Primary (song)

Last updated
"Primary"
Cure - Primary picture cover.jpg
Single by The Cure
from the album Faith
B-side "Descent"
Released20 March 1981
Genre
Length
  • 3:39 (7")
  • 5:56 (12")
Label Fiction
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)
The Cure singles chronology
"A Forest"
(1980)
"Primary"
(1981)
"Charlotte Sometimes"
(1981)
Music video
"Primary" on YouTube

"Primary" is a song by English rock band The Cure, released as the sole single from their third studio album, Faith , on 20 March 1981. It reached number 43 in the UK Singles Chart. [1]

Contents

Background

The song is unusual in that both Simon Gallup and Robert Smith play bass, with the effects pedals on Smith's giving the leads a unique sound. There are no guitars (other than bass) or keyboards played in the song.

Release

"Primary" was the first song by The Cure to be remixed as a separate extended mix for release on 12" single (and not co-released on other formats, in the way the 12" version of "A Forest" was also the album version appearing on Seventeen Seconds , for example). In fact, the original 12" extended mix is, to this day, still only available on the original 12" single, which has never been reproduced on any other album, making it quite a rare item. The main difference between the 7" mix (also the album mix) and the 12" mix is that the extended mix lengthens the instrumental introductions to the song's verses.

Critical reception

Upon the single release David Hepworth of Smash Hits expressed his admiration for Robert Smith and wondered "how long The Cure can continue to prop their songs against the same chord progression, with its clambering bass and deadpan drums." [2]

Track listing

7"

  1. "Primary"
  2. "Descent"

12"

  1. "Primary (Extended)"
  2. "Descent"

Musicians

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Cure</span> English rock band

The Cure are an English rock band formed in 1978 in Crawley, West Sussex. Throughout numerous lineup changes since the band's formation, guitarist, lead vocalist, and songwriter Robert Smith has remained the only constant member, though bassist Simon Gallup has been present for all but about three years of the band's history. Their debut album, Three Imaginary Boys (1979), along with several early singles, placed the band in the post-punk and new wave movements that had sprung up in the United Kingdom. Beginning with their second album, Seventeen Seconds (1980), the band adopted a new, increasingly dark and tormented style, which, together with Smith's stage look, had a strong influence on the emerging genre of gothic rock as well as the subculture that eventually formed around the genre.

<i>Seventeen Seconds</i> 1980 studio album by the Cure

Seventeen Seconds is the second studio album by English rock band the Cure, released on 18 April 1980 by Fiction Records. The album marked the first time frontman Robert Smith co-produced with Mike Hedges. After the departure of original bassist Michael Dempsey, Simon Gallup became an official member along with keyboardist Matthieu Hartley. The single "A Forest" was the band's first entry in the top 40 of the UK Singles Chart.

<i>Faith</i> (The Cure album) 1981 studio album by the Cure

Faith is the third studio album by English rock band the Cure, released on 17 April 1981 by Fiction Records. The album saw the band continuing in the gloomy vein of their previous effort Seventeen Seconds (1980). This stylistic theme would conclude with their next album Pornography (1982).

<i>Mixed Up</i> (The Cure album) 1990 remix album by the Cure

Mixed Up is a remix album by English rock band the Cure, released on 20 November 1990 by Fiction Records. The songs are remixes of some of their hits, reflecting the popularity of remixing of existing songs and dance culture of the late 1980s and early 1990s. In 2018, a sequel was released titled Torn Down.

<i>Greatest Hits</i> (The Cure album) 2001 greatest hits album by the Cure

Greatest Hits is a greatest hits album by English rock band the Cure. It was first released in Japan on 7 November 2001, before being released in the UK and Europe on 12 November and then in the US the day after. 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. Lead singer Robert Smith agreed to release a greatest hits album under the condition that he could choose the tracks himself. The band also recorded a special studio album released as a bonus disc to some versions of the album. The disc, titled Acoustic Hits, consists of the eighteen songs from the North American release re-recorded using acoustic instruments.

<i>Join the Dots: B-Sides & Rarities 1978–2001 (The Fiction Years)</i> 2004 box set by The Cure

Join the Dots: B-Sides & Rarities is a box set of The Cure, released on 26 January 2004, by their former record label Fiction. This box set is a four-disc compilation of B-sides and rarities, digitally remastered by Chris Blair at Abbey Road Studios from their original tapes. The box set includes all B-sides by the band, apart from a number of remixes, as well a number of unreleased songs and songs that had been out of physical circulation for years. Many of the songs had not appeared on CD before. The set includes a booklet with track-by-track commentary and an extensive overview of the band's history up to 2004, followed by an extensive list of The Cure's discography.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lovesong (The Cure song)</span> 1989 single by the Cure

