Lovesong
Encyclopedia
"Lovesong" is a song originally recorded by the English alternative rock
band The Cure
, released as the third single from their eighth studio album Disintegration in 1989. The song saw considerable success in the United States, where it was the band's only top ten pop hit; in the United Kingdom, however, the single only charted in the top twenty.
Though the song has been covered by several artists, the most famous and successful cover
is the 2004 version by American reggae rock
band 311
, recorded for the soundtrack for the film 50 First Dates
and also released as a single. This version actually charted higher on the U.S. Modern Rock Tracks
chart (reaching #1) than the Cure original (which peaked at #2).
to date. The song also charted at #2 on the Billboard Modern Rock Tracks chart, #27 on the Billboard Mainstream Rock Tracks
chart http://www.billboard.com/bbcom/retrieve_chart_history.do?model.vnuArtistId=4388&model.vnuAlbumId=913087 and #18 on the UK Singles Chart
. Robert Smith originally wrote the song for his long-time girlfriend and then fiancée, Mary, as a wedding present.
", there doesn't seem to be a universally agreed-upon spacing method of the title of Lovesong, as it varies between "Lovesong" and "Love Song" on many official Cure releases. The original 1989 artwork for the album Disintegration uses "Love Song" on the tracklisting and "Lovesong" on the lyrics sheet: the revised art for the 2010 remaster of the album consistently uses "Lovesong". When released as a single in 1989, the cover artwork displayed the title as "Lovesong", while the printing on the disc itself read "Love Song" all three times. Subsequent releases of Paris
and Galore both use "Lovesong" exclusively, whilst 2001's Greatest Hits
compilation uses "Lovesong" on the track listing and "Love Song" within the liner notes. 2004's Join the Dots also uses "Lovesong" within the booklet presentation.
Former Cure band member Lol Tolhurst does not appear in the music video or contribute to the song. He was a member of The Cure at the time it was recorded, but was fired shortly before the album was released.
and is featured on the soundtrack of the 2004 film, 50 First Dates
. It is also featured on 311's greatest hits album, Greatest Hits '93–'03.
in various trance and acoustic styles, as well as The Brunettes
for the 2008 American Laundromat Records
tribute album Just Like Heaven - a tribute to The Cure. The song has also been covered by the bands 311
(who scored a #1 hit on the Modern Rock Tracks
chart with their version, which outperformed the original #2 song on the same chart), A Perfect Circle
(as a mashup with Diary of a Madman
), Good Charlotte
, The Deluxtone Rockets
, Jack Off Jill
, Snake River Conspiracy
, Azam Ali
/Niyaz
, Ira Losco
, Death Cab for Cutie
, Anberlin
, Seafood
(who released their cover of the song as a download-only single in June 2007), Fordirelifesake and Voltaire
.
Solo artists have performed covers as well, such as singer-songwriter
Tori Amos
during several live performances, most famously on the radio station KROQ-FM
. Irish
singer-songwriter
Naimee Coleman
included an interpretation of the song on her 2001 album Bring Down The Moon. Blake Lewis
, the runner-up on the sixth season
of American Idol
, performed the song on March 27, 2007 on the show, though his rendition was modeled directly after the 311 cover rather than the original Cure version. In fact, some of the praise from the show's judges for the originality of Lewis' version suggest that they were perhaps unaware of the existence of the 311 version and believed Lewis to have come up with the new arrangement on his own (though Lewis himself never claimed this). A studio version of Blake Lewis' take on Lovesong was put up on the American Idol official website
and was later included on his Blake Lewis - EP
, as well as in the American Idol Season 6: The Collector's Edition, the compilation
of the studio versions of song performed by the finalists of Idol. Voltaire
released an acoustic cover that more fits his style of music on his album Then and Again.
It was recently covered by Captain
during a BBC Radio 2 live session with Dermot O'Leary
. The Big Pink
provided a cover of "Lovesong" for The Cure tribute album Pictures of You: A Tribute to Godlike Geniuses The Cure, which was made available with the February 25, 2009 issue of NME
. Nina Sky
covered this song on their 2010 EP
The Other Side
.
It was also covered by Maltese singer Ira Losco
, found on her 2007 unplugged album Unmasked
.
British singer Adele
included a cover of the song on her second album, 21
in 2011, which peaked at #18 on Billboard Jazz Songs.
Japanese electronic singer-songwriter immi
included a cover of the song on her debut album Switch.
Alternative rock
Alternative rock is a genre of rock music and a term used to describe a diverse musical movement that emerged from the independent music underground of the 1980s and became widely popular by the 1990s...
band The Cure
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...
