Subscriber Playlist (April 2022): 30 Wishes

Opus subscribers can listen to a collection of 30 of my favorite Cure songs to celebrate the 30th anniversary of Wish.

Thirty years ago this month (April 21, 1992, to be exact), The Cure released Wish, their ninth studio album and also — let’s be honest — the last consistently good Cure album (read my review). To be fair, all of their subsequent albums, like 1996’s Wild Mood Swings and 2000’s Bloodflowers, have their moments, but Wish is the last Cure album that’s solid from beginning to end.

Then again, Wish was also the first Cure album that I ever really listened to, so I won’t deny that nostalgia plays a factor in my assessment. While I’d heard “Just Like Heaven” and “Lovesong” on the radio plenty of times, Wish was my Cure gateway album. And since I discovered it during the absolute best possible time to discover The Cure — that would be high school, when angst, alienation, and feelings of unrequited affections are at an all-time high — I quickly became obsessed with songs like “Apart,” “From the Edge of the Deep Green Sea,” “A Letter to Elise,” and “To Wish Impossible Things.”

My friend Leah gave me a copy of Wish for my 16th birthday. It was dubbed onto a battered, black cassette along with several Wish b-sides, and I listened to it constantly on the bus to and from school. And then I’d hide away in my bedroom, and listen to it some more. (Leah died the winter of our senior year after getting in a terrible car accident. That was my first real encounter with death and mourning, and as such, that black cassette — which I still have — became a treasured memento of a long-lost friend. Which also explains my attachment to Wish.)

Robert Smith has announced plans to release a special “deluxe” edition of Wish, similar to the deluxe editions released for Disintegration, Pornography, and Faith. Of course, given Smith’s track record, who knows when that will actually be released. Until then, I’m celebrating Wish’s anniversary with a playlist featuring 30 of my favorite Cure songs from throughout their long and storied career.

Some of the selections are obvious, like “A Forest” and “Fascination Street,” but The Cure’s catalog is a treasure trove of hidden gems and b-sides, many of which are as good as, or even better than, the album cuts. But they’re all a reminder that The Cure is a truly singular band. Although they’ve inspired countless followers, nobody — and I mean nobody — has even come close to sounding like them. Put simply, The Cure’s music remains as enthralling for me today as it did when I was an awkward, angst-ridden kid seeking solace amidst the tempest that is high school with the help of a black cassette.

What are some of your favorite Cure songs? What are some bands that left a mark on you in high school that you still enjoy, even now? Let’s discover some new music together.

If you enjoyed this playlist, then check out my playlist archives.