The best song from every album by The Cure
The Cure didn’t become a timeless phenomenon by accident. At a time when gothic melancholy in music was still considered niche, Robert Smith transformed childhood nightmares and universal emotions of love, loss, and grief into something profound. The band’s music, infused with these dark themes, resonated deeply because it was nostalgic yet unlike anything heard before. It became the soundtrack for generations seeking new ways to express the joys and traumas of human existence.
Although the band’s sound changed and evolved over time, each album opens up new avenues for endless exploration, with Smith’s voice serving as an omnipresent narrator, not just for his own journey but for countless others. Despite facing harsh criticism at times, The Cure remains one of the most enduringly influential bands of all time, thanks to their haunting atmosphere and innovative use of instrumentation.
Like with any band, everyone has their favourite albums and those they just can’t connect with. With The Cure, this often relates to their evolving sound—some find certain albums too polished or refined, while others think they’re not polished enough. Many fans prefer the early days of The Cure, when their sound was raw and experimental, capturing the essence of post-punk with its brooding, unrefined edges and haunting atmospheres.
Others, however, prefer the latter years of the band, when they ventured into more commercial territory, arguing that this is when they gained their edge. Regardless of personal favourites, however, each album has those spine-tingling songs that linger in your mind, like an unrelenting shadow that is difficult to decipher from a dream or haunting mirage.
Here’s a rundown of the standout tracks from each one…
The best song from every The Cure album:
’10:15 Saturday Night – RS Organ Home Demo’ – Three Imaginary Boys
Emerging onto the scene with nothing but a willingness to create and a David Bowie obsession, ’10:15 Saturday Night’ immediately set Smith apart as someone who wasn’t afraid of appearing like a music fan. With new music, many bands always attempt to be as original as possible, allowing their influences to peer in subtle ways rather than coming across as an overt rip-off.
While ’10:15 Saturday Night’ didn’t exactly appear to be attempting to copy anyone, the song demonstrated a minimalist style and moody atmosphere reminiscent of Bowie while signifying the monumental journey The Cure was about to embark on. The home demo version, in particular, highlighted Smith’s raw songwriting talent and captured the sense of isolation and frustration that would become the band’s trademark.
‘A Forest’ – Seventeen Seconds
If you didn’t already know where its home was, it would be difficult to place ‘A Forest’ among The Cure’s broader discography, mainly because it incorporates the band’s typically dark, atmospheric sound in a way that feels refined without appearing overly polished. Besides being a turning point in The Cure’s reputation as the ultimate gothic band, ‘A Forest’ is an extraordinarily accomplished feat, blending a haunting melody with a driving bassline to create a frenzy of feeling and unpredictable turns.
The lyrics also hint towards Smith’s penchant for melancholic poeticism, while the abstract imagery captures a sense of disorientation and despair. All of this together mirrors the song’s atmospheric tension, while the repetitive structure amplifies the feeling of being trapped in a never-ending pursuit. In short, it’s the perfect The Cure song.
‘Faith’ – Faith
Beyond its obvious endearing qualities, ‘Faith’ is the standout track on The Cure’s third album because it serves as the emotional core—the anchor to which the entire record was pieced together. Its simplicity and haunting atmosphere create an almost hypnotic pace, and Smith’s lyricism reflects broader themes of loss and uncertainty, culminating in an echoey and ethereal masterpiece.
Unlike the other songs on Faith, the title track presents a cohesive emotional experience that feels more holistically resonant as opposed to fragments of feelings, events, or occurrences—which the other songs adhere to perfectly. However, ‘Faith’ seems more like an illicit affair, almost as though Smith’s trepidation creeps in, but with purpose and to create something that feels inherently overwhelming.
‘The Hanging Garden’ – Pornography
By the time The Cure began writing Pornography, they were ready to unleash their full potential, melding dark themes with the more direct and aggressive elements of rock to create a claustrophobic yet endearing atmosphere. ‘The Hanging Garden’ perfectly captures this transition, embodying the album’s broader, almost tribal-like thumping and complementing its themes and vivid images of decay, isolation, and despair.
As with many The Cure songs, ‘The Hanging Garden’ stands out for its ability to blend accessibility with abrasiveness while refusing to sacrifice the deep-rooted unease that permeates the entire album. Its repetitiveness serves it rather than holding it back, making it one of the most powerful The Cure songs of all time.
‘The Caterpillar’ – The Top
Continuing the abrasiveness found across Pornography, ‘The Caterpillar’ combines Smith’s love for cross-genre convergence, dark themes, and subtle accessibility. Its whimsical, psychedelic sound makes it an unexpected delight, Smith’s vocals complementing its broader, playful and catchy atmosphere, almost as though he was hinting towards later hits like ‘The Lovecats’.
At times, Smith seems to be pushing his vocals into unfamiliar territory, something he later admitted he felt he took “too far”. However, it works with the song’s vibe. The tongue-in-cheek element captures its more upbeat and joyful leaning, his strained voice adding an edge of spontaneity and making the entire thing feel a lot more surreal.
‘In Between Days’ – The Head on the Door
It’s a really close call between ‘In Between Days’ and ‘Close To Me’ for the best track on The Head on the Door, but the former wins by a tiny margin purely because of its overwhelmingly emotionally resonant quality. Beyond showcasing The Cure’s ability to blend rock with more accessible pop sensibilities, ‘In Between Days’ is a deeply poignant track with a timeless hook and arrangement, epitomising the band’s dominance in the mid-1980s.
This also feels like the first song that incorporated Smith’s overt anguish, not just in terms of the darker themes of longing but in his over-dedication to attempting to break free from the shackles of that which pains him and makes him feel ostracised. On voice alone, it’s easy to feel Smith’s heartwrenching longing, which makes it all the more enduring the moment the needle drops.
