{"id":2580,"date":"2026-06-08T17:34:11","date_gmt":"2026-06-08T21:34:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.songfacts.com\/articles\/?p=2580"},"modified":"2026-06-08T17:34:13","modified_gmt":"2026-06-08T21:34:13","slug":"3-sad-anthems-by-the-cure-that-prove-the-songwriting-genius-of-robert-smith","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.songfacts.com\/articles\/3-sad-anthems-by-the-cure-that-prove-the-songwriting-genius-of-robert-smith\/","title":{"rendered":"3 Sad Anthems by The Cure That Prove the Songwriting Genius of Robert Smith"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>Since The Cure debuted in 1979 with <em>Three Imaginary Boys<\/em>, the post-punk legends have perfected the sad anthem. And Robert Smith\u2019s songwriting, voice, and guitar playing have shaped generations of artists, from Nine Inch Nails and The Smashing Pumpkins to Olivia Rodrigo. Smith didn\u2019t just craft goth hits. His band helped create a community of like-minded outsiders who finally felt like they belonged somewhere. Here are three anthems that show how The Cure did it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>\u201cPictures Of You\u201d<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-4-3 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"The Cure - Pictures Of You\" width=\"500\" height=\"375\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/UmFFTkjs-O0?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Photographs are evidence that it happened. It\u2019s why we use our phones to document events, experiences, and people. They solidify memories into forever\u2014a bulwark against fading glimpses of recollections. But photographs, like grief, are also the receipts for joy. When a relationship ends, or we\u2019re no longer around someone we loved, the photos keep both the romance and the person as they once were. That\u2019s \u201cPictures Of You\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>If only I\u2019d thought of the right words,<br>I could have held on to your heart.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>\u201cPrayers For Rain\u201d<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-4-3 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Prayers for Rain (2010 Remaster)\" width=\"500\" height=\"375\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/7GPQ33bf4q8?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Disintegration<\/em> remains one of my favorite albums. When The Cure recorded its masterpiece, Robert Smith was sinking into an abyss of despair. The bleak guitar riff recalls Joy Division. And as the band\u2019s slow groove propels forward, Smith sings, \u201cYou shatter me, your grip on me \/ A hold on me so dull it kills.\u201d The line guts me every time. It\u2019s a dullness, a dreary kind of tedium that feels impossible to escape. As gloomy as it all sounds, this record gave many sad kids hope because they no longer felt alone.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>\u201cJust Like Heaven\u201d<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-4-3 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"The Cure - Just Like Heaven\" width=\"500\" height=\"375\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/n3nPiBai66M?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>On paper, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.songfacts.com\/facts\/the-cure\/just-like-heaven\">\u201cJust Like Heaven\u201d<\/a> feels like the sunny side of The Cure. Yet even with the heartfelt promises, the deep oceans, the essence of a dream, there\u2019s a quiet desperation in the lyrics. It\u2019s the thought of how everything comes to an end. The threat of losing the people we love. It\u2019s how laughter often imitates crying and why we sometimes feel sad during happy moments. In the song, Smith\u2019s girlfriend asks, \u201cWhy won\u2019t you ever know that I\u2019m in love with you?\u201d When he says you\u2019re just like a dream, maybe he means she\u2019s like an aspiration. But also, an experience that he fears will end when he finally wakes up.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Photo by Martyn Goodacre\/Getty Images<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Since The Cure debuted in 1979 with &#8216;Three Imaginary Boys&#8217;, the post-punk legends have perfected the sad anthem.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":973477,"featured_media":2582,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"byline":{"profiles":[{"type":"byline_id","atts":{"term_id":316,"post_id":2139}}]},"savage_platform_role_ideator":[],"savage_platform_role_editor":[],"savage_platform_role_senior_editor":[],"savage_platform_role_photographer":[],"savage_platform_role_illustrator":[],"savage_platform_role_translator":[],"savage_platform_role_as-told-to":[],"savage_platform_role_reviewed-by":[],"savage_platform_disable_recirculation":false,"savage_platform_article_type":"news","savage_platform_vice_article_type":"article","savage_platform_article_intent":"","savage_platform_show_affiliate_disclaimer":false,"wp_curate_deduplication":false,"wp_curate_unique_pinned_posts":false,"savage_platform_featured_image_caption":"Photo by Martyn Goodacre\/Getty Images","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","savage_platform_subheadline":""},"categories":[14],"tags":[27,344,343],"byline":[316],"class_list":["post-2580","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-lists","tag-post-punk","tag-robert-smith","tag-the-cure"],"savage_platform_primary_term":{"category":{"term_name":"Lists","term_id":14,"term_link":"https:\/\/www.songfacts.com\/articles\/category\/lists\/"},"post_tag":{"term_name":"post-punk","term_id":27,"term_link":"https:\/\/www.songfacts.com\/articles\/tag\/post-punk\/"}},"hide_from_homepage":false,"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.6 - 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