The classic writer who helped Robert Smith find his “voice”
As the explosive first wave of punk fizzled out, a new genre emerged which was much more eclectic and enduring: post-punk. Incorporating other genres, from funk to electronica, post-punk bands found a way to create timeless, experimental sounds while retaining punk’s DIY anti-establishment sensibility. One of the biggest bands to emerge from Britain’s blossoming post-punk scene was The Cure, who became pioneers of gothic rock due to their often dark and gloomy sound and visual aesthetic.
Founded in 1978, the band are still performing and creating new music today, making them one of the longest-running post-punk bands ever. From Pornography to Disintegration, the band have released several seminal albums that have become incredibly influential to those who have formed in their wake. Leading the band is Robert Smith, whose distinctive voice allows The Cure’s songs to become instantly recognisable.
The frontman has always been inspired by literature, with many of the band’s songs borrowing themes and characters from stories. For example, their debut single, ‘Killing an Arab’, is influenced by Albert Camus’ The Stranger, which sees its protagonist kill a man for no apparent reason besides the sun being in his eyes. “Standing on a beach/ With a gun in my hand,” Smith sings, alluding to Camus’ iconic Meursault, using the character to explore themes of absurdism, morality and the meaning of life.
Elsewhere, Smith wrote ‘Charlotte Sometimes’ after the book of the same name by Penelope Farmer. He claimed to have been “obsessed” with the book and “this idea of temporal downfall, of duality, of personality trouble and the torture that follows.” The song didn’t appear on any of the band’s albums, and fans of the book will notice how similar many of Smith’s lyrics are to Farmer’s lines.
However, one writer has always been present in Smith’s mind, helping him discover his voice as he came of age. Discussing Franz Kafka’s Collected Stories, Smith told the French magazine Rock and Folk, “For the first time, the narrator’s voice was mine. I was the narrator. I was blending myself in his words.”
Born in Prague, Kafka became an accomplished writer, predominantly penning short stories before passing away at the age of 40. Still, in his relatively short lifetime, he wrote many classic works of literature, including The Metamorphosis, The Trial and The Castle, all of which deeply affected Smith. Within his work, Kafka dissected capitalism and the human condition through themes of existentialism and surreal absurdity.
Smith continued, “His influence on my writing is huge, as on ‘A Letter to Elise,’ directly inspired by his Letters to Felice.” The 1992 song appeared on Wish, with Smith singing, “Oh, Elise it doesn’t matter what you do/ I know I’ll never really get inside of you.” Kafka’s Letters to Felice compiles his correspondence with Felice Bauer, to whom he was engaged, as well as his letters to her friend Grete Bloch. Additionally, Smith has also cited ‘At Night’ from Seventeen Seconds as taking cues from the writer’s story of the same name, once stating, “That song is inspired by Kafka, to the fact that there is a guardian – that is God’s concept after all – that sees us.”
With the assistance of authors like Kafka, Smith was able to discover his own talent for writing, which helped him become one of modern music’s most well-respected songwriters.
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