, released as the third single from their eighth studio album Disintegration in 1989. The song saw considerable success in the United States, where it was the band's only top ten pop hit; in the United Kingdom, however, the single only charted in the top twenty.
Though the song has been covered by several artists, the most famous and successful cover
Cover version
In popular music, a cover version or cover song, or simply cover, is a new performance or recording of a contemporary or previously recorded, commercially released song or popular song...
is the 2004 version by American reggae rock
Reggae rock
"Reggae rock" is a subgenre of Reggae fusion that primarily uses the genres reggae, rock, ska, and hip hop. The term "reggae rock" has been used to categorize bands like Sublime, Pepper, Slightly Stoopid, Iration, The Dirty Heads, Sublime With Rome, and 311. Reggae rock found its rise in popularity...
band 311
311 (band)
311 is an American rock band from Omaha, Nebraska. The band was formed in 1988 by vocalist/rhythm guitarist Nick Hexum, lead guitarist Jim Watson , bassist Aaron "P-Nut" Wills and drummer Chad Sexton...
, recorded for the soundtrack for the film 50 First Dates
50 First Dates
50 First Dates is a 2004 American romantic comedy film directed by Peter Segal and written by George Wing. The film stars Adam Sandler as a woman-chasing veterinarian and Drew Barrymore as an amnesiac, along with Rob Schneider, Sean Astin, Lusia Strus, Blake Clark, and Dan Aykroyd.Most of the film...
and also released as a single. This version actually charted higher on the U.S. Modern Rock Tracks
Modern Rock Tracks
Alternative Songs is a music chart in the United States that has appeared in Billboard magazine since September 10, 1988. It lists the 40 most-played songs on modern rock radio stations, most of which are alternative rock songs...
chart (reaching #1) than the Cure original (which peaked at #2).
Original release
Upon release as a single, the song received worldwide success, and first peaked at #2 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, making it the group's most successful single in the USUnited States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
to date. The song also charted at #2 on the Billboard Modern Rock Tracks chart, #27 on the Billboard Mainstream Rock Tracks
Mainstream Rock Tracks
Hot Mainstream Rock Tracks is a ranking in Billboard magazine of the most-played songs on mainstream rock radio stations, a category that includes stations that play primarily rock music. Modern rock tracks are counted in the Alternative Songs chart.This chart began with the March 21, 1981, issue...
chart http://www.billboard.com/bbcom/retrieve_chart_history.do?model.vnuArtistId=4388&model.vnuAlbumId=913087 and #18 on the UK Singles Chart
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...
. Robert Smith originally wrote the song for his long-time girlfriend and then fiancée, Mary, as a wedding present.
Title
Similar to the title variations of the Cure song "In Between DaysIn Between Days
"In Between Days" is a song by the English new wave/rock band The Cure....
", there doesn't seem to be a universally agreed-upon spacing method of the title of Lovesong, as it varies between "Lovesong" and "Love Song" on many official Cure releases. The original 1989 artwork for the album Disintegration uses "Love Song" on the tracklisting and "Lovesong" on the lyrics sheet: the revised art for the 2010 remaster of the album consistently uses "Lovesong". When released as a single in 1989, the cover artwork displayed the title as "Lovesong", while the printing on the disc itself read "Love Song" all three times. Subsequent releases of Paris
Paris (The Cure album)
Paris is a live album recorded by The Cure at Le Zénith de Paris, in October 1992 during their Wish tour, but released in 1993.Paris was released at the same time as Show, which was recorded in the United States. The album features more cult classics like "The Figurehead" and "One Hundred Years"...
and Galore both use "Lovesong" exclusively, whilst 2001's Greatest Hits
Greatest Hits (The Cure album)
Greatest Hits is a 2001 compilation album by The Cure. The band's relationship with longtime label Fiction Records came to a close, and The Cure were obliged to release one final album for the label. Robert Smith agreed to release a greatest hits album under the condition that he could choose the...
compilation uses "Lovesong" on the track listing and "Love Song" within the liner notes. 2004's Join the Dots also uses "Lovesong" within the booklet presentation.
CD single
- "Lovesong" (Remix) (3:24)
- "Lovesong" (Extended Remix) (6:18)
- "2 Late"
- "Fear of Ghosts"
Official versions
- Lovesong (Album Version)
- Lovesong (Extended Mix)
- Lovesong (Remix)
- Lovesong (Extended Remix)
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...
- Voice, Guitar, Keyboard - Simon GallupSimon GallupSimon Jonathon Gallup is an English musician and bassist of the post-punk band The Cure.-Early years:...
- Bass - 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...
