"You, soft and only,
You, lost and lonely,
You, just like heaven..."

Music lovers of the late 70s not satisfied entirely by the punk and new wave generation, were introduced to a new genre of music, alternative rock. And leading the way was The Cure, a band whose music melded characteristics of pop with lush, eclectic soundscapes, unlike anything heard before. Music fans around the world embraced the stylish atmospheric sound and The Cure proved they were a force to be reckoned with.

Robert Smith and some fellow classmates started the band while still high school students in Essex, England. One of their songs, called “Killing An Arab” garnered the attention of a record label, who quickly signed the band and released the song as a single, a lush alternative to the harshness of punk. Shortly after, the band released its first album, Three Imaginary Boys, as well as another single, “Boys Don’t Cry” which earned regular rotation on numerous college stations and perked up the ears of young American music fans who were intrigued by the band’s dark and gothic sound.

After extensive touring in 1979, the band added a keyboard player and released their second album, 17 Seconds, scoring a minor U.K. hit with a haunting track called “A Forest.” More touring followed, then the release of two more albums, Faith and Pornography. For their efforts, Pornography became their first album to land within the Top-10 position in Britain.

The band departed from their decidedly dark roots in 1982 to introduce a slightly more playful and upbeat sound, demonstrated on the single, “Let’s Go To Bed,” a funky dance number that finally put the band on the American charts. They followed up with similar brighter songs such as “The Walk” and the jazz-tinged “The Lovecats.” And embarked on another ambitious tour to make new fans and further explore their quirky blend of atmospheric lushness and pop proclivities, which was well-represented by another pair of albums, The Top and The Head on the Door. And while it may have been a long time coming, the band was about to have their biggest breakthrough to date.

First, the band released a compilation of their earlier works called Standing on the Beach: The Singles and much to their surprise, the album went gold in the States. Realizing that American audiences were starting to take more notice, they followed up with an ambitious double-album of new material called Kiss Me, Kiss Me, Kiss Me. The album gave the band their first Top-10 Hit in America with the energetic “Just Like Heaven,” the funky college favorite “Why Can’t I Be You” and spawned a total of four hit singles in the U.K.

The Cure followed up with another well-received album, Disintigration, which rose to #14 in America and gave the band their biggest hit in the states, “Love Song” which went to #2 on the charts and “Fascination Street” another popular track. Afterwards, another compilation album was released, this time featuring a number of remixed club versions of previous material, appropriately titled Mix Up. Another successful album followed in 1992, called Wish, which went all the way to #1 in England and #2 across the pond. It has since been cited by many of the band’s fans as their favorite album. Thanks to its resounding success, a massive World Tour was launched, which spawned a pair of live recordings, Show, which accompanied a full-length concert documentary of the same name, and Paris.

Four years later, in 1996, the band released one of their more adventurous albums in quite some time, called Wild Mood Swings, which included such interesting instrumentations as a string section, brass ensemble, a Mexican trumpet player and an Indian Orchestra. They followed with another anthology in 1997, a retrospective of the last decade titled Galore: 1987-1997. Their next album, the critically acclaimed Bloodfeathers, was recorded in 1998, but wouldn’t see release until two years later in 2000. Upon release, it garnered the band their first Grammy nomination. Two years later, in Berlin, the band would play three concerts on successive night, with each night featuring one of their classic albums performed in its entirety. Thrilled fans watched as they recreated Pornography the first night, followed by Disintegration and Bloodflowers. All three nights were released as part of a DVD set called The Cure: Trilogy.

The band signed to Geffen Records in 2003, releasing a four-disc boxed set called Join the Dots: B-sides and Rarities, 1978-2001. which included an astounding 70 songs. And in 2004, the group released their twelfth studio album, simply called The Cure. It debuted in the Top-10, both in England and America. And in October of 2008, after four long years, anxious fans were finally treated to the band’s thirteenth record, a double-album called 4:13 Dream.

Still going strong after all these years, The Cure has always insisted on defining their own genres, rather than follow in the footsteps of others. And even if it sometimes took the rest of the world a little time to catch up, they eventually embraced the band with open arms and continue to do so to this day, thirty years after their debut.