Wish (The Cure album)

Wish is the ninth studio album by British alternative rock band The Cure, released on 21 April 1992 through record label Fiction in the UK and Elektra in the US.[1] Upon its release, Wish was the Cure's overall highest charting album, and most commercially successful in the band's career, given its debut at number one in the UK and number two in the United States, where it sold more than 1.2 million copies.[2]

Wish
Studio album by
The Cure
Released21 April 1992
Recorded1991–1992 at The Manor in Oxfordshire, England
Genre
Length65:42
Label
Producer
The Cure chronology
Entreat
(1991)		 Wish
(1992)		 Show
(1993)
Singles from Wish
  1. "High"
    Released: 16 March 1992
  2. "Friday I'm in Love"
    Released: 11 May 1992
  3. "A Letter to Elise"
    Released: 5 October 1992

Recording

The record is the final studio album featuring drummer Boris Williams and the first featuring Perry Bamonte, who was initially working as a roadie for the band,[3] as well as being the last album featuring guitarist Porl Thompson for sixteen years.[4]

Whilst retaining their trademark gothic rock sound and mood on some tracks, Wish often found the band emphasizing the lighter, broader guitar-driven alternative rock direction that was hinted on their previous three records. According to Porl Thompson, 'Wish' was recorded on 48 tracks and "almost everything was used".[5] Robert Smith also revealed the hit song 'Friday I'm In Love' was purposely sped up a quarter-tone sharp on the recording tape, halfway between D and E-flat. Robert Smith commented on the speeding up of the tape of the song in a 1993 interview. "[…] that was an accident. I was playing with the vari-speed and forgot to turn it off. But the whole feel changed, and the fact that it's the only song on Wish that's not in concert pitch really lifts it out and makes it sound different. After working on the record for months, hearing something a quarter-tone off makes your brain take a step backwards." [5] Smith also revealed that the "detuning' of the guitars played a role in the unique "sound" of the album, as did the subliminal overdubs and the extensive use of feedback.[5] "A lot of things on our record that sound like heavy chorusing are actually just detuned instruments. The only drawback to that is onstage it's very confusing sometimes, especially with lots of phasing effects going on. It turns into this overwhelming pulsing sound, and you can't hear anything." [5]

Smith also revealed that the songs "Mesmerize" by Chapterhouse, and "Human" by The Human League were an influence on the album, he commented on both songs in 1993: "For every album we do, I assemble a bunch of songs that have something that I'm trying to capture. For Wish, I would listen to "Mesmerize" by Chapterhouse for its feeling of abandon and "Human" by the Human League. You couldn't spot anything sonically or structurally that would influence anything we did, but there's an indefinable something that I'm trying to capture. One night I must have played "Mesmerize" 20 times, drinking and turning it louder and louder, putting myself into a trance."[5]

Release
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[6]
Chicago Tribune[7]
Christgau's Consumer GuideC+[8]
Entertainment WeeklyB[9]
Los Angeles Times[10]
NME8/10[11]
Q[12]
Rolling Stone[13]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide[14]
Select5/5[15]

The album's lead single was "High", released on 16 March 1992. The single peaked at number eight on the UK Singles Chart, forty-two on the US Billboard Hot 100 and number one on the Billboard Modern Rock Tracks.[16][17][18] The album's second single, "Friday I'm in Love", released on 11 May 1992, became one of the band's most popular songs – reaching number six in the UK Singles Chart and number eighteen in the Billboard Hot 100, and number one in the Modern Rock Tracks.[19][17][18] The final single was for "A Letter to Elise", going at number twenty-eight in the UK and 2 in the Modern Rock Tracks.[19][18]

Wish was released on 21 April. It received positive reviews upon release, including a four-star review in Rolling Stone that stated: "For its cult of millions, the Cure offers the only kind of optimism that makes sense."[13][14] Wish was also the band's overall highest charting album, and most commercially successful in the band's career. Upon release, 'Wish' would soon debut at number one in the UK, and number two in the United States Billboard 200, where it sold more than 1.2 million copies.[19][2] Wish was also nominated for the Grammy Award for Best Alternative Music Album in 1993. It peaked at number one in the United States Cashbox album charts on 16 May 1992.[20]

On 16 November 1993, a limited EP called Lost Wishes was released on cassette with four new tracks on it.[21]

In 1995, Q included Wish in its publication "In Our Lifetime: Q's 100 Best Albums 1986–94", a list compiled to celebrate its 100th issue.[22]

In 2000 it was voted number 646 in Colin Larkin's All Time Top 1000 Albums.[23]

Reissue

On April 13, 2018, in an interview with BBC Radio 6, Robert Smith confirmed that the deluxe edition of “Wish” is finished.[24] A release date is yet to be announced.

Track listing

All songs composed by The Cure (Perry Bamonte, Simon Gallup, Robert Smith, Porl Thompson, Boris Williams).

No.TitleLength
1."Open"6:51
2."High"3:37
3."Apart"6:40
4."From the Edge of the Deep Green Sea"7:44
5."Wendy Time"5:13
6."Doing the Unstuck"4:24
7."Friday I'm in Love"3:39
8."Trust"5:33
9."A Letter to Elise"5:14
10."Cut"5:55
11."To Wish Impossible Things"4:43
12."End"6:46
Total length:65:42

Lost Wishes EP

Four instrumental tracks taken from the 'Wish' sessions at the Manor Winter 1991. Released in 1994 as a limited edition cassette, through mail order only.

