Pictures Of You (The Cure Song)
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

"Pictures of You" is a song by English
rock Rock most often refers to: * Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids * Rock music, a genre of popular music Rock or Rocks may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wale ...
band
the Cure The Cure are an English Rock music, rock band formed in Crawley in 1976 by Robert Smith (musician), Robert Smith (vocals, guitar) and Lol Tolhurst (drums). The band's current line-up comprises Smith, Perry Bamonte (guitar and keyboards), Reev ...
. It was released on 19 March 1990 by
Fiction Records Fiction Records is a British record label founded by Chris Parry in 1978, owned by Universal Music Group and based in the United Kingdom. It is best known for being the home of the Cure for over 20 years. It was originally a part of Polydor, ...
as the fourth and final single from the band's eighth studio album, '' Disintegration'' (1989). The song has a single version which is a shorter edit of the album version. The single reached No. 24 on the UK Singles Charts. There are also two different remixes on two UK 12-inch singles, and other singles released around the world, one of which later appeared on '' Mixed Up'' as the Extended Dub Mix and differs significantly from the album version in arrangement in that incorporates wholly original drum and bass arrangements. The other is an extended remix of the original album version which, at 7:59, runs slightly longer than the album version. There is also an edit which was released on 12-inch in the US, titled "extended remix" as in the European and Australasian releases, but which runs for 6:40 rather than 7:59. In 2011, the song was voted number 283 on ''
Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. The magazine was first known fo ...
'''s "
The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time "The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time" is a recurring song ranking compiled by the American magazine ''Rolling Stone''. It is based on weighted votes from selected musicians, critics, and industry figures. The first list was published in December 2 ...
" list. In 2019, ''
Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertis ...
'' ranked the song number nine on their list of the 40 greatest Cure songs, and in 2023, ''
Mojo Mojo may refer to: * Mojo (African-American culture), a magical charm bag used in Hoodoo Arts, entertainment and media Film and television * ''Mojo'' (2017 film), a 2017 Indian Kannada drama film written and directed by Sreesha Belakvaadi * '' ...
'' ranked the song number 11 on their list of the 30 greatest Cure songs.


Background

According to interviews, the inspiration of the song came when a fire broke loose in Robert Smith's home. After that day, Smith was going through the remains and came across his wallet which had pictures of his wife, Mary. The cover of the single is one of the pictures. The same picture was used as the cover of the " Charlotte Sometimes" single, but that image was heavily warped and distorted. The song is composed in the key of A major.


Music video

The
Tim Pope Timothy Michael Pope (born 12 February 1956) is a film director most known for his music videos, for having directed feature films, and for a brief pop career. Early life and career Pope grew up in the north London suburb of Enfield. Both his ...
–directed video was shot using three Super-8 cameras in
Ballachulish The village of Ballachulish ( or , from Scottish Gaelic ) in Lochaber, Highland, Scotland, is centred on former slate quarries, and now primarily serves tourists in the area. Name The name Ballachulish (from Scottish Gaelic, ''Baile a' Chao ...
,
Scotland Scotland is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It contains nearly one-third of the United Kingdom's land area, consisting of the northern part of the island of Great Britain and more than 790 adjac ...
, during the February 1990 "week of the big snow", with Robert Smith mentioning that he had never been colder before.


Covers

*
Angie Hart Angela Ruth Hart, billed as Angie Hart, is an Australian singer best known for her role as lead vocalist in the alternative pop rock band Frente! and the indie pop duo Splendid (musical duo), Splendid with her then-husband Jesse Tobias. Hart's s ...
's version was used for a TAC (Transport Accident Commission) ad campaign to combat speeding drivers. * Lit covered the song for their 2004 eponymous album '' Lit''. *
Blankenberge Blankenberge (; ; ) is a seaside Municipalities of Belgium, municipality and City status in Belgium, city in the Belgium, Belgian province of West Flanders. The municipality comprises the town of Blankenberge proper and the settlement of Uitke ...
made a version of the song and released it as their debut single in 2016.


Track listing

7-inch single (1) # "Pictures of You" (Single edit) – 4:46 # "Last Dance" (live) – 4:42 7-inch single (2) # "Pictures of You" (Single edit) – 4:46 # "Prayers for Rain" (live) – 4:48 12-inch single (1) # "Pictures of You" (Extended version) – 8:07 # "Last Dance" (live) – 4:41 # "Fascination Street" (live) – 5:23 12-inch single (2) # "Pictures of You" (Strange mix) – 6:45This mix later appeared on the "Mixed Up" album as "Extended Dub Mix" # "Prayers for Rain" (live) – 4:48 # "Disintegration" (live) – 7:54 CD single # "Pictures of You" (Single edit) – 4:46 # "Last Dance" (live) – 4:45 # " Fascination Street" (live) – 5:19 # "Prayers for Rain" (live) – 4:48 # "Disintegration" (live) – 7:54 CD single (2) # "Pictures of You" (Single edit) – 4:46 # "Last Dance" (live) – 4:45 # "Fascination Street" (live) – 5:19


Charts


Certifications


Personnel

* Robert Smith – vocals, Bass VI, keyboards, producer *
Porl Thompson Pearl Thompson (born Paul Stephen Thompson,Chris Gerrard (2021)The Cure FAQ: All That’s Left to Know About the Most Heartbreakingly Excellent Rock Band the World Has Ever Known. Backbeat, ISBN 9781493053988, p. 155 8 November 1957) is an Engl ...
– guitar *
Simon Gallup Simon Johnathon Gallup (born 1 June 1960) is an English musician who is best known as bassist for The Cure, which he first joined in 1979 and for which he has played through most of the band's history. Gallup is the second-longest-serving member ...
– bass *
Boris Williams Boris Peter Bransby Williams (born 24 April 1951) is an English musician, best known as the drummer for The Cure from 1984 until 1994, and for forming the band Babacar (band), Babacar in the late 1990s. Biography Williams was born in 1951 (som ...
– drums *
Roger O'Donnell Roger O'Donnell (born 29 October 1955) is an English keyboardist best known as a longtime member of The Cure, which he first joined in 1987 and for which he has served three different tenures. O'Donnell has also performed as a touring and sessio ...
– keyboards *
Lol Tolhurst Laurence Andrew Tolhurst (born 3 February 1959) is an English musician, songwriter, producer, and author. He was a founding member of the Cure, for which he first played drums before switching to keyboards. He stayed a member of the Cure until ...
– credited with "other instrument"; does not actually play on this track *Bryan 'Chuck' New – remix


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Pictures Of You (The Cure Song) 1989 songs The Cure songs Songs written by Robert Smith (musician) 1990 singles Fiction Records singles Songs written by Boris Williams Songs written by Simon Gallup Songs written by Porl Thompson Songs written by Lol Tolhurst Songs written by Roger O'Donnell Song recordings produced by David M. Allen Gothic rock songs