{"id":213998,"date":"2025-06-25T20:02:09","date_gmt":"2025-06-25T20:02:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/213998\/"},"modified":"2025-06-25T20:02:09","modified_gmt":"2025-06-25T20:02:09","slug":"robert-smiths-favourite-cover-of-the-cure-is-perfect","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/213998\/","title":{"rendered":"Robert Smith’s favourite cover of The Cure is perfect"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Robert<\/p>\n

(Credits: Far Out \/ Alamy)<\/p>\n

Wed 25 June 2025 17:29, UK <\/p>\n

The influence of The Cure<\/a> has been extensive over the past 40 years of popular music. The group have delivered reason upon reason for them to be considered one of the finest groups Britain has ever produced, and their list of impressive moments goes on and on. <\/p>\n

Although the band themselves detest the term, any artist that taps into the potent well of goth rock that The Cure perfected needs to acknowledge the forefathers of the genre. Whether it was stripped back post-punk, creeping orchestral pop, or jubilant candy-coated pop, The Cure have the kind of eclectic catalogue that any group would kill for.<\/p>\n

But just like all musicians, The Cure<\/a> have some songs that have transcended above and beyond even the band themselves. Perhaps the most mainstream-friendly of all of The Cure\u2019s material is \u2018Just Like Heaven\u2019, the 1987 single that catapulted The Cure from one of England\u2019s best-loved underground acts to legitimate stadium rock icons.<\/p>\n

Although it wasn\u2019t their highest charting song in either the US or the UK, as those honours belong to \u2018Lovesong\u2019 and \u2018Lullaby\u2019 respectively, \u2018Just Like Heaven\u2019 remains The Cure\u2019s third most-streamed song on Spotify after \u2018Friday I\u2019m In Love\u2019 and \u2018Boys Don\u2019t Cry\u2019. It\u2019s been played at nearly every Cure concert since its original release as well with a grand total of 761 plays, good enough to make it the band\u2019s fifth-most played live song ever.<\/p>\n

If you want a clear illustration of just how big \u2018Just Like Heaven\u2019 truly is, however, just look at the number of covers it has inspired. Everyone from modern folkies The Lumineers to punk rockers Goldfinger to \u201990s alt-rockers 10,000 Maniacs to bluegrass kings The Infamous Stringdusters have given the song a try, but the one band to truly key into the song was American alt-punks Dinosaur Jr.<\/a><\/p>\n

Originally released as a single in the UK two years after The Cure\u2019s original version, Dinosaur Jr.\u2019s take on \u2018Just Like Heaven\u2019 was originally meant to be included on a compilation of punk rock covers before the band decided they wanted to release it as a stand-alone single. \u201cWe recorded it for a compilation album, but when we finished it we liked it so much we didn\u2019t want to give it to them,\u201d singer J Mascis told Musician Magazine in 1989.<\/p>\n

Dinosaur Jr. even sent Robert Smith a cassette of the cover, to which Smith responded enthusiastically. \u201cJ Mascis sent me a cassette, and it was so passionate. It was fantastic. I\u2019ve never had such a visceral reaction to a cover version before or since\u201d, Smith told Blender back in 2003.<\/p>\n

This may well be the most famous cover of The Cure of all time. That\u2019s because the track is taken in such a new and interesting direction it\u2019s hard to forget about it. J Mascis and the band buzzsaw through the song with distorted guitars and a screaming bridge.<\/p>\n

There is probably one solid reason that this cover sticks out to Smith as the finest: it is completely unusual and alternative. There are many sweet and delicate covers of The Cure, and there are even a lot of hard-hitting ones. But this piece is perfectly placed to be in Smith\u2019s sweet spot. Dirty and abrasive with enough texture to make you feel gritty and endeared to the process. <\/p>\n<\/p>\n

Related Topics<\/p>\n

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