Lyrically Speaking: Chaos theory, obsession, and melancholy in ‘Strange Attraction’ by The Cure
The Cure frontman Robert Smith never anticipated the “mixed” reaction to Wild Mood Swings. Perhaps it was something in the air sparked by the title itself, but some people just couldn’t click with it. Smith, on the other hand, remains steadfast in his thinking that it not only stands out but ranks among his best. “The failings of Wild Mood Swings is that it’s two songs too long, he reflected, “But it’s one of my top five favourite Cure albums.”
While the record itself certainly isn’t Disintegration or Pornography, a couple of standout tracks prove some truth to Smith’s statement. For starters, it saw him reaching new depths by exploring the convergence between personal experience and broader concepts, adding a somewhat theoretical edge to his usual melancholy. ‘Strange Attraction’, for instance, was an exercise in chaos theory as much as it was a navigating of love-turned-obsession liaison.
Sonically, the song is something of a grower, unlike the immediately gripping impact of tracks like ‘Jupiter Crash’ or ‘The 13th’. However, its playful tonality, mixed with Smith’s cutting, mournful voice, ranks it not too far behind, especially when you focus on the more stream-of-consciousness appeal of his delivery and lyrical content. Chaos theory, in the context that Smith refers to it, means that even the smallest actions can lead to unpredictable consequences or happenstance, giving it a somewhat wandering edge.
As he explained in 1997: “[‘Strange Attraction’ is] a song using the language of chaos theory to tell a story of miscommunication. I have often endured whole correspondances as a non-participant, my answers are often, unknowingly, contained in my songwords, songwords such as ‘strange attraction’. Rather aptly, considering the subject matter, there was no video made for this single.”
The song tackles the idea of a romantic relationship swiftly transitioning into obsession. Using chaos theory to explore what Smith referred to as a tale of “miscommunication”, he utilises serendipitous subtleties to present the slow unfolding of such a transition, proving how seemingly insignificant moments can spiral into something considerably uncontrollable. Many of Smith’s songs feel like this swirling type of chaos, but in ‘Strange Attraction’, the blurring lines become central to the haze of unknowing and uncertainty, blending whimsy with something more disorienting.
This is clear from the opening verse: “It started with a dedication / Lost in admiration happy birthday I’m forever yours blossom / Faded red inside a tiny book of butterflies / I smiled surprised at how when flickered through / The wings flew by spelled out my name.” This continues into the next one, with Smith lamenting obsessions over letters that “dropped into my life”, giving him the urge to “see you have to feel you” and “tell you all the ways I need you yours forever in love”.
While he seems to directly reference chaos theory in the chorus (“Strange attraction spreads its wings / It varies, but the smallest things / You never know how anything will change”), he commits to emphasising the overbearing nature of the smallest things and how they can spark a chain reaction of bigger, more consequential occurrences. In this case, it’s his fixation that threatens to consume him, throwing him into the fires of an unreliable reality.
This is also one of Smith’s defining characteristics—presenting darkness and melancholy as tools for the mind’s inability to hold onto anything tangible—but within ‘Strange Attraction’, he toys more heavily with absolute truths and memory, proving the fluidity of existence even when it presents itself in its most sobering light. “I’m sorry, blame infatuation, blame imagination”, Smith sings, once again spotlighting the subjective nature of memory when obsession comes into play, when all that’s left is the overwhelming feeling that something is absent or amiss.
There are other songs that display Smith’s affinity for blending all aspects of the ambiguity of life in arguably more accomplished ways than ‘Strange Attraction’, but something in its contradictory arrangements and subject matter makes it worthy of attention nonetheless. After all, not only does it draw attention to the ever-enigmatic trouble at the heart of Smith’s artistry, but it also proves his ability to reframe broader concepts within his own intricate world, even if the specifics remain unclear.
