Wish is the ninth studio album by English rock band the Cure, released on 21 April 1992 by Fiction Records in the United Kingdom and Elektra Records in the United States.[3] Wish was the Cure's most commercially successful in the band's career, debuting at number one in the UK and number two in the US, where it sold more than 1.2 million copies.
Wish | ||||
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Studio album by | ||||
Released | 21 April 1992 | |||
Recorded | 1991–1992 | |||
Studio | The Manor (Shipton-on-Cherwell, England) | |||
Genre | ||||
Length | 66:23 | |||
Label | Fiction | |||
Producer |
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The Cure chronology | ||||
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Singles from Wish | ||||
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In November 2022, a remastered 30th-anniversary deluxe edition of Wish is to be released, containing previously unreleased demos, tracks and versions.[4]
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,[5] as well as being the last album featuring guitarist Porl Thompson for sixteen years.[6]
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 Thompson, Wish was recorded on 48 tracks and "almost everything was used".[7] 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. 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."[7] 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.[7] "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."[7]
Smith also revealed that the songs "Mesmerise" 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 'Mesmerise' 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 'Mesmerise' 20 times, drinking and turning it louder and louder, putting myself into a trance."[7]
Review scores | |
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Source | Rating |
AllMusic | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Chicago Tribune | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Christgau's Consumer Guide | C+[10] |
Entertainment Weekly | B[11] |
Los Angeles Times | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
NME | 8/10[13] |
Pitchfork | 8.4/10[14] |
Q | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Rolling Stone | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Select | 5/5[17] |
The album's lead single was "High", released on 16 March 1992.[18] The single peaked at number eight on the UK Singles Chart, number 42 on the US Billboard Hot 100, and number one on the Billboard Modern Rock Tracks chart.[19][20][21] The album's second single, "Friday I'm in Love", was released on 15 May 1992, a Friday,[22] later reaching number six on the UK Singles Chart, number 18 on the Billboard Hot 100, and number one on the Modern Rock Tracks chart.[23][20][21] The final single was "A Letter to Elise", issued on 5 October 1992.[24] This song reached number twenty-eight in the UK and number two on the Modern Rock Tracks chart.[23][21]
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."[16] 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 on the UK Albums Chart, and number two on the US Billboard 200, where it sold more than 1.2 million copies.[23][25] It also reached number one on Cash Box's Top 200 Pop Albums chart in the US on 16 May 1992.[26] Wish was nominated for the Grammy Award for Best Alternative Music Album in 1993.
On 16 November 1993, a limited-edition EP titled Lost Wishes was released on cassette with four new tracks on it.[27]
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.[28]
In 2000 it was voted number 646 in Colin Larkin's All Time Top 1000 Albums.[29]
On 13 April 2018, in an interview with BBC Radio 6 Music, Robert Smith confirmed that the deluxe edition of Wish is finished.[30] On 28 July 2022, the band announced a remastered and expanded 30th-anniversary deluxe edition of Wish, containing 24 previously unreleased demos, out-takes, the Lost Wishes EP and as well a collection of 12-inch remixes of all three singles from the Wish period.[4] The recordings were remastered by Smith and Miles Showell at Abbey Road Studios.[31][32]
This special edition will be released on November 25th and will feature the remastered album, demos and the Lost Wishes EP.[33]
All songs composed by the Cure (Perry Bamonte, Simon Gallup, Robert Smith, Porl Thompson, Boris Williams).
No. | Title | Length |
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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" | 6:45 |
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.
