The Cure, Pictures Of You - A Classical Musician’s First Listen and Reaction

[@avogrid296]

The Cure's specialty is crafting a mood and immersing you in it. Then Robert Smith brings in the poetic, expressive lyrics and his very HUMAN voice. They are amazing live, even all these years later!

[@ragweedmakesmesneeze]

I've seen clips of their current live concerts and cannot believe how amazing they still sound. Perfect really. I need to go to a Cure concert.

[@stevemunroart]

well said 👏

[@atg3rocks729]

Yeah I saw them live they're amazing

[@3Clod]

don't forget the production of dave allen, that's fundamental. Robert is an amazing artist but that's quite normal for musicians from the past, they had a heart in their chest, not a wallet: musicians not influencers, especially Robert who really often did the opposite than to influence people. Today it's different and kids don't understand this so they see an artist as a sort of alien to admire, instead of a source of inspiration to do YOUR OWN stuff

[@jbunte31]

"If only I'd thought of the right words I could have held on to your heart..." One of my favorite lines ever.

[@joek7606]

There was nothing in the world That I ever wanted more Than to feel you deep in my heart There was nothing in the world That I ever wanted more Than to never feel the breaking apart All my pictures of you Utterly heartbreaking, beautiful and perfect all at the same time

[@voidstarq]

Whether or not it's actually true... We want to think so, don't we? It's probably not so. Considering all the factors that determine whether a relationship works or doesn't... It's rare that it should all hang on whether or not some one key thing was said in the "right" way. And yet, we'd like to think so. It's cruel comfort. It gives us reason to spend the rest of our lives kicking ourselves for failing to "think of the right words". But we _want_ to believe it. Because the only alternative is to accept that happiness wasn't even a possibility. Do you know the seven words that will make a woman love you?

[@nickinge617]

I know the answer to that question voidstarq: “I am a multimillionaire and dying alone.”

[@voidstarq]

@@nickinge617 I was actually making a reference to something completely unrelated, from the Kingkiller Chronicles. The idea seems to be that the actual words don't matter; there's just something magical about saying things in exactly seven words. Protagonist is on his way to The University to study magic. He meets a girl when they happen to catch a ride on the same wagon. From how she looks, how she's dressed, how she acts, etc., he's trying to guess what's her story. She catches him staring, he blurts out, "I was just wondering why you're here." Some months later, he mentions to her that one of his teachers of magic had told him there exist seven words that will make a woman love you, and how he wishes he knew what they were. She says, "You already spoke them, when we met: 'I was wondering what you're doing here'." He's surprised she remembers, but the funny thing is, what she remembers isn't actually what he'd said! But it's close, the meaning is the same, and both versions are exactly seven words. Throughout the story, whenever things are going well between them, they both spontaneously start talking in mostly seven-word lines. Apparently unintentionally! The conversation just starts flowing that way. And it's always when he breaks the pattern that things go wrong. 🎶 If only he'd thought of the right words...

[@EdgarFraustro]

Dear Miss VIRGIN ROCK: you listened to the extended version of the song. I strongly invite you to listen to the album version, not the short radio edit but the original album version, it's not so repetitive and long but pure magic!! You will feel the sadness, the joy, the timeless love inside. I have been a Cure evangelist since I was a teenager and I will be to my end. Thanks for your review, peace!

[@duncansutherland47]

Agreed

[@skylerringfield2337]

As soon as the song started I was like, “Wait…” lol

[@BenelisaCotto]

Evangelist 😂

[@coreC..]

same thought..

[@alexanaya6820]

No mandolin, it's perfect the way it is. The entire Album is a Masterpiece

[@richardjalabhay5586]

Have you ever listened to Joy Division?

[@alexanaya6820]

@@richardjalabhay5586 Yes sir

[@BassistInATutu]

Have to say I do agree with you.

[@hw343434]

Definitely no mandolin

[@mightyV444]

A banjo! 😄 😉

[@giamartube]

It’s 2024 and I still have tears in my eyes every time I hear it, just like when I heard it for the first time in 1989. One of the songs that have always accompanied me.

[@sunnlovinjaxxx]

I share this feeling with you.

[@ericschroeder8355]

So true for me too!

[@Amm1ttai]

this whole album is a masterpiece. moody, poetic, dreamy

[@violoncelo1000]

expect one more album. expect the last masterpiece.

[@dartherus]

To the channel owner, please watch the KZbin video 'The Cure and J S Bach Masters of Counterpoint', to see if you'd get encouraged to analyze the main masterpieces from the band.

