grown over time. And my love for The Head On the Door and Kiss Me, Kiss Me, Kiss Me may have slipped a bit over the same period. But Disintegration has always been up there for me. “Lovesong” might be so obvious a pick that it’s actually not obvious at all. After all, it’s one of the few Cure anthems that non-Cure fans actually know. Coincidentally, it’s one of the few songs from the band that I truly admire despite its mainstream-ness. That’s certainly not the case for me when it comes to lighter, poppier songs like “Just Like Heaven” or “Friday I’m In Love”.
On “Lovesong”, it feels like each element of the song is making love to the other elements in its own way. The guitar is in command and on top. The synth layers are underneath, responding and moving in rhythm. And the unforgettable bass line spends time both on top and underneath. For me, there’s nothing temporal about the song’s composition as I’ve never gotten sick of it. The instrumental layers are just perfectly in step with each other. And the lyrics, there’s nothing temporal about those either. The song is about being there for the love of your life – through thick and thin.
“Whenever I'm alone with you, you make me feel like I am home again.”