From David Bowie to Nick Drake: The five songs that changed Robert Smith’s life
From goth subcultures to the post-punk revival, Robert Smith has changed the lives of many with his dark style and jangly pop music. Taking on the role of lead vocalist for The Cure, his distinctive, desperate vocals have delivered some of the most enduring songs in British alternative history. He still remains a reference point for eyeliner enthusiasts and budding alternative musicians, but who were the artists who first inspired the future frontman?
Long before he penned all-time greats like ‘Boys Don’t Cry’ and ‘Friday I’m In Love’, Smith was discovering his love for music through the sounds of the greats. The first song that would have a monumental impact on Smith was ‘Purple Haze’ by Jimi Hendrix, as he once recalled to Richard Kingsmill during an appearance on Triple J while listing five songs that changed his life.
Smith first heard the song at just eight years old and was “awestruck”, as he recalled: “I must have played it 20 times a day, day in, day out. I drove everyone in the house mad”. The iconic Hendrix track was released in 1967 and demonstrated his celebrated guitar prowess, but Smith saw more in it than just his capability to play his signature instrument. He noted the “brilliant songwriting” and suggested that the track summed up psychedelia. “It’s remained with me ever since,” he concluded.
The Cure frontman’s second pick strayed further into acoustic territory with the calming and contemplative ‘Time Has Told Me’ by Nick Drake. He noted his admiration for the vulnerability steeped in his songwriting and deemed Drake “everything I would aspire to in… understated mood songwriting and singing”.
Like many musicians, Smith also owes early influence to the arty output of David Bowie, particularly his 1972 glam rock hit ‘Starman’. To Smith, Bowie’s music still has a transportive quality, taking him back to the time he spent listening to it in the 1970s. “Each time a Bowie album came out, so regularly every two years, it really captured the mood of that year for me,” he surmised.
Smith was also a fan of the glam stylings of The Sensational Alex Harvey Band, picking out ‘The Faith Healer’ as the fourth song to change his life. Smith seemed to be a dedicated Alex Harvey devotee, noting that they were the first and only group he followed and travelled to see, dubbing the frontman his “only real idol”.
The Cure frontman rounds out the list with British punk pioneers, the Sex Pistols, naming ‘Anarchy In The UK’ as “the last time something really major happened to me and changed me”. Following the release of the iconic punk track, The Cure took over Smith’s life, and his musical interests turned into influences.
From the soft sounds of Nick Drake to the glam world of David Bowie, Smith’s early musical interests and influences are just as influential and wide-ranging as his own catalogue.
Find the full list of songs below.
The songs that changed Robert Smith’s life:
- ‘Purple Haze’ by Jimi Hendrix
- ‘Time Has Told Me’ by Nick Drake
- ‘Starman’ by David Bowie
- ‘The Faith Healer’ by The Sensational Alex Harvey Band
- ‘Anarchy In The UK’ by the Sex Pistols