[@gatheredwisdom]

Agree, timeless perfection

[@markdaly1648]

I think that robert Smith wrote this song about meeting his wife. They have been together since childhood.

[@00wn]

Brilliant! Always one of my top ten songs of all time! My wife of 46 years passed away recently. I am heartbroken and lost. Thank goodness for the "Pictures of Her." For the rest of my life I will live in my memories.

[@moi01887]

Having lost many people I've loved myself, I know the feeling. So sorry for your loss.

[@goosebump801]

💐💐💐💐

[@00wn]

@@goosebump801 So kind of you. Thank you.

[@brianswift2706]

feel for you

[@leftyodaniels2645]

I have watched more than a few of your reviews mostly The Beatles and queen, and this one had to be my favorite.

[@luciengrondin5802]

I'm amazed that she immediately made the connection between the first verse and the long intro. Makes me feel dumb for never ever making it myself, tbh.

[@docsavage8640]

That would make sense except EVERY SINGLE SONG on the album is the same way. It's just a hallmark of the Cure to have endless intros.

[@kasroa]

​@@docsavage8640 I agree, definitely reading into this way too much.

[@fercus_inc]

Me too

[@dangerous119]

It's an interesting perspective, but it is not an accurate reflection of the songwriter's intent. This is a remix version, so the intro is extended quite a bit beyond the original version. I like it though, both the extended version and the idea that it can be a reflection of the deeper meaning of the line. Ultimately, the listener is the one who determines what the song means to them when they listen to it and feel moved. Robert gave us this gift, and what we hear and feel is up to us. So I say thank you to both Robert and Amy.

[@80Jay71]

@@docsavage8640 Maybe he's just staring at the pictures at the start of every song? ;)

[@pippin210]

Robert Smith of The Cure is an immensely talented songwriter and story-teller

[@ExternalInputs]

I read his sister was a virtuoso pianist, so his musicianship was genetically blessed.

[@marcheuer5578]

And musician

[@dartherus]

To the channel owner, please watch the KZbin video 'The Cure and J S Bach Masters of Counterpoint', to see if you'd get encouraged to analyze the main musical masterpieces from the band.

[@greyskyvegan]

@@marcheuer5578YESS SO UNDERRATED

[@StephenThompson-qc8up]

Is your nickname Sherlock? 😮

[@NuttyDaveMadeThis]

Once you’re a widower this song takes a different path through your memories ….

[@JoeGuice]

I feel that.

[@CoolmalisOne]

Not long ago I was just saying to my girlfriend, "I think when I lose someone important to me for the first time, I won't be able to listen to this song anymore."

[@TonyHolland-z2h]

This song has been my constant friend and comfort since I lost my wife. I have the last verse tattooed on my arm. Probably one of the best albums made.

[@PowderedToastMan420]

The Cure was a gift from the 80's. ✌️

[@punchmehard]

They’re from the 70s :-)

[@tednruth453]

mmmm......not really considering when they started.....but they're timeless...

[@jameslast3192]

78’

[@laughteraddict1003]

Is

[@Zundfolge]

Much of The Cure's music is more about creating a mood than making some deep musical statement.

[@csn10]

A great follow up would be The Cure live at Werchter 1982 playing 'A Forest' and then Depeche Mode's 'The Policy of Truth' (audio version) since they were inspired to form after hearing The Cure.

[@csn10]

Other great Post-Punk/New Wave/Alternative bands starting in the late 70's: Gang of Four: I love a man in a Uniform live at BBC's Old Grey Whistle Test Bauhaus: She's in Parties, 'Bela Lugosi is Dead' live at Riverside New Order: Blue Monday (an easier introduction then their previous band Joy Division)

[@oskarobit]

@@csn10 in words of band members and from Vince Clarke's very mouth, Depeche Mode was born because they wanted a band that sounds like Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark.

[@csn10]

@@oskarobitYes, true of Depeche Mode. I was going back to the founding members, Clarke and Fletcher, being in a Cure influenced band "No Romance in China" before adopting a more OMD synth influenced sound as they were joined by Gore and Gahan to form Depeche Mode. Per an openculture article "Clarke and Fletcher began playing together in the 1977 Cure-influenced band No Romance in China. They formed Composition of Sound with Gore, who’d played guitar in an acoustic duo, in 1980 and recruited Gahan that same year whey they heard him sing Bowie’s “’Heroes’” at a jam session. By that time, they’d mostly given up on guitars, after Clarke-who left Depeche Mode after Speak & Spell to form the hugely influential synthpop band Yazoo (or Yaz in the U.S.)-encountered Orchestral Maneuvers in the Dark. The three-song demo at the top represents that evolutionary step in action."