No. | Title | Length |
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1. | "Uyea Sound" | 5:21 |
2. | "Cloudberry" | 5:19 |
No. | Title | Length |
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3. | "Off to Sleep..." | 3:38 |
4. | "The Three Sisters" | 4:11 |
No. | Title | Details | Length |
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1. | "The Big Hand" (1990 Demo) | final version on B-side to A Letter To Elise 7-inch | 4:38 |
2. | "Cut" (1990 Demo aka “Away") | final version appears on Wish | 3:31 |
3. | "A Letter to Elise" (1990 Demo, aka “Cut”) | final version appears on Wish | 5:01 |
4. | "Wendy Time" (1990 Demo) | final version appears on Wish | 5:13 |
5. | "This Twilight Garden" (instrumental demo) | final version on B-side to "High" 7-inch | 3:25 |
6. | "Scared As You" (instrumental demo) | final version on B-side to "Friday I’m in Love" 12-inch | 2:33 |
7. | "To Wish Impossible Things" (instrumental demo) | final version appears on Wish | 3:33 |
8. | "Apart" (instrumental demo) | final version appears on Wish | 3:38 |
9. | "T7" (instrumental demo) | previously unreleased | 2:40 |
10. | "Now Is the Time" (Instrumental demo) | previously unreleased | 2:20 |
11. | "Miss van Gogh" (Instrumental demo) | previously unreleased | 2:48 |
12. | "T6" (instrumental demo) | previously unreleased | 3:14 |
13. | "Play" (instrumental demo) | final version on B-side to High 12-inch | 2:28 |
14. | "A Foolish Arrangement" (instrumental demo) | final version on B-side to "A Letter To Elise" 12-inch | 2:28 |
15. | "Halo" (instrumental demo) | final version on B-side to "Friday I’m in Love" 7-inch | 3:06 |
16. | "Trust" (instrumental demo) | final version appears on Wish | 4:02 |
17. | "Abetabw" (instrumental demo) | previously unreleased | 2:26 |
18. | "T8" (instrumental demo) | previously unreleased | 2:17 |
19. | "Heart Attack" (instrumental demo) | previously unreleased | 2:41 |
20. | "Swing Change" (instrumental demo) | previously unreleased | 2:10 |
21. | "Frogfish" (instrumental demo) | previously unreleased | 2:35 |
No. | Title | Details | Length |
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1. | "Uyea Sound" (Dim-D Mix) | from Lost Wishes Cassette, 1993 | 5:28 |
2. | "Cloudberry" (Dim-D Mix) | from Lost Wishes Cassette, 1993 | 5:22 |
3. | "Off To Sleep..." (Dim-D Mix) | from Lost Wishes Cassette, 1993 | 3:47 |
4. | "The Three Sisters" (Dim-D Mix) | from Lost Wishes Cassette, 1993 | 4:12 |
5. | "A Wendy Band" (Instrumental) | previously unreleased | 3:47 |
6. | "From the Edge of the Deep Green Sea" (Partscheckruf Mix) | previously unreleased version | 7:36 |
7. | "Open" (Fix Mix) | B-side to "High" 12-inch | 6:51 |
8. | "High" (Higher Mix) | "High" 12-inch | 7:15 |
9. | "Doing the Unstuck" (Extended 12-inch Mix) | Join the Dots: B-Sides & Rarities box set | 5:54 |
10. | "Friday I’m in Love" (Strangelove Mix) | "Friday I’m in Love" 12-inch | 5:29 |
11. | "A Letter to Elise" (Blue Mix) | "A Letter to Elise" 12-inch | 6:36 |
12. | "End" (Paris Live 92) | previously unreleased version | 8:38 |
All credits taken from liner notes [6]
The Cure
Additional musicians
Production
Weekly charts
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Year-end charts
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Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
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Australia (ARIA)[56] | Platinum | 70,000^ |
Canada (Music Canada)[57] | Gold | 50,000^ |
New Zealand (RMNZ)[58] | Gold | 7,500^ |
Switzerland (IFPI Switzerland)[59] | Gold | 25,000^ |
United Kingdom (BPI)[60] | Gold | 100,000^ |
United States (RIAA)[61] | Platinum | 1,000,000^ |
Summaries | ||
Worldwide | — | 3,000,000[62] |
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. |
{{cite AV media notes}}
: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)The Cure's idiosyncratic decision to release Friday I'm In Love on Friday instead of Monday...
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