The Fat Angel Sings

There is no other band in pop or rock who is able to master the balance between gloom and radiance quite like The Cure. And when it was released on May 2nd, 1989, no other album in their catalouge reflected both the darkness and light of their sound like “Disintegration”.
The band’s eighth LP was intended to be a return to the more oblique, gothic undertones of their landmark 1982 LP Pornography The epic, synth-heavy pastiche of opening track “Plainsong,” “Closedown” and the nine-minute “The Same Deep Water As You” all remain beacons of beautiful sorrow that seemed miles away from the pop vibrancy of such mid-80s faves as The Head On The Door and Kiss Me, Kiss Me, Kiss Me.

Disintegration and this particular classic lineup of The Cure, comprised of fearless leader and vastly underrated guitar hero Robert Smith; longtime bassist Simon Gallup; guitarist Porl Thompson; drummer Boris Williams; keyboardist Roger O’Donnell; and original drummer Lol Tolhurst, who didn’t play on the album but provided the basis for the song “Homesick” managed to channel the pop maneuvering of songs like “The Love Cats,” “Close To Me” and “Just Like Heaven” into a dark wave of black romance throughout the record’s 72 minutes.

The romantic gloom on Disintegration is more achingly beautiful depressive wallowers everywhere rejoiced. Perfect for any introspective occasion it also happens to be the perfect breakup album, including the album title! If there was a class called Album Openers , “Plainsong” would take up the first and last sections of the course. We relive the happy times captured in pictures “Pictures of You”, experience the high of expressing one’s love and devotion (“Lovesong”) only to experience the sadness of impending heartache (“Last Dance”) and the nightmares that follow (“Lullaby”). There’s also anger and desperation in songs like “Fascination Street,” “Prayers for Rain,” and “The Same Deep Water as You” in which Smith laments “can’t you see I try?/swimming the same deep water as you is hard.” With the sounds of breaking glass the epic title track begins where Smith describes his own failings. “Homesick” has Smith begging for another “go” before walking away and the album closer (“Untitled”) has Smith sadly admitting that he’ll “never lose this pain/never dream of you again.” Full of shimmery guitars, synths, and emotional lyrics, the album creates a lush atmosphere of love and loss. Perfect for heartbreak in the dark.

Each of the four singles taken from Disintegration provided more momentum for The Cure’s visibility and success on the charts across the globe. And while songs like “Fascination Street,” “Lullaby” and “Pictures of You” did, “Fascination” peaked at No. 1 on the Alternative Songs chart, it was the album’s most pop-positive moment, “Lovesong,” that skyrocketed them to the No. 2 position as well as largely universal acclaim to music listeners beyond the goth crowd.

“Despite making challenging music that deals with the biggest themes, their impact has been gigantic,” proclaimed Trent Reznor of Nine Inch Nails in his speech inducting The Cure into the 2019 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. “They’ve sold the best part of who gives a shit how many million records and been an essential touchstone in the genres of post-punk, new wave, goth, alternative, shoegaze and post-rock. They’ve been in and out of fashion so many times in the last four decades that they ended up transcending fashion itself. Though they might be a hip name to drop in 2019, this wasn’t always the case. Their dedication to pushing sonic and artistic boundaries while making music for the ages wasn’t always rewarded with glowing reviews in the press. But they never failed to attract a passionate, intelligent and loyal fanbase who always knew the truth: The Cure are one of the most unique, most brilliant, most heartbreakingly excellent rock bands the world has ever known.”

‘Disintegration’

Dropping through sky, through the glass of the roof, through the roof of your mouth, through the mouth of your eye, through the eye of the needle / It’s easier for me to get closer to heaven than ever feel whole again I never said I would stay to the end / I knew I would leave you with babies and everything.” Running more than eight minutes, the title track to the band’s best album features Robert Smith at his wordiest … and nastiest. It’s basically a cycle-of-life thing, with childhood abuses giving way to similar adult patterns. Chilling.

‘Pictures of You’

“Pictures of You” is the fourth and final single from the British rock band the Cure’s 1989 album Disintegration. Called “chilly goth-rock” and “accessible…synth-pop”, the song has a single version which is a shorter edit of the album version.
“If only I’d thought of the right words, I could have held on to your heart / If only I’d thought of the right words, I wouldn’t be breaking apart all my pictures of you.Robert Smith has said that he wrote ‘Pictures of You’ after a fire at his home. Among the remains were some pictures of his wife in a wallet. But read the lyrics, and you’ll discover something that cuts way deeper: a broken heart and shattered memories.

‘Fascination Street’

a 1989 North-American-only single by the English rock band The Cure from their album Disintegration.Their American record company refused the band’s original choice of song“Lullaby” as the first single (it was the lead single in the UK and was released in the U.S. later) and used “Fascination Street” instead.
The song is notable for its extended bass introduction. “I like you in that like I like you to scream / But if you open your mouth, then I can’t be responsible for quite what goes in or to care what comes out.”The first single from the Cure’s breakthrough U.S. album is one of Robert Smith’s vaguest songs. Is it about sex? Control? A breakdown of a relationship? We can’t say for sure, but the menacing rhythm hints that something sinister is going on. A perfect summation of the Cure at their best.

“Lovesong”

The Cure, released “Lovesong” as the third single from their eighth studio album Disintegration in 1989. The song saw considerable success in the United States, where it was a number two hit.

The song is performed in A minor and is built around a distinctive bass riff. The verses follow an Am/G/F/Em chord progression, which changes to F/G/Am/C in the choruses. The lyrics are simple, with each verse having the same structure (“Whenever I’m alone with you / you make me feel like I am … again”). Speaking of its simplicity and unusually upbeat nature compared to the other tracks on Disintegration, Smith stated, “It’s an open show of emotion. It’s not trying to be clever. It’s taken me ten years to reach the point where I feel comfortable singing a very straightforward love song”

The single version of the song is almost exactly the same as the album version, but the mix is slightly different, with extra reverb and harmonies added to Smith’s vocals. In addition, in the instrumental section between the first two verses, the guitar doesn’t join the keyboards like it does on the album.