[@marlew6629]

well said;)

[@nicolashall9019]

Every time I hear it, it’s like a time machine, thirty five years flown by in a heartbeat. It takes me back to a place and time where the words - this song - meant everything.

[@ElectroAnnie]

Exactly. This song has a way of sweeping me up in wistful rumination.

[@gentillygirl545]

Thank you.

[@asapkov]

Yeah.

[@MMacAttack]

I love the LIVE version

[@SeanGavin-rf5vd]

You summed this up perfectly.

[@ThePilgrimfan]

One of the most beautiful songs ever written....!!!!!!!

[@lorenzomannini5266]

🖤⭐

[@Richard--]

If Pictures of You almost makes you cry, A Letter To Elise just might do it😪

[@Johnny_Socko]

That's what I was thinking! I feel like "A Letter to Elise" is a spiritual (if not literal) successor to "Pictures of You".

[@fearyt4635]

And The Same Deep Water As You will bring you to your knees.

[@sharimeline3077]

This song doesn't almost make me cry. It makes me cry every time.

[@kylemoran7852]

Top two cure songs

[@RevEggplant]

Relieved to learn it's not just me.

[@FogLittleFog]

During my teenage years, I didn't care about this slow song. During my 20's, it made me cry. Everytime. During my 30's, it got me watering eyes and a lump throat. In my early 40's, it made me laid back and wonder "if". Now, as I'm about to reach my 50's, it makes me smile and feel that I've made friends with time. This was my trip with this masterpiece, Amy. Thank you for your deep and beautiful analysis.

[@applebutter4036]

I didn't really get it in my teens either. Now I love all of their touchy feely songs.

[@janossoos816]

Get the original song from the 1989 album, put up your headphones, turn the volume way up and listen close how Robert sings this song. Like a man hardly catching his breath. Such a credible performance, what a masterpiece.

[@zuma3334]

So good so good . Love from the 80’s

[@andrewbenson4439]

My God this is such a great song. In fact so many of The Cure’s songs are mini-masterpieces. I am so lucky to have been a teenager when this band was at its peak. And The Smiths. Both the soundtrack to my youth.

[@robertbrugger4601]

Couldn't have said it better myself.

[@sirgomusic]

I was 18 when they released 'Disintegration' in 1989. I love this album too. :)

[@MarcGallo]

I was 21 in 1989 when the album came out, and from that moment, the cure became one of my favourite bands ever.

[@genzomamaja]

​@@sirgomusic I was 19 and saw them live in Budapest. It's true that they were already experiencing their second boom and had several hit records, all of which I already knew then :)

[@donkfail1]

This makes me so sentimental. It takes me back to when I was a teen and hopelessly in love, skipping class and sneaking into my girlfriend's school. We used to sit on the stairs there, shoulder to shoulder sharing headphones, just listening to (mostly) The Cure and just being together for a while. Thanks for the trip!

[@babylonian.captivity]

It's one of those tunes that's double-nostalgic. Nostalgic in its actual musical and lyrical substance and nostalgic because yes, it takes me back to my own adolescence.

[@rbailey225]

It was Sept. 7th 1989. I was 18. I could not get tickets for the Disintegration Tour stop in Los Angeles at Dodger Stadium on Sept. 8th. so I went to Disneyland instead. We left Disneyland to go to dinner and as we were walking out I told my friends, "Dude, that looked like Robert Smith and Boris Williams riding on that trolley." We came back after dinner and immediately rode Star Tours. When I walked out of the ride, it emptied into a gift shop, there were both of them just shopping through the Star Wars gift shop. No handlers, managers, groupies, mobs.....etc. I politely asked for an autograph and they both obliged. I couldn't believe it. There weren't many hotter bands in the summer of 1989 in Southern California and no one was bothering them. They were all dressed up too......there was no doubt these guys were bonafide rock stars and that day they were just a couple of Disney fan boys. Great memory. Thanks for popping up on my algorithm.

[@roccocarlino067]

A truly lovely story

[@matthewschenker3170]

I have always loved the words, "If only I'd known of the right words, I could have held onto your heart." It expresses something we have all felt -- a mixture of frustration and sadness looking back at a loss in our past that we have no influence over any more, and how from the present it seems so easy to fix it and make it right. But why did we not know how do do it right then?

