Lovesong (The Cure song)

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“Lovesong”
“Lovesong” cover
Single by The Cure
from the album Disintegration
Released August 1989
Format 7", 12", CD
Genre Alternative rock
Length 3:27
Label Fiction Records
Producer Robert Smith
Dave Allen
The Cure singles chronology
"Fascination Street"
(1989)
"Lovesong"
(1989)
"Pictures of You"
(1990)

"Lovesong" (sometimes listed as "Love Song") is a modern ballad written by Robert Smith and originally released by The Cure on their Disintegration album. Robert Smith originally wrote this song as a gift to his longtime girlfriend, Mary, shortly before their marriage.

Contents

[edit] Title

The title of this song is widely disputed, as it varies between "Lovesong" and "Love Song" on many official Cure releases. The artwork for the album Disintegration uses both, "Love Song" on the tracklisting and "Lovesong" on the lyrics sheet. When released as a single in 1989 the artwork displayed the title as "Lovesong", and subsequent releases of Paris and Galore both also use "Lovesong" exclusively, whilst 2001's Greatest Hits compilation uses "Lovesong" on the tracklisting and "Love Song" within the liner notes. 2004's Join the Dots also uses "Lovesong" within the booklet presentation.

[edit] Original release

Upon release as a single, the song received worldwide success, and first peaked at #2 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, making it the group's most successful single in the US to date. Robert Smith originally wrote the song for his long-time girlfriend and then fiancée, Mary, as a wedding present. They are still married.

[edit] Track listing

[edit] 7" single

  1. "Lovesong"
  2. "2 Late"

[edit] 12" single

  1. "Lovesong" (Extended Mix)
  2. "2 Late"
  3. "Fear of Ghosts"

[edit] CD single

  1. "Lovesong" (Extended Mix)
  2. "2 Late"
  3. "Fear of Ghosts"
  4. "Lovesong"

[edit] Personnel

Former Cure band member Lol Tolhurst doesn't appear in the music video. He was a member of the Cure at the time "Lovesong" was recorded, but did not participate in the recording, and he was fired shortly before the album's release.

[edit] Cover versions

The track has been covered by the bands 311, A Perfect Circle, Good Charlotte, The Deluxtone Rockets, Jack Off Jill, Snake River Conspiracy, Azam Ali/Niyaz, Ira Losco, Death Cab for Cutie, Anberlin, Seafood (who released their cover of the song as a download-only single in June 2007) and Voltaire. Solo artists have performed covers as well, such as singer-songwriter Tori Amos, most famously on the radio station KROQ. Irish singer-songwriter Naimee Coleman included an interpretation of the song on her 2001 album Bring Down The Moon. Blake Lewis, the runner-up on the sixth season of American Idol, performed the song on March 27, 2007 on the show. Its studio version was released on the American Idol official website and later included on his Blake Lewis - EP, as well as in the American Idol Season 6: The Collector's Edition, the compilation of the studio versions of song performed by the finalists of Idol. Voltaire released an acoustic cover that more fits his style of music on his album Then and Again. It was recently covered by Captain during a BBC Radio 2 live session with Dermot O'Leary.

[edit] Sample

"Lovesong" (1989)

Sample of "Lovesong" by The Cure
Problems listening to the file? See media help.

[edit] External links

Preceded by
"Last Train Home" by Lostprophets
Billboard Modern Rock Tracks number-one single (311 version)
May 1, 2004
Succeeded by
"Cold Hard Bitch" by Jet