Robert Smith Considers This Cure Hit The Band’s Best Pop Song

With frontman Robert Smith’s wild black hair and bold red lipstick combined with albums like Faith and Disintegration, The Cure had a reputation for being a dark, moody band, one which still stands to this day. But their discography is packed with upbeat, catchy songs, including “Just Like Heaven,” which was their first major hit in the US. Smith himself called it “the best pop song The Cure has ever done.”

“Just Like Heaven”

In 1987, Smith had forced himself into a writing regime of 15 days a month, and one of those writing days spawned what would become “Just Like Heaven.” The lyrics were inspired by a trip he’d taken to the seashore with the woman who would later become his wife, Mary Poole.

The band continued working on the song while in France in 1987 working on their seventh album, Kiss Me, Kiss Me, Kiss Me. Originally, it was a slower song, but drummer Boris Williams sped up the tempo.

Musically, “Just Like Heaven” has a similar structure to “Another Girl Another Planet” by The Only Ones.

“The main difference is that as the song progressed, I introduced some different chord changes, which give it that slightly melancholic feeling,” Smith explained.

In a 2003 interview with Blender, Smith hailed “Just Like Heaven” as The Cure’s best pop song and looked back on the recording process, saying, “All the sounds meshed, it was one take, and it was perfect.”

Poole had some input on the final version of the song, as did the other band members’ girlfriends.

“The girls would sit on the sofa in the back of the control room and give the songs marks out often,” Smith told Rolling Stone. “So there was a really big female input.”

Smith also elaborated on the romantic subject matter of “Just Like Heaven,” as well as Poole’s role in the music video.

“The song is about hyperventilating – kissing and fainting to the floor,” he said. “Mary dances with me in the video because she was the girl, so it had to be her. The idea is that one night like that is worth 1,000 hours of drudgery.”

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