Song of the Day 9/27: The Cure, “Friday I’m in Love”

The Cure, the venerable British band led by Robert Smith, released its first new song in 16 years this week ahead of the November release of a new album. “Alone” doesn’t sound goth but it won’t dispel the label that’s dogged Smith since the ’80s, regardless of what his music has sounded like. That’s what happens when you break through while sporting white makeup, black eye shadow and smeared lipstick – you can never go back. Just ask Kiss.

The Cure has been around since the post-punk late ’70s. Over the years it’s been more or less Smith with a rotating cast that has joined and rejoined over the years. They’re more popular in the UK and Europe than in the U.S., but they’ve had their share of hits in America.

“Friday I’m in Love” wasn’t the biggest – No. 25 on the Hot 100, No. 1 Modern Rock – but it’s probably best known beyond the band’s fandom. I remember hearing it on the car radio when it was released in May 1992 and being astonished that it was The Cure. It didn’t sound nearly morose enough to be them. In fact, it was so out of character that after Smith wrote it he became paranoid that he had heard the chord progression somewhere and had inadvertently stolen it, so he played it for several friends before he was convinced it wasn’t someone else’s song.

An interesting recording footnote: Those with perfect pitch might notice that the song is not. It was played in D but the tape was recording in variable-speed mode, so the recording ended up between D and E flat. They play it in D in concert.

Here’s the new song. The big, orchestral production sounds little like the band in its heyday, but give Smith credit for finding new settings for his morose lyrics.