Another great album from my adolescence was this "greatest hits" (right!) collection from the Cure. Not that this album came out when I was adolescent; rather, I was about ten years too late. I really liked early Cure stuff, though! It is sparse and fatalistic, just a little bit of that punk aesthetic mixed in. My love for the Cure goes up until the "Friday I'm in Love" era, and that is where it ends.
"I'm alive / I'm dead / I'm the stranger / killing an Arab..." holy hell. What great lines, delivered in that droll Robert Smith style. I think Smith had a really nice way of composing songs about love, too. Love is something to cherish and relish in the moment, be we all know it can be gone in an instant... "The day I start is the day you change, and fly away from me..." ("The Caterpillar").
TRIVIA: What book inspired "Killing an Arab"? Post answers in the comment section.
This is from off of "The Head on The Door." When Robert Smith sings, "I am paralyzed by the blood of Christ..." he is singing about the pain of his alcoholism. I love this song for the lyrics, the great imagery, and the flamenco influence. The video is cool too- it reminds me of some old Bunuel film from the 60s.
Tell me who doesn't love What can never come back You can never forget how it used to feel The illusion is deep Its as deep as the night I can tell by your tears you remember it all
I am paralysed by the blood of Christ Though it clouds my eyes I can never stop
How it feels to be dry Walking bare in the sun Every mirage I see is a mirage of you As I cool in the twilight Taste the salt on my skin I recall all the tears All the broken words
I am paralysed by the blood of Christ Though it clouds my eyes I can never stop
When the sunsets glow drifts away from you You'll no longer know If any of this was really true at all
Today I'm following the example of the amazing and nifty Kim who blogs on this website on Thursdays. Namely, I'm gonna blog about the song "Love Will Tear Us Apart" by Joy Division, but I'm including several covers that I enjoy. First, a little bit about Joy Division. I know, I know many people are familiar with them, but bear with me. Joy Division formed in 1976 under the moniker Warsaw. Their music evolved out of punk rock, and they're credited with developing the beginnings of the post punk music of the 70s. They had released their debut album in 1979, entitled Unknown Pleasures, and started to be noticed by the British press. Unfortunately, Ian Curtis, lead singer suffered from epilepsy and severe depression. He also reportedly had a lot of issues in his marriage, and the song "Love Will Tear Us Apart" is said to reflect his frustration with that relationship. He committed suicide in the spring of 1980, one month after "Love Will Tear Us Apart" was released as a single. Ironically, this track was the first Joy Division song to chart in the UK, and was their most successful single. The other members of Joy Division went on to form the band New Order.
The first cover of the song I'm posting is by Susanna and the Magical Orchestra. The first time I heard this song I was confused because it seemed so familiar, but I couldn't place it. Then I realized it was a cover of "Love Will Tear Us Apart" and was pretty astonished that Susanna was able to pull of such a stylistically different cover of the song. Then again, when you completely shift the musical style of the song, those tend to be the best covers.
The second cover is The Cure. This one has more subtle differences from the Joy Division version, but it is by The Cure and they do have a different style from Joy Division. And it's The Cure and they're neat.
Ok. So now the lyrics.
When the routine bites hard And ambitions are low And the resentment rides high But emotions wont grow And we're changing our ways, Taking different roads Then love, love will tear us apart again
Why is the bedroom so cold Turned away on your side? Is my timing that flawed, Our respect run so dry? Yet there's still this appeal That we've kept through our lives Love, love will tear us apart again
Do you cry out in your sleep All my failings exposed? Get a taste in my mouth As desperation takes hold How is it something so good Just can't function no more? When love, love will tear us apart again
Joy Division - The original version of the song. Hurray!
