I’m not sure if there’s a band that I can claim as my favorite of all time, because the reality is I have a different favorite every day. This process of choosing one favorite over all others seems futile. But, for me, The Cure, is about as close as it gets. For me, their music is irreplaceable. There are things that I feel when I put on a Cure record that I can’t experience with anything else. For the month of June, I hope to share some of this as a I cover a different Cure song each day – counting down from #30 to #1. And, in this case, I have no qualms stating my #1. #30DaysofTheCure
U.S. original release: Seventeen Seconds (1980) - Track 2
Ranking: 15
I won’t go as far as to say that the darker stuff from The Cure is the only good stuff. But more often than not, the band has been able to create darker moods and explore darker emotions rather successfully. It never feels contrived or overly dramatic when they go in this direction. The dark period began with Seventeen Seconds, an abrupt 180 degree change from Three Imaginary Boys, which contained varying strands of pop and post punk. On Seventeen Seconds, there was a concerted effort to create music more akin to Siouxsie & The Banshees than XTC. The biggest lineup change was Dempsey’s exit who was replaced by Gallup on bass. Almost overnight, the band’s aura and expression changed completely. Seventeen Seconds is one of my favorite Cure records – and “Play For Today” is one of my go-to tracks.
There’s a dark, brooding atmosphere enveloping the album as a whole, but Track 2 marches to the beat of a different drum. The upbeat nature of “Play For Today” stems from the drum part and bass line from which the rest of the song seems to build out from. Smith’s opening guitar harmonics and ensuing grating strums are memorable, but they’re not what drive the song. Even the melody seems to be birthed out of the rhythm section. Hartley’s melodious, single-note ode on the keys hums along the surface and in the spotlight, but even his notes ride the rhythmic bed laid down by Tolhurst and Gallup. Not the other way around. “Play For Today” is a study in restraint. Never in excess. Just enough to work marvelously.
“It's not a case of doing what's right. It's just the way I feel that matters.”