100 Greatest Songs of the 20’s So Far #77 The Cure – Alone

Released : 2024

Robert Smith was hardly to be accused of manipulating the element of surprise. As The Cure emerged from their chrysalis again at the beginning of the decade they set out on a grand world tour which – cleverly – reasserted them as one of the most adored bands of their era. Lasting for upwards of three and a half hours, whilst the encores were in effect a greatest hits to die for, every show began with the same new song – Alone.

Takes on how to open a gig vary, from throwing the kitchen sink at it to shake the audience out of their torpor or mood building to capture attention. By using Alone Smith and co. bridged the gap, both of the sixteen year wait from their last album to the much anticipated Songs of a Lost World and in embracing crowds with a beginning of true intent.

Raised up over Simon Cooper’s tattoo of drums, it’s over three minutes before any vocals come in, plenty of time to be caught in the tumbling piano and swirls of Cocteau Twins-esque atmospheric layers. Knowing that it would be purposefully misunderstood and derided by those who see The Cure only as performative miserabalists, on it Smith gave notice that he’d ceased to care about outside forces, happy to bring initiates joy in despair as few others were capable. The only surprise was that we’d ever doubted that he could.