- Drums - Roger O'DonnellRoger O'DonnellRoger 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 :...
- Keyboards - Lol Tolhurst - Other Instrument
Former Cure band member Lol Tolhurst does not appear in the music video or contribute to the song. He was a member of The Cure at the time it was recorded, but was fired shortly before the album was released.
311 Version
Love Song was released as a single by the band 311311 (band)
311 is an American rock band from Omaha, Nebraska. The band was formed in 1988 by vocalist/rhythm guitarist Nick Hexum, lead guitarist Jim Watson , bassist Aaron "P-Nut" Wills and drummer Chad Sexton...
and is featured on the soundtrack of the 2004 film, 50 First Dates
50 First Dates
50 First Dates is a 2004 American romantic comedy film directed by Peter Segal and written by George Wing. The film stars Adam Sandler as a woman-chasing veterinarian and Drew Barrymore as an amnesiac, along with Rob Schneider, Sean Astin, Lusia Strus, Blake Clark, and Dan Aykroyd.Most of the film...
. It is also featured on 311's greatest hits album, Greatest Hits '93–'03.
Music video
The music video features the band playing the song inside a bar. Other people are seen dancing in the background.Charts
| Chart (2004) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| US Billboard Modern Rock Tracks Modern Rock Tracks Alternative Songs is a music chart in the United States that has appeared in Billboard magazine since September 10, 1988. It lists the 40 most-played songs on modern rock radio stations, most of which are alternative rock songs... |
1 |
| US Billboard Adult Top 40 | 7 |
| US Billboard Hot 100 | 59 |
| US Billboard Radio Songs | 60 |
Other versions
The track has been covered by JESJes Brieden
Jes Brieden is an North American singer, songwriter, producer, and frequent guest vocalist.-Early life:Jes Brieden is a singer, songwriter and producer. Born and raised in New York City, she studied art and singing in an art school. She first began experimenting with music production at her...
in various trance and acoustic styles, as well as The Brunettes
The Brunettes
The Brunettes are an indie pop or twee pop group from New Zealand formed in 1998. The band consists of core members Jonathan Bree and Heather Mansfield with additional contributions from part-time band members including James Milne , Ryan McPhun , Harry Cundy, and most recently,...
for the 2008 American Laundromat Records
American Laundromat Records
American Laundromat Records is an indie label based in Mystic, CT.The label has produced several tribute albums, including Dig For Fire - a tribute to PIXIES, Cinnamon Girl - Women Artists Cover Neil Young, and High School Reunion - A Tribute to Those Great 80's Films...
tribute album Just Like Heaven - a tribute to The Cure. The song has also been covered by the bands 311
311 (band)
311 is an American rock band from Omaha, Nebraska. The band was formed in 1988 by vocalist/rhythm guitarist Nick Hexum, lead guitarist Jim Watson , bassist Aaron "P-Nut" Wills and drummer Chad Sexton...
(who scored a #1 hit on the Modern Rock Tracks
Modern Rock Tracks
Alternative Songs is a music chart in the United States that has appeared in Billboard magazine since September 10, 1988. It lists the 40 most-played songs on modern rock radio stations, most of which are alternative rock songs...
chart with their version, which outperformed the original #2 song on the same chart), A Perfect Circle
A Perfect Circle
A Perfect Circle is an American rock supergroup formed in 1999 by guitarist Billy Howerdel and Tool vocalist Maynard James Keenan. The original incarnation of the band also included Paz Lenchantin on bass, Troy Van Leeuwen on guitar, and Tim Alexander on drums...
(as a mashup with Diary of a Madman
Diary of a Madman (song)
"Diary of a Madman" is a heavy metal song by Ozzy Osbourne released in 1981 on his Diary of a Madman album. The majority of the song is in the uncommon time signature of 7/8 time throughout the verses....
), Good Charlotte
Good Charlotte
Good Charlotte is an American rock band from Waldorf, Maryland that formed in 1996. Since 1998, the band's constant members have been lead vocalist Joel Madden, lead guitarist and back-up vocalist Benji Madden, bass guitarist Paul Thomas and rhythm guitarist and keyboardist Billy Martin...
, The Deluxtone Rockets
The Deluxtone Rockets
The Deluxtone Rockets are a band from Muskegon, Michigan. They began as a punk band, but by the time of their signing to Tooth & Nail Records they had evolved into a swing revival outfit....
, Jack Off Jill
Jack Off Jill
Jack Off Jill was an American alternative rock band from Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, founded in 1992 by Jessica Fodera, Tenni Arslanyan, Robin Moulder, and Michelle Oliver. Though these four young women were the initial founders, twelve members rotated through the group in its lifespan, including...