[@neilgodfrey6578]

"Home for the last time, then slip away quietly".....a heartbreaking line.

[@skimt127]

Hold for the last time then slip away quietly :)

[@PrinceTahra]

Yes. The Cure does that to you :) They have lots of beautiful and impactful songs!

[@Ehud1513]

God, I love this band so much. I hope you do more of them. Just Like Heaven and Plainsong are my favorites.

[@denisewalsh6586]

And Lovesong and inbetween days

[@thesithempire1348]

The Cure had a unique, immersive sound. Disintegration is their best album, IMO, with lots of diverse soundscapes centered on the titular concept. That dreamy, washed together, jangly sound of "Pictures of You" was taken and explored more deeply by The Ocean Blue (see "Emotions Ring" for an example).

[@grzegorz.grzybek]

That's what Kyle from South Park said. See Wikipedia "Mecha-Streisand"

[@tdave1234]

Robert Smith and his wife have been a couple since they were in junior high school. You can certainly feel that sort of devotion in his lyrics.

[@daleyg]

Secondary school. He’s English, “Junior high school” isn’t a thing in England. Or the rest of the UK for that matter.

[@sharimeline3077]

@@daleyg Well, he meant from that age. It's not a cardinal sin to get the name of the school wrong.

[@rainierr9356]

To me it makes it even more impressive that he can nail loss of love so well!

[@Shelsight]

@@daleyg-what an asshole pedantic comment when tdave1234 was commenting on Smith’s love and devotion to his wife. I hope no wife has to deal with your pointless criticism like this on a daily basis. Just enjoy the music and commentary maybe?

[@ianortcliff6774]

Slightly disappointed it’s not the version from Disintegration. Would like to see Amy react to Just Like Heaven, and also Lullaby, which is the musical equivalent of a 1920’s German Expressionist silent film.

[@mightyV444]

I prefer the 'Disintegration' version, too!

[@heathermuffins]

Seconding Lullaby, I would love to see her break down this theatrical work

[@mightyV444]

@@heathermuffins - You mean you want to see her break down *from* this theatrical work in awe? 😄 😉

[@MATTA74]

I agree how do you not play the Disintegration version

[@pascualorgilesmartinez7836]

It's the 12"

[@mightyV444]

Also, I think the version Vlad has chosen is an (extended) remix or something to that degree; The intro is usually shorter, and Mr Smith starts singing way sooner too, even in the album version that is longer than the Single edit 🙂 Doesn't matter - It's a great song in _any_ shape or form! Nostalgia combined with melancholy 😊

[@slackthompson9231]

It is definitely NOT the original album version.

[@indawinebar6055]

I believe this version is an early cut for a music video sent to media outlets for press before the release of the album or something along those lines.

[@UrsaMajorPrime]

Yah, this isn't even the extended version on "Mixed Up" its different...

[@ronparsons8786]

This is definitely some kind of extended version but I'm not mad about it I like it

[@eisco]

It seems to be the extended version on the Mixed Up Remaster Deluxe edition. Not the extended dub mix but the one on CD2

[@NebulousWhisp]

I'm so happy you loved this. I love The Cure so much. This is a band that deserves an extended series of videos.

[@spacelab777]

The British 80's alternative/ indie scene is a treasure trove of diverse and creative music. Glad you have opened The Cure door. Echo and The Bunnymen Killing Moon should be on your list and something by New Order such as Your Silent Face. Enjoyed your reaction and as some others have said I didn't connect the intro with the lyrics which always makes fresh eyes on something you are familiar with interesting.

[@MelissaMoseni]

I hope she continues down this path! Siouxsie and the Banshees, Joy Division, Cocteau Twins... I think she would enjoy a lot CT!

[@BR81-iv6lt]

Yes and the Smiths

[@greggerypeccary]

The NO song should be The Perfect Kiss, if only for the frogs...

[@seanhughes9659]

"It didn't quite make me cry". Best of luck getting through their new song "And Nothing Is Forever".

[@voidstarq]

7:42 "It's making me look back, as if _I'm_ the one remembering" Exactly, yes. Nobody (except Robert Smith himself) is weeping over _Robert Smith's_ memories. When this song brings us to tears, it's because it's *forcing* us to bring up _our own_ memories.

[@gernblanston4334]

I was just moved to tears, remembering someone I lost recently. Very unexpected.

[@lupcokotevski2907]

Smith is feeling the lyric. You can hear it in his voice. He means it.