‘Just Like Heaven’ – Kiss Me, Kiss Me, Kiss Me
In a strangely exciting way, some of The Cure’s best songs evoke a sense of swirling shapes, taking you on a journey to places you didn’t know you could enjoy. While ‘Just Like Heaven’ has certainly received its fair share of radio play, its enduring appeal is undeniable, as the track showcases creative and innovative guitar licks that perfectly complement Smith’s anguished vocals.
The song also captures the exhilaration of feeling love and joy, which is evident the moment the initial drum beat introduces the accompanying arrangements and continues within Smith’s elation. “Show me how you do it, and I promise you / I promise that I’ll run away with you,” Smith sings, capturing the youthful temptation to drop everything and take off with the person you know you will love forever.
‘Lullaby’ – Disintegration
Choosing a favourite from Disintegration, one of the greatest albums of all time, is a difficult venture. Not only does it boast timeless tracks like ‘Pictures of You’, ‘Lovesong’, ‘Disintegration’, and ‘Lullaby’, but its presence as an unofficial concept album makes it one of the most immersive listening experiences delivered by any band ever. Thanks to Smith’s weirdly wonderful mind, every album provides a deep dive into rich textures and poignant viscera, but Disintegration far supersedes expectation, even after the hundredth listen.
Alas, ‘Lullaby’ had to be chosen here because, when all is said and done, it’s the only track that wraps everything exceptional about Disintegration in one. The swirling guitars and Smith’s haunting vocal delivery create an atmosphere akin to parading a dark alleyway at night, the destination unclear but the intention to find something never before seen, heard, or felt.
‘A Letter To Elise’ – Wish
Another standout in The Cure’s broader discography, Wish provides an enchanting fortress of many of the band’s quintessential tropes. Only this time, it’s delivered with a more refined elegance, bolstered by the seamless blending of each track as one ends and another begins. ‘A Letter To Elise’ isn’t just the best song on the record but potentially the best Cure song ever, largely because of its ethereal quality that feels both haunting yet nostalgic, every note as meticulous as it is inviting.
Interestingly, however, it’s one of the band’s more understated tracks, a hidden gem that, once discovered, hooks into you like a sinister daydream, the kind that feels almost too real to be imaginary. In this case, however, it’s comforting in its delivery of the macabre, with an undertone of fleeting romance that beckons deeper evaluation, like being caught up in a storm or dipping your toes in a nice, warm bath.
‘Jupiter Crash’ – Wild Mood Swings
Despite the broader experimentation that exists within Wild Mood Swings, like ‘The 13th’ and ‘Strange Attraction’, there’s an undeniable emotional depth to ‘Jupiter Crash’ that takes you in like crashing waves. Unlike The Cure’s other emotionally-charged songs, this track takes you in its embrace and swirls you in its unrelenting pool of energy before Smith’s lyricism appears abstract yet relatable, evoking feelings of confusion and longing.
“Was that it?” Smith sings in a typically thought-provoking manner, and he usually utilises open-ended questions, drawing you into a deeply reflective place where there is space to fully engage with the song’s themes of love and loss. The entire thing plays out timelessly, almost as though it has accidentally caught you deep in the darkness of night, pondering the things you never said or did as the rain falls, creating lines of lost opportunities down your window pane.
‘Out Of This World’ – Bloodflowers
While creating Bloodflowers, Smith remained dedicated to creating art based solely on what he felt in his heart, shunning any possibility of creating something commercial. As a result, he regarded it his best recording experience since Kiss Me, mainly due to how he was able to craft in complete isolation from the demands of the industry’s monetisation. As a result, many of the songs feel like free-flowing facets of Smith’s mind—expressions of his innermost thoughts and emotions.
The standout, ‘Out of This World’, has a laid-back, rock ballad atmosphere, as the guitar layers and steady rhythm create a sense of spaciousness that allows Smith’s vocals to take centre stage. Above all, it captures the endless search for meaning in a chaotic world, balancing lamentation with sheer beauty. At the same time, Smith’s lyrics touch upon yearning and escapism, providing an almost hypnotic quality that urges you to relinquish control and embrace life’s oddities.
‘Going Nowhere’ – The Cure
It’s no secret that Smith is a maestro when it comes to the more hauntingly beautiful compositions, yet every single time it seems to hit as hard as the first time. ‘Going Nowhere’ may always be vying for recognition alongside ‘The End Of The World’, but the gorgeous piano line that permeates the entire track seems to elevate it significantly, placing it even further across the finishing line.
Many of the songs on this album seem to have taken a backseat as a natural position following masterful records like Pornography, Wish, and Disintegration. However, with songs like ‘Going Nowhere’, Smith proves that his boundless talent shines no matter the era, with haunting atmospheres ready to latch on at any given moment.
‘Underneath The Stars’ – 4:13 Dream
Elements of Disintegration permeate this unpredictably whirring track, with a bold and confrontational intro leading the way into a more calculated pace, evoking drawn-out nights talking with a significant other about anything and nothing. The shifting dynamics mirror the ebb and flow of intimate conversations, where moments of tension dissolve into a comfortable rhythm, leaving nothing but the perfect space for a deeper connection.
‘Underneath The Stars’ showcased Smith’s ability to master swelling and receding instrumentation, creating a track that embodies the complex nature of impassioned romance, usually the kind where a single word or implication can transform a beautiful night into a sour one. However, with time, a little bit of rain, and probably a lot of black eyeliner, hearts align once more, ready to resume those all-important late-night conversations.