, Snake River Conspiracy
Snake River Conspiracy
-Former members:*Martina Axén *Bobby Hewitt *Neil Taylor *Eric Hendrikx *Fab Fernandez *Tobey Torres *Mitch Doran...
, Azam Ali
Azam Ali
-Biography:Born in Tehran, Iran 1970, Ali spent most of her childhood in Panchgani, India. Ali and her mother moved to Los Angeles, California in 1985, after which Ali discovered the santour...
/Niyaz
Niyaz
Niyaz is an Iranian musical trio. The group was created in 2005 by DJ, programmer/producer and remixer Carmen Rizzo, vocalist and hammered dulcimer player Azam Ali, formerly of the group Vas, and Ali's husband, Loga Ramin Torkian, of the Iranian crossover group Axiom Of Choice...
, Ira Losco
Ira Losco
Ira Losco is a singer and was on born 31 July 1981 in Sliema, Malta.With a string of number 1 singles and albums, Ira Losco is one of the best selling artists in Malta.-Tiara:...
, Death Cab for Cutie
Death Cab for Cutie
Death Cab for Cutie is an American alternative rock band formed in Bellingham, Washington in 1997. The band consists of Ben Gibbard , Chris Walla , Nick Harmer and Jason McGerr ....
, Anberlin
Anberlin
Anberlin is an American rock band formed in Winter Haven, Florida in 2002. Since the beginning of 2007, the band has consisted of lead vocalist Stephen Christian, guitarists Joseph Milligan and Christian McAlhaney, bassist Deon Rexroat, and drummer Nathan Young.Members of Anberlin originally formed...
, Seafood
Seafood (band)
Seafood were a UK band formed in London around 1996.The line-up included chief songwriter David Line , Caroline Banks and Kevin Penney who joined the band following the departure of founder-member Charles MacLeod...
(who released their cover of the song as a download-only single in June 2007), Fordirelifesake and Voltaire
Voltaire (musician)
Voltaire , is a popular dark cabaret Cuban-American musician...
.
Solo artists have performed covers as well, such as singer-songwriter
Songwriter
A songwriter is an individual who writes both the lyrics and music to a song. Someone who solely writes lyrics may be called a lyricist, and someone who only writes music may be called a composer...
Tori Amos
Tori Amos
Tori Amos is an American pianist, singer-songwriter and composer. She was at the forefront of a number of female singer-songwriters in the early 1990s and was noteworthy early in her career as one of the few alternative rock performers to use a piano as her primary instrument...
during several live performances, most famously on the radio station KROQ-FM
KROQ-FM
KROQ-FM — branded 106.7 KROQ — is a commercial modern rock radio station licensed to Pasadena, California serving the Greater Los Angeles. The call sign is pronounced "kay rock." It is the flagship station of Loveline hosted by Dr...
. Irish
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
singer-songwriter
Songwriter
A songwriter is an individual who writes both the lyrics and music to a song. Someone who solely writes lyrics may be called a lyricist, and someone who only writes music may be called a composer...
Naimee Coleman
Naimee Coleman
Naimee Coleman is a singer/songwriter from Dundrum Dublin, Ireland.After signing with EMI she recorded her first solo album Silver Wrists in Abbey Road Studios. The follow-up Bring Down the Moon came 4 years later....
included an interpretation of the song on her 2001 album Bring Down The Moon. Blake Lewis
Blake Lewis
Blake Colin Lewis is an American singer-songwriter and beatboxer who was the runner-up on the sixth season of American Idol. His major label debut album A.D.D. was released on December 4, 2007 through 19 Recordings/Arista Records. On October 30, 2007, his first single "Break Anotha" was released....
, the runner-up on the sixth season
American Idol (Season 6)
The sixth season of American Idol premiered on the Fox Broadcasting Company as a two-night, four-hour premiere special on January 16 and January 17, and ran until May 23, 2007. Simon Cowell, Paula Abdul, and Randy Jackson returned to judge once again, and Ryan Seacrest returned as host...
of American Idol
American Idol
American Idol, titled American Idol: The Search for a Superstar for the first season, is a reality television singing competition created by Simon Fuller and produced by FremantleMedia North America and 19 Entertainment...