[@robinraan]

Exactly

[@cjhenry41]

That song has always made me close to cry, or depending on my place in life, break down. The entire Disintegration album is like that. A masterpiece. That was a beautifully done reaction, very nice.

[@ronnykvendseth1455]

Same. For me it's the extreme longing and intense melancholia, and the chords they goes so easily right in to the deepest parts of my ghost (soul)

[@mradriankool]

Robert Smith writes from the heart. He married his childhood sweetheart so I’ve always felt the concept of being alone is alien to him as his soul mate has been there with him always. the most painful thing he can imagine is being alone

[@mauriciofigueroa5555]

he married simon?

[@kke]

And now we have the new masterpiece "Alone" released last week.

[@robertflowers5389]

You have barely scratched the surface of the Cure's greatness. Keep going :)

[@alecaper]

17:02 "it´s heartbreaking but it´s beautiful at the same time" that´s exactly what it is ❤👏

[@gettingkilt]

The Cure is one of the very few bands that I (b 1963) and my father (b 1938) both loved.

[@neomancr]

My dad was born a good decade after me and he still loves the cure.

[@mattgreen753]

I celebrate The Cure's entire catalog. Great video!

[@LeeKennison]

I really enjoyed this reaction and I am glad you were so touched by this song and that it had a strong impact on you. You never know ahead of time what songs trigger these types of things. I was thinking the same thing Amy, that the intro was going on too long without a lot of development, so it was cool that you pointed out why it made sense. It does have an ethereal feel which you noticed when you spoke of how the reverb and tone helped to project the ethereal quality of the type of memories he was relating. I think a lot of this sense comes from using chorus, flange and delay type effects on the guitars, along with other production techniques.

[@eloalatrista]

Just hearing the first chords took me back. It was the tape recorder in my neighbour's hall, it was the eternal conversation, it was my grandmother alive and it was seeing everyone younger. It was the time when sitting on the floor for hours and listening to one record after another meant discovering the world. For a second it hurt, but I'm fine now. Rather than "disintegrating" me, The Cure built me.

[@scottboyer8450]

I suspect your getting the Mandolin sound cues from the Fender Bass VI played by Robert Smith. It was the albums secret weapon.

[@theorncampbell4432]

Thanks for creating this video! I think I've run out of people to share this album with. It's was a joy to see. Read about Robert Smith's motivation for making this album and the process that the entire band went through in the studio. He had just turned 30 years old and was convinced that musicians needed to create their musical masterpiece by the age, but he'd missed his chance. That album was them risking committing career suicide and almost throwing in the towel as a band. This album is by far my most listened to collection music. I've always been taken by this album, since its' release and I don't imagine I've ever lose the beautiful nostalgia that it offered, even on my 1st listen. By the way, the tone colouring and shaping, slightly hazy reverb that masks the transients is absolutely intended to force listeners into feeling nostalgia. Post. as post can be.

[@buckrichard7690]

This makes me realise just how fortunate I was to grow up in the 80’s with so much great music. The Cure, in my view, remain one of the best bands of all time. Paul Boulton from Leamington Spa back in the day, if you happen to read this please say ‘hello’.

[@davidlaymanpiano]

It was honestly amazing to watch your Gen X genes visibly activated by the timber of Robert Smith’s voice! For me, it was like a switch being flipped, and I’ve never looked back. Lifelong Cure fan.

[@chrism.7086]

Wow!! I’m so glad that you got to experience this piece, and what an amazing analysis of this lesser known song. I’m not a huge fan of The Cure, more of a classic/hard/heavy rock fan, but this song speaks to me. One of my favorites and I’ve always thought how impressive it is to capture such beautifully sad emotions with rather repetitive, simple music. No judgement on that, to me if it works it works. The version I enjoy most of this is the one on “Mixed Up” very bass and drum heavy (I’m a drummer:). Thank you for another great video, of a special song. I hope you get around to delving into a bunch of Led Zeppelin albums/songs when you are finished with your other long projects. Much love and keep up the great work, I love this channel!!

[@ReflexArc]

The melancholy joy of this song wraps around you like a favorite throw blanket on a chilly morning.

[@Colthrone]

Heard this song a million times. Never noticed how the first verses are reflective of the long intro until you mentioned it (in your first listen).

