The Reasons Why

Album: 4:13 Dream (2008)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • The lyrics for this deceptively poppy song came from a real-life suicide note sent to Cure singer Robert Smith by a fan.
  • Smith originally intended for 4:13 Dream, The Cure's 13th and most recent studio album, to be a double album. The band recorded 33 songs for the project but Smith ultimately decided it would work better as a single CD and selected just 13 tracks.
  • Smith told Rolling Stone how the album came together in the studio from a limited palette of sounds. "We recorded everything together in the same studio. Probably 75 percent of what we've ended up with comes from the very first session we did because it had a really good feel to it. Even though we've refined some of it a bit later and changed the tempos and re-recorded, the bulk of what we've done has actually been our own demos," he explained.

    "The good thing about it sonically is that the slow songs and the fast songs and everything in between all hang together. We have a limited palette of sounds. We only used four keyboard sounds across 33 songs. I've used the same basic instruments. I've used like three amps. The room sounds the same. Even though the songs are very kind of weird and fit together uncomfortably, they do at least have the benefit of sounding the same."
  • The album peaked in #16 in America, where it sold just 97,000 copies. In the UK, it stalled at #33 - their worst chart entry since their 1978 debut, Three Imaginary Boys, went to #44.

Comments: 2

  • Betto from Ciudad De México, MexicoLa película El Rey León (The Lion King) menciona que, al morir, nos vamos a las estrellas. Esta canción me hace reflexionar que las estrellas me llaman y que deje de apegarme a quien no tiene ningún interés en mi. Una canción para divertirse, no para seguirla.
  • Brian from Alluhrst, Nji get the intro to this song confused with the intro from the prefect boy
see more comments

Editor's Picks

Goodbye, Hello: Ten Farewell Tour Fake-Outs

Goodbye, Hello: Ten Farewell Tour Fake-OutsSong Writing

The 10 biggest "retirement tours" that didn't take.

In The Cards

In The CardsSong Writing

Songwriters have used cards and card games to make sense of heartache, togetherness, and even Gonorrhea.

American Hits With Foreign Titles

American Hits With Foreign TitlesSong Writing

What are the biggest US hits with French, Spanish (not "Rico Suave"), Italian, Scottish, Greek, and Japanese titles?

Songs in Famous Movie Scenes: '80s Edition

Songs in Famous Movie Scenes: '80s EditionMusic Quiz

You know the scenes - Tom Cruise in his own pants-off dance off, Molly Ringwald celebrating her birthday - but do you remember what song is playing?

Janet Jackson

Janet JacksonFact or Fiction

Was Janet secretly married at 18? Did she gain 60 pounds for a movie role that went to Mariah Carey? See what you know about Ms. Jackson.

Waiting For The Break of Day: Three Classic Songs About All-Nighters

Waiting For The Break of Day: Three Classic Songs About All-NightersSong Writing

These Three famous songs actually describe how they were written - late into the evening.