"Lovesong" is a song by English rock band the Cure, released as the third single from their eighth studio album, Disintegration (1989), on 21 August 1989. The song saw considerable success in the United States, where it reached the number-two position in October 1989 and became the band's only top-10 entry on the Billboard Hot 100. In the United Kingdom, the single charted at number 18, and it peaked within the top 20 in Canada and Ireland.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">A Forest</span> 1980 song by The Cure

"A Forest" is a song by the English rock band the Cure. Co-produced by Mike Hedges and the band's Robert Smith, it was released as a single from the band's second album Seventeen Seconds on 28 March 1980. It was their debut entry on the UK Singles Chart, reaching number 31. The accompanying music video was first shown on BBC's Top of the Pops programme on 24 April 1980.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pictures of You (The Cure song)</span> 1990 single by the Cure

"Pictures of You" is a song by English rock band the Cure. It was released on 19 March 1990 by Fiction Records 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. 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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Let's Go to Bed (The Cure song)</span> 1982 single by The Cure

"Let's Go to Bed" is a song by English rock band the Cure, released as a stand-alone single by Fiction Records in November 1982. In the aftermath of the dark Pornography, Robert Smith returned from a month-long detox in the Lake District to write the song, the antithesis to what the Cure currently represented. It was later included on the album Japanese Whispers, which compiles the band's three singles from 1982-83 and their five B-sides.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Walk (The Cure song)</span> 1983 single by The Cure

"The Walk" is a song by English rock band The Cure, released as a stand-alone single in June 1983. It later appeared on the compilation album Japanese Whispers. It was recorded when the band was briefly reduced to the two founding members Robert Smith and Lol Tolhurst following the departure of bassist Simon Gallup following the end of the band's previous tour in support of the album Pornography. in May 1982. According to Lol Tolhurst, they chose producer Steve Nye at the time due to his work on the album Tin Drum by Japan. Tolhurst later commented: "It was the first time we had worked with a 'proper' producer, as opposed to doing production with an engineer that we really liked. […] He was able to make electronic instruments sound more natural, and that's what we wanted."

<span class="mw-page-title-main">In Between Days</span> 1985 single by The Cure

"In Between Days" is a song by the English rock band The Cure, released in July 1985 as the first single from the band's sixth album The Head on the Door.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Close to Me (The Cure song)</span> 1985 single by the Cure

"Close to Me" is a song by English rock band the Cure, released in September 1985 as the second and final single from their sixth album, The Head on the Door.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hot Hot Hot!!!</span> 1988 single by The Cure

"Hot Hot Hot!!!" is a single by British rock band The Cure released on 8 February 1988. It is taken from their 1987 album Kiss Me, Kiss Me, Kiss Me. The song reached number 45 in the UK, whereas it was more successful in Ireland where it reached number 18, and in Spain where it reached the Top 10.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fascination Street</span> 1989 single by The Cure

"Fascination Street" is a 1989 North-American-only single by the English rock band The Cure from their album Disintegration.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Never Enough (The Cure song)</span> 1990 single by the Cure

"Never Enough" is a song by English rock band the Cure, released as a single in September 1990 from their 1990 remix album, Mixed Up. The song topped the US Billboard Modern Rock Tracks chart, reached number three in Finland, and peaked within the top 20 in Germany, Ireland, New Zealand, Spain, and the United Kingdom.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Hanging Garden (song)</span> 1982 single by The Cure

"The Hanging Garden" is a song by English rock band the Cure, released as the sole single from their fourth studio album, Pornography. The release is sometimes referred to as A Single. The single reached No. 34 on the UK Singles Chart.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">A Letter to Elise</span> 1992 single by the Cure

"A Letter to Elise" is a song by English rock band the Cure, released as the third and final single from the album Wish on 5 October 1992. In 2010, Pitchfork Media ranked it at number 184 in their list of "The Top 200 Tracks of the 1990s".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cut Here</span> 2001 single by The Cure

"Cut Here" is a song by English rock band The Cure, released as a single in October 2001 from their best-of compilation Greatest Hits released the same year.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Charlotte Sometimes (song)</span> 1981 single by The Cure

"Charlotte Sometimes" is a song by English rock band the Cure, recorded at producer Mike Hedges' Playground Studios and released as a non-album single on 9 October 1981 by Polydor Records, following the band's third studio album Faith. The titles and lyrics to both sides were based on the book Charlotte Sometimes by Penelope Farmer.

References

  1. "Cure | Full Official Chart History | Official Charts Company". Official Charts . Retrieved May 15, 2016.
  2. Hepworth, David (2–15 April 1981). "The Cure: "Primary"" (PDF). Smash Hits . Vol. 3, no. 7. Peterborough: EMAP National Publications, Ltd. p. 28. ISSN   0260-3004. Archived (PDF) from the original on 15 May 2023. Retrieved 27 July 2023 via World Radio History.