[@edsguerra]

Pictures of You is a sublime introduction to the 80s british post-punk / gothic rock music. It would be lovely to have you further exploring the genre and listening to Siouxsie and the Banshees (Dear Prudence, Kiss them for me, Into the light, Peek-a-boo), Joy Division (Love will tear us apart, Atmosphere) or The Sisters of Mercy (Temple of Love, Gimme Shelter, Marian). It's certainly a mood!

[@Someonelser1]

The Cure are masters of building these amazing songs from little motifs that they slowly add and subtract on top of each other to create super memorable and catchy tunes

[@achn2b]

Two or three simple little musical riffs, not especially complicated or innovative, but layered upon each other, repeating with a slight change of note or scale, or just dropping out entirely, like just bass and drums in the verses here, but it all just flows together and makes something more than just the sum of its parts. Something incredibly beautiful and moving. This may be the most perfect thing they ever wrote, at least in my opinion.

[@yvesclepkens242]

Disintegration is a master piece of art. The full album.

[@HedwigvanWuijkhuijse]

Funny that you should immediately have picked up on the 'really intimate, sentimental, cut-to-your-core' quality of this piece of music -- for Robert Smith the inspiration came after a housefire, and him finding pictures of his wife in the debris later. It's one of my favourite songs of The Cure, and I hope you'll dive into them some more after this!

[@mikeb7379]

This was apparently written after a house fire? Smith had found a family photo album that had survived. I missed The Cure for the most part first time around, I heard them of course but I was into other stuff, (two tone and ska revival etc), at the time. You know what though? No regrets and that allows me to come back to this really great music and appreciate all the more?

[@CorStoker]

You nailed the mood that the cure wanted to create. I saw them in 79 for the first time and still a massive fan. They are still one of the best bands to see live

[@mightyV444]

Not always, though! There are some truly fantastic Cure live shows on YT but also not-so-great ones, and the one I'd been to in person was more of the 'just okay' kind, too 😅 (Cologne, Germany 2004, after the self-titled album was released)

[@SleepingTiger-vlog]

So much of The Cure is beautiful melancholy mood. Some of it is more upbeat too. Just Like Heaven is my favorite Cure song. The Forest is a good one.

[@swordmonkey6635]

Disintegration is my favorite Cure album. Fascination Street is epic.. and that bass line... **chef's kiss** Robert Smith's songwriting is always deliberate and nuanced.

[@Someonelser1]

Oh, that bass line! Then they layer on top all these amazing little bits.

[@Johnny_Socko]

"Fascination Street" is one of my favorite Rock intros of all time. And the entire song is a *mood*. Outstanding track.

[@xephrenata]

That was the first song that I ever danced to in a club. Decades ago 😂

[@Pumpkinvvitch666]

Ohhh yeahh. “Sinking” also has a killer bass line. So addicting.

[@jernejulcar8325]

@@swordmonkey6635 "Fascination street" or "Prayers for rain" should be the song in this reaction instead of this mediocre album filler. I even suggested her to do a reaction to The cure "Prayers for rain" not long ago, but I didn't do a donation request. I just wanted her to experience something different. But to no avail.

[@PowderedToastMan420]

Amy, great TAKE on this song. ✌️

[@paulkelleher7714]

A song you could cry your eyes out 2. Absolutely magnificent

[@heartoftherose]

Very nice, Amy, thank you for this unexpected pleasure. As soon as I saw it, I wondered about your reaction to the satisfying drone and slow tonal shifts you would experience - and you didn't disappoint. I saw The Cure at Merriweather Post Pavillion outside Washington DC almost exactly a year ago. Joining Robert Smith on stage was come-and-go bass player Simon Gallup and former David Bowie guitarist Reeves Gabrels, who's been with The Cure for over a decade (as well as leading his own band). My son took me as a gift. He's 40, born after "Boys Don't Cry", but just in time for "Friday I'm in Love", and introduced me to the band. Robert Smith is the guy that matters, although each musician contributed beautifully, this is Robert's music. The radio hits are fine, but it's the songs like this one that stick with you forever. It's different, Amy, when you have the pleasure of knowing the journey you'll be going on, as soon as you feel the first notes wash over your resonating body!

[@agla6634]

one of the few bands that can tug at your heart with their vibe and lyrics. their songs make you happy and sad at the same time. im grateful for being in HS during the 80's!

[@chrissiegle1065]

This album, disintegration, is one of those albums that every single song is just incredible... Definitely the band at their peak. Great reaction.

[@petesorenson9922]

Okay chills. I consider this one of the greatest songs of that era at least and I have always felt that the intro was a bit of an anomaly just quirky for quirkiness sake but to tie the imagery in of someone hanging around staring longingly over and over at pictures of a loved one is amazing. Literally chills. Thank you.