, performed the song on March 27, 2007 on the show, though his rendition was modeled directly after the 311 cover rather than the original Cure version. In fact, some of the praise from the show's judges for the originality of Lewis' version suggest that they were perhaps unaware of the existence of the 311 version and believed Lewis to have come up with the new arrangement on his own (though Lewis himself never claimed this). A studio version of Blake Lewis' take on Lovesong was put up on the American Idol official website
Fox Interactive Media
News Corporation's Digital Media Group , also known as News Corp. Digital Media and formerly Fox Interactive Media, oversees the Internet business operations of media giant News Corporation, and was formed to oversee News Corporation's new media acquisitions, including IGN Entertainment, MySpace...
and was later included on his Blake Lewis - EP
Blake Lewis (EP)
Blake Lewis is an EP by Blake Lewis, the runner-up on the sixth season of American Idol. It was released digitally on May 22, 2007.-Background:...
, as well as in the American Idol Season 6: The Collector's Edition, the compilation
Compilation album
A compilation album is an album featuring tracks from one or more performers, often culled from a variety of sources The tracks are usually collected according to a common characteristic, such as popularity, genre, source or subject matter...
of the studio versions of song performed by the finalists of Idol. Voltaire
Voltaire (musician)
Voltaire , is a popular dark cabaret Cuban-American musician...
released an acoustic cover that more fits his style of music on his album Then and Again.
It was recently covered by Captain
Captain (band)
Captain were an alternative rock band from London, England, who formed in early 2005. Influenced by groups such as The Smashing Pumpkins, The Beach Boys, My Bloody Valentine and The Cure, their music has also been compared by critics to Prefab Sprout, The Beautiful South and Deacon Blue...
during a BBC Radio 2 live session with Dermot O'Leary
Dermot O'Leary
Dermot O'Leary is an English television and radio presenter. He established himself as a presenter of Big Brother's Little Brother on Channel 4 before moving on to The X Factor on ITV. O'Leary has also presented on the BBC and has his own radio show on BBC Radio 2...
. The Big Pink
The Big Pink
The Big Pink is an English electro-rock duo comprising multi-instrumentalists Robbie Furze and Milo Cordell. The duo signed to the 4AD label in 2009, and won the prestigious NME Philip Hall Radar Award for best new act...
provided a cover of "Lovesong" for The Cure tribute album Pictures of You: A Tribute to Godlike Geniuses The Cure, which was made available with the February 25, 2009 issue of NME
NME
The New Musical Express is a popular music publication in the United Kingdom, published weekly since March 1952. It started as a music newspaper, and gradually moved toward a magazine format during the 1980s, changing from newsprint in 1998. It was the first British paper to include a singles...
. Nina Sky
Nina Sky
Nina Sky is an American musical duo composed of identical twins Nicole and Natalie Albino .-Early life and career:Albino's parents moved to New York from Puerto Rico and were divorced when the girls were younger...
covered this song on their 2010 EP
Extended play
An EP is a musical recording which contains more music than a single, but is too short to qualify as a full album or LP. The term EP originally referred only to specific types of vinyl records other than 78 rpm standard play records and LP records, but it is now applied to mid-length Compact...
The Other Side
The Other Side (Nina Sky EP)
The Other Side is an independently released EP by Nina Sky. After a falling-out with their record label, Polo Grounds Records, over the release of their second album Starting Today, they decided to release this EP independently through their official website. It features a remix of Beautiful...
.
It was also covered by Maltese singer Ira Losco
Ira Losco
Ira Losco is a singer and was on born 31 July 1981 in Sliema, Malta.With a string of number 1 singles and albums, Ira Losco is one of the best selling artists in Malta.-Tiara:...
, found on her 2007 unplugged album Unmasked
Unmasked (Ira Losco album)
Ira Losco's first unplugged album is Unmasked: the unplugged album. This album, which was recorded in 2006 and produced by Howard Keith , was released on 6 December 2006. Unmasked includes various unplugged renditions of her previous hit songs...
.
British singer Adele
Adele (singer)
Adele Laurie Blue Adkins , known professionally as Adele, is an English singer-songwriter. She was the first recipient of the Brit Awards Critics' Choice and was named the number-one predicted breakthrough act of 2008 in an annual BBC poll of music critics, Sound of 2008...
included a cover of the song on her second album, 21
21 (Adele album)
21 is the second studio album by English recording artist Adele. Released on 24 January 2011 in the United Kingdom and most of Europe, and on 22 February 2011 in North America, the album was named after the age of the singer at the time of its production...
in 2011, which peaked at #18 on Billboard Jazz Songs.
Japanese electronic singer-songwriter immi
Immi
Mayu Nakazawa , currently known by the stage name immi, is a Japanese Electronica singer and songwriter. She is currently signed onto DefStar Records. While she writes and composes her own music, she is also regularly produced by N.A.i.D. and JETBIKINI.-History:Nakazawa has had experience with the...
included a cover of the song on her debut album Switch.