A Letter to Elise
Encyclopedia
"A Letter to Elise" is the third and final single taken from the album Wish from The Cure
in 1992. It was made public for the first time on MTV's Cure-"Unplugged" show in 1991 and had very different lyrics from the later version to be released as a 7".
The B-side "The Big Hand" was planned as an A-Side single early in 1993 but the idea was scrapped, largely due to Boris Williams not wanting it to appear on the album but having no qualms about it appearing as a B-side (from KROQ radio interview with the band in 1992). "The Big Hand" is one of the few B-sides to be played live, although very rarely. It was first played in 1991, performed a few times during the Wish Tour in 1992, then revived at the Ultra Music Festival
in 2007, and popped up, though rarely, during the band's 4Tour World Tour 2007-08
. Letters to Felice
by Kafka was a huge influence when Robert Smith wrote the lyrics of the track.
"A Letter to Elise" itself was revived by the band's new Smith
/Gallup
/Thompson
/Cooper lineup in 2005 after being played sparingly, if ever, during the Smith/Gallup/Bamonte
/Cooper/O'Donnell
era. Like "The Big Hand", it was not played very often, and was usually a pleasant surprise to fans when it popped up in setlists.
12" single
A Promo features yet another longer unreleased mix, with phaser on Robert Smith's voice. An instrumental version on Cassette is also known to exist.
The Cure
The Cure are an English rock band formed in Crawley, West Sussex in 1976. The band has experienced several line-up changes, with frontman, vocalist, guitarist and principal songwriter Robert Smith being the only constant member...
in 1992. It was made public for the first time on MTV's Cure-"Unplugged" show in 1991 and had very different lyrics from the later version to be released as a 7".
The B-side "The Big Hand" was planned as an A-Side single early in 1993 but the idea was scrapped, largely due to Boris Williams not wanting it to appear on the album but having no qualms about it appearing as a B-side (from KROQ radio interview with the band in 1992). "The Big Hand" is one of the few B-sides to be played live, although very rarely. It was first played in 1991, performed a few times during the Wish Tour in 1992, then revived at the Ultra Music Festival
Ultra Music Festival
Ultra Music Festival is an annual outdoor electronic music festival that occurs in March in the city of Miami usually during the annual Winter Music Conference. It is held in Downtown Miami in Bicentennial Park. It was a 1-day festival from 1999-2006, a 2-day festival from 2007-2010, and was a...
in 2007, and popped up, though rarely, during the band's 4Tour World Tour 2007-08
4Tour
4 Play Tour is the name of The Cure's 2007-2008 concert tour. It began with their first concert in Japan in over 22 years at the Fuji Rock Festival on 27 July 2007 and ended at New York City's Radio City Music Hall on 21 June 2008...
. Letters to Felice
Letters to Felice
Letters to Felice is a book collecting some of Franz Kafka's letters to Felice Bauer from 1912 to 1917. Schocken Books acquired these letters from Felice Bauer in 1955, in addition to roughly half of Kafka's letters to Grete Bloch, Bauer's friend. Additional letters to Bloch were acquired at a...
by Kafka was a huge influence when Robert Smith wrote the lyrics of the track.
"A Letter to Elise" itself was revived by the band's new Smith
Robert Smith (musician)
Robert James Smith is an English musician. He is the lead singer, guitar player and principal songwriter of the rock band The Cure, and its only constant member since its founding in 1976...
/Gallup
Simon Gallup
Simon Jonathon Gallup is an English musician and bassist of the post-punk band The Cure.-Early years:...
/Thompson
Porl Thompson
Porl Thompson is an English musician best known for his work with The Cure.-Life and work:Thompson is the oldest of four children; he has two brothers and one sister...
/Cooper lineup in 2005 after being played sparingly, if ever, during the Smith/Gallup/Bamonte
Perry Bamonte
Perry Archangelo Bamonte is an Anglo-Italian musician best known for his work with The Cure.-Life and work:...
/Cooper/O'Donnell
Roger O'Donnell
Roger O'Donnell is an English keyboardist best known for his work with The Cure. O'Donnell has also performed in the Psychedelic Furs, the Thompson Twins and Berlin, as well as having an active solo career.- Background :...
era. Like "The Big Hand", it was not played very often, and was usually a pleasant surprise to fans when it popped up in setlists.
Track listing
7" single- "A Letter to Elise"
- "The Big Hand"
12" single
- "A Letter to Elise"
- "A Letter to Elise" (Blue Mix)
- "The Big Hand"
- "A Foolish Arrangement"
A Promo features yet another longer unreleased mix, with phaser on Robert Smith's voice. An instrumental version on Cassette is also known to exist.
Personnel
- Robert SmithRobert Smith (musician)Robert James Smith is an English musician. He is the lead singer, guitar player and principal songwriter of the rock band The Cure, and its only constant member since its founding in 1976...
- bassBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
, guitarGuitarThe guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
, keyboardKeyboard instrumentA keyboard instrument is a musical instrument which is played using a musical keyboard. The most common of these is the piano. Other widely used keyboard instruments include organs of various types as well as other mechanical, electromechanical and electronic instruments...
, vocalsSingingSinging is the act of producing musical sounds with the voice, and augments regular speech by the use of both tonality and rhythm. One who sings is called a singer or vocalist. Singers perform music known as songs that can be sung either with or without accompaniment by musical instruments...
, 6 string bass - Perry BamontePerry BamontePerry Archangelo Bamonte is an Anglo-Italian musician best known for his work with The Cure.-Life and work:...
- 6 string bass, guitar, keyboard - Simon GallupSimon GallupSimon Jonathon Gallup is an English musician and bassist of the post-punk band The Cure.-Early years:...
- bass, keyboard - Porl ThompsonPorl ThompsonPorl Thompson is an English musician best known for his work with The Cure.-Life and work:Thompson is the oldest of four children; he has two brothers and one sister...
- guitar - Boris WilliamsBoris WilliamsBoris Peter Bransby-Williams is an English drummer best known for his extensive work with The Cure . He had previously worked with various artists, including Thompson Twins, Kim Wilde, Strawberry Switchblade and Tomato City...
- percussionPercussion instrumentA percussion instrument is any object which produces a sound when hit with an implement or when it is shaken, rubbed, scraped, or otherwise acted upon in a way that sets the object into vibration...
, drumsDrum kitA drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....
Chart performance
| Chart (1992) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| US Hot Modern Rock Tracks (Billboard Billboard (magazine) Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis... ) |
2 |
Covers
- Aaron SprinkleAaron SprinkleAaron Sprinkle is an American musician, singer, songwriter, and record producer from Seattle, Washington.-Career:His career in music began in high school with a group called BellBangVilla. BellBangVilla became Poor Old Lu and they released a number of albums . Aaron Sprinkle also sang and played...
covered this song on his Really Something EP. - blink-182Blink-182Blink-182 is an American rock band consisting of vocalist and bass guitarist Mark Hoppus, vocalist and guitarist Tom DeLonge, and drummer Travis Barker. They have sold over 27 million albums worldwide since forming in Poway, California in 1992...
covered this song for the MTV Icon show for The Cure. - Sense FieldSense FieldSense Field was an American indie rock band from California, formed in 1991 out of the ashes of hardcore punk band, Reason to Believe.Sense Field has been largely credited with bringing their sound from emo circles to a more mainstream audience alongside contemporaries like Sunny Day Real Estate,...
recorded a cover of this song on their 2003 album Living Outside.