[@misha-jz4yx]

Beautiful reaction to a beloved band. They are so special live when their performances create an atmosphere that's hard to describe with only 5 senses, but where your whole soul is absorbed into a 4D 6th sensory experience. My favourite is A Forest.

[@mercurymachines4311]

It's a beautiful, cinematic song and I loved your analysis.

[@wastelands7139]

i was so obsessed with this song in high school that i went home and printed out the lyrics to memorize. still got it!

[@SouthernMenace]

The Cure was never my favorite band of that period, but they have a je ne sais quoi that is very pleasant and mesmerizing. I love how the singers from that time embraced the fact that they didn't have a perfect voice, and used that in their advantage, creating pieces full of humanity.

[@mawilliams777]

I agree, while i was never a fan, I knew they were special and extremely talented. Something that means more to me nostalgically than they did at the time. Absolutely cutting edge and boundary pushing, I even understood that at the time.

[@spaceorbison]

Robert's guitars always sound so clean and thick

[@TheWolv69]

Love this song, still brings me to tears. Love is eternal.

[@Lightning_Alert]

One of my favorite bands! Thank you for the great analysis!

[@JayTheRed602]

I've been hoping you would get around to The Cure. Smith is an absolutely incredible song writer. Disintegration is a masterpiece top to bottom.

[@John-tr5hn]

It's such a deeply sad song. The music is beautiful and playful, but it's a song about regret and loss.

[@mightyV444]

I perceive it more as melancholic myself, as happy-sad 🙂

[@WindmillChef]

Amy hits the jackpot or maybe my jackpot! While I am a bigger fan of other artists The Cure is somewhere in my favorite 10. I continually return to listening to entire albums and specifically Disintegration. And Amy is, for a first time listener, incredibly expertly perceptive, just spot on comments. The Cure members are beginner level musicians at best. Notice how all guitar work is one finger on the neck controlling one string, just pinging away. There are no chords played (by any individual) there are no bends, slide-ups or downs, nothing. They're an 80's band (started in 1978) and their recordings have all the favorite 80's overproduction techniques and they make heavy use of synthesizers without being a synth band. They do what everyone else did in the 80's but manage to create a distinctive, unique and recognizable The Cure sound. It's quite amazing. The Cure and Robert Smith are exactly what they represent, their sound defines 80's music. alternative music and did they invent the "Goth" culture? Probably not. But every Goth kid hails Robert Smith as one of their heroes. The Cure music is strangely distant, half nihilated, atmospheric and moody, just as 90's Goth youth was. At age 21 I left The Netherlands as a young culinarian to come to The US. In my last 4-5 years in Holland, an alternative-ish youth was my friends circles, I had liked the introduction of The Cure when they hit the market with "A Forest". Three years after being in The US the Disintegration album came out, I first heard it on the radio, immediately I bought the CD. So powerful and it put me right back in Rotterdam in my favorite streets and favorite places with my Dutch friends. In the 90's, as a somewhat formidable Executive Chef I made fun of the Goth kids with their black nail polish, black eye make-up...black everything. If someone walked in wearing black pants or black shoes I would say "that's Goth". But I like Robert Smith and I like The Cure. The lyrics of this song require several listening's. Smith buries triple and quadruple meanings in some of the lines. Thank you Amy, I really liked this one.

[@mightyV444]

I was wondering only a few days ago if The Cure would possibly pop up also on _this_ channel! 😁

[@roumiaou]

This was a great sharing from you. I remember the first time I heard this song when the album was released... You brought me back to this time. Thanks !

[@YourCaptivityisOver]

The most insightful and lovely bit of commentary I've seen in some time.

damn, this is one of my top 5 songs ever, and iit was lovely to see you feeling it, just discovered your channel, really interesting to see your insights about those classics, good stuff

[@kevinpittman2517]

I was 10 yrs old and my little sister and i went to the record store for the first time.. cant remember what she bought but i remember getting the Boys dont Cry single on a 45 record. two years later i was buying everything from this band by 85. then 2 yrs later they came out with just like heaven and broke into the mainstream. by 91 they were on Disintegration Tour and the love of my life and i went to this together.... then she moved away to college... and we never really reconnected. to this day i still have dreams of her in them... almost nightly. inorder to quit reliving losing her i get on youtube and watch documentaries and music so i can sleep thru the night.