Side A

  1. "Uyea Sound" – 5:21
  2. "Cloudberry" – 5:19

Side B

  1. "Off to Sleep..." – 3:38
  2. "The Three Sisters" – 4:11

Personnel

All credits taken from liner notes [4]

The Cure

Additional musicians

  • Kate Wilkinson – viola on "To Wish Impossible Things"

Production

  • Producers: Dave Allen, The Cure
  • Engineers: Dave Allen, Steve Whitfield
  • Assistant engineer: Chris Bandy
  • Mixing: Mark Saunders
  • Mixing assistants: Andy Baker, William Parry, Danton Supple, Mark Warner
  • Album Cover: Parched Art (Porl Thompson and Andy Vella)

Charts

Weekly
Chart (1992) Peak
position
Australian Albums (ARIA)[25] 1
Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria)[26] 14
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[27] 6
Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)[28] 22
New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)[29] 3
Norwegian Albums (VG-lista)[30] 7
Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan)[31] 10
Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[32] 8
UK Albums (OCC)[33] 1
US Billboard 200[34] 2
Cashbox Top 200 Albums[20]
1

Year-end
Chart (1992) Position
US Billboard Chart 55

Certifications
Region CertificationCertified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)[35] Platinum 70,000^
Canada (Music Canada)[36] Gold 50,000^
New Zealand (RMNZ)[37] Gold 7,500^
Switzerland (IFPI Switzerland)[38] Gold 25,000^
United Kingdom (BPI)[39] Gold 100,000^
United States (RIAA)[40] Platinum 1,000,000^
Worldwide (IFPI) N/A 3,000,000[41]

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

References
  1. "The Cure : Official Site: Discography :: Wish". thecure.com. Retrieved 10 December 2013.
  2. http://www.allmusic.com/album/wish-mw0000275947/awards
  3. http://www.mtv.com/news/1503188/the-cure-cut-two-ending-10-year-run-with-same-lineup/
  4. Wish (CD, Vinyl, Cassette). The Cure. Fiction. 1992.CS1 maint: others (link)
  5. http://www.musicfanclubs.org/cure/press/I10.html
  6. Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "Wish – The Cure". AllMusic. Retrieved 8 January 2016.
  7. Kot, Greg (21 April 1992). "They're Lonely At The Top". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved 8 January 2016.
  8. Christgau, Robert (2000). "The Cure: Wish". Christgau's Consumer Guide: Albums of the '90s. Macmillan Publishers. ISBN 0-312-24560-2. Retrieved 8 January 2016.
  9. Arnold, Gina (24 April 1992). "Wish". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved 8 January 2016.
  10. Willman, Chris (19 April 1992). "This Cure Is Not Worth the Pain". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 8 January 2016.
  11. Quantick, David (18 April 1992). "Bats' Entertainment!". NME.
  12. Sandall, Robert (May 1992). "The Cure: Wish". Q (68): 72. Archived from the original on 10 May 2000. Retrieved 11 April 2019.
  13. Hunter, James (21 April 1992). "Wish". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 8 January 2016.
  14. Sheffield, Rob (2004). "The Cure". In Brackett, Nathan; Hoard, Christian (eds.). The New Rolling Stone Album Guide (4th ed.). Simon & Schuster. pp. 205–06. ISBN 0-7432-0169-8.
  15. Morrison, Dave (May 1992). "The Cure: Wish". Select (23): 73.
  16. Official Charts
  17. http://www.billboard.com/artist/397801/cure/chart
  18. "The Cure Album & Song Chart History" Billboard Alternative Songs for The Cure. Nielsen Business Media
  19. http://www.officialcharts.com/artist/_/cure/
  20. "Top 200 LPs" (PDF). CASH BOX. 16 May 1992. p. 14. ISSN 0008-7289.
  21. http://www.thecure.com/discography/1263/lost_wishes
  22. "In Our Lifetime: Q's 100 Best Albums 1986–94". Q. London (100). January 1995.
  23. Colin Larkin (2000). All Time Top 1000 Albums (3rd ed.). Virgin Books. p. 212. ISBN 0-7535-0493-6.
  24. http://www.post-punk.com/robert-smith-says-the-cures-wish-remaster-is-finished-for-deluxe-edition/
  25. "Australiancharts.com – The Cure – Wish". Hung Medien. Retrieved December 2013.
  26. "Austriancharts.at – The Cure – Wish" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved December 2013.
  27. "Officialcharts.de – Top 100 Longplay". GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved December 2013.
  28. "Dutchcharts.nl – The Cure – Wish" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved December 2013.
  29. "Charts.nz – The Cure – Wish". Hung Medien. Retrieved December 2013.
  30. "Norwegiancharts.com – The Cure – Wish". Hung Medien. Retrieved December 2013.
  31. "Swedishcharts.com – The Cure – Wish". Hung Medien. Retrieved December 2013.
  32. "Swisscharts.com – The Cure – Wish". Hung Medien. Retrieved December 2013.
  33. "Cure | Artist | Official Charts". UK Albums Chart. Retrieved December 2013.
  34. "The Cure Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved December 2013.
  35. Ryan, Gavin (2011). Australia’s Music Charts 1988–2010 (PDF ed.). Mt Martha, Victoria, Australia: Moonlight Publishing. p. 71.
  36. "Canadian album certifications – The cure – Wish". Music Canada.
  37. "New Zealand album certifications – The cure – Wish". Recorded Music NZ. Retrieved 6 June 2019.
  38. "The Official Swiss Charts and Music Community: Awards (The Cure; 'Wish')". IFPI Switzerland. Hung Medien.
  39. "British album certifications – The cure – Wish". British Phonographic Industry. Select albums in the Format field. Select Gold in the Certification field. Type Wish in the "Search BPI Awards" field and then press Enter.
  40. "American album certifications – The cure – Wish". Recording Industry Association of America. If necessary, click Advanced, then click Format, then select Album, then click SEARCH. 
  41. https://www.sputnikmusic.com/review/44567/The-Cure-Wish/
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