[@indigojedei]

Done this exact thing many times myself. Headphones are the only way to truly listen to this song (or the entire album)!!

[@alphaomega2117]

The reason it hits home is there is real emotion behind the song and what it meant to the man who wrote it. According to interviews, the inspiration of the song came when a fire broke loose in Robert Smith's home. After that day, Smith was going through the remains and came across his wallet which had pictures of his wife, Mary.

[@wjcolclasure]

Great Review - There are different versions of this song. In my opinion, the original album version is the best version. This is an extended version that doesn't feel as concise as the album.

[@mightyV444]

I agree with you 100%. This appears to be the audio from the promo video clip.

[@thefreem]

this song has always been so beautiful

[@dwood21851]

So this must be a remastered version or something. I know the video is a longer version than the album version, but this is different all together. This has been one of my favorite songs since I was a kid in the '90s

[@Hartlor_Tayley]

“Come Dancing” by the Kinks is about the singers sister. Interesting story there Vlad.

[@alexandrosalexandropoulos4836]

Exceptional. Gives a lot of keys to read/feel the song better.

[@aprillockhart6574]

It does have an emotional haunting sound. Haven't heard this song in years and even now I feel haunted by the reverb.

[@roderic3261]

It's crazy the list of great bands that she's listening to for the first time

[@Xceloverdose]

What an insightful review. It's amazing how aligned your comments are with exactly what The Cure are and what their sound transmits. The power of music never ceases to amaze me.

[@Hartlor_Tayley]

Hypnotic and moody. Layered simplicity, nice soundscape but drums are too high in the mix. Nice vocal and lyrics. Great listen and discussion Amy. Thanks Virgin Rock.

[@zeeldaazoonk]

This song is like this kind of sad dream you are unable crying because you are surrounded of sadness and you feel strangely happy with tears in your eyes just like when you have a sweet souvenir. All is absolutely in his place to make you feel nostalgy and what better than a picture to go back in time ? 🖤🖤🖤

[@ronny7195]

One of my favorite songs. So glad you featured this one.

[@RiotGrrrlMeg]

Such a beautiful track and expressive lyrics that speak to my jaded Gen X soul. If you watch the video, it's a jarringly elegant and moving juxtaposition of the goth aesthetic with a song about love, loss, and longing. Nobody but Robert Smith could have pulled this off.

[@Greg-om2hb]

So you’re a Goth Girl. Robert Smith and the Cure are a special band. I’m taken by your reaction to this song. You've likely heard the Cure somewhere in public; I've even heard a Muzak version of the Cure on an elevator.

[@helifanodobezanozi7689]

I would describe them as more New Wave than Goth.

[@ellenb2498]

Thank you Amy, for your insight into this dreamy song. I was filled with reverie for a 7 hour road trip I took to Cape Cod with a Cure CD on most of the way. Both the music and the reverie were an unexpected treat.

[@gablen23]

"Before I'm gone for good You'll get a picture of me If you miss me You can always look at this You can tear it up" Which big hit are these lines from? Let me tell you that it's not an English-speaking band :)

[@clintnichols3030]

So it didn't make you cry. Listen to it another 20 times with a broken heart. Oh, and be 15 years old when you hear it, after a breakup. I love you channel!

[@ralph17p]

It never fails to amaze me what you manage to spot in the first listen about a song that I've listened to for decades and totally missed. Like the instrument sound being like the memory of the sound and not quite present. It's so obvious now that you've said it, but I would never have made that association in a million years.

[@BenelisaCotto]

I've been a Cure fanatic since i was a teen in the 80s, and this will forever be one of my top 3 songs of all time.

[@cklux2011]

I love the breathy sustain of the last word of every phrase that he sings.

[@Shelsight]

Never noticed that effect before… his voice is amazing and the production is so perfect…

[@BenelisaCotto]

Turn on some candles, lie down in a comfy corner and play the entire album.

[@jrag9435]

Cool analogy about going back to mix the recording in the studio compared to recalling memories. On that same note, The Cure did a later album of remixes of songs from their previous albums. It’s called Mixed Up. There is a more complex version of this song…you should def give it listen. I’ve been trying to find a way to describe this band since the 80’s. Whatever term rises just above music… that’s what they are. Smith is certainly a poet.

[@mightyV444]

This too was quite a different version compared to the 'Disintegration' album one, though! 🙂

[@anthonypal9931]

The Cure isn't just a band you listen to; it's a vessel driven by Robert Smith. You step aboard and ride a wave of emotion all the way to the end.