POLLography: The Cure poll results, ILM artist poll #23

My favorite when I was a teen. It was my #4 now.

Is anyone else a bit surprised that nothing post-1992 will make the poll?

I'm not really, when I see all the great pre-WMS songs that aren't gonna make it like, "Just One Kiss", "How Beautiful You Are", "2 Late", "Sinking", "A Few Hours After This", etc...

There's just so many brilliant songs. If I did a top 150 people would still talk about what fantastic songs didn't make it.

xpost I was hoping How Beautiful You Are might still make it.

The only post-Wish song that almost made my ballot was "The Last Day Of Summer".

xpost I can't really disagree ... if we had 80-song ballots and a top 100 then it's more likely someone would throw a bone at something from WMS, but not with only 40 picks and too many good 80's songs to choose from.

I picked a few post-"Wish" songs, partly out of a notion that I wanted to be "fair" toward their later career (whatever that means exactly) because I do think they've done some excellent stuff in the past fifteen or so years. But I'm far from certain that those songs are really better than the more than half the songs on the poll that I love and didn't vote for.

#9 - Boys Don't Cry, 593 points, 24 votes

Boys Don't Cry (single), 1979

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a90_d_tPhBs

I absolutely believe in everything on my ballot but, aside from the top 5, I could do it over and pick completely different songs.

I'm sad at the blanking of b-sides and The Glove

Although it was strangely never a hit, it doesn't get more classic than "Boys Don't Cry".

Cool, Charlotte Sometimes made top ten! It earned my strongest reappraisal, as it was my least favorite on Standing when I was a teen. I used to find it so lethargic sounding but now I adore its smeared gothic texture.

#8 - Primary, 600 points, 24 votes, 1 #1 vote

Faith (& single), 1981

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TmWVzhOey6k

Nooooooooooo!!!! This means my #1 really has no shot of showing up on the poll.

Charlotte Sometimes so strongly evokes being 15, gazing out of the living room window, dreaming. Such a beautiful song

Love Charlotte, never cared much for Primary.

I'd honestly forgotten there was a time when Robert Smith would wear suits onstage. Him in that Primary clip is agl. (Him now looks like the smelly guy who used to bum cigarettes from me downtown.)

Both of these songs are totally badass, I believe both were on my ballot

Never knew people loved "Primary" so much. It's pretty bad ass, but didn't make my ballot. (lol x-post)

#7 - Inbetween Days, 616 points, 24 votes

The Head on the Door (& single), 1985

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NuSnLfr24pM

Primary is prob my favorite track off Faith. even more than the great big mopey one. you know the one I'm talking about.

At the time, "In Between Days" was one that I liked less on Standing On A Beach. Can't figure out why now. It's their pop song I go back to the most.

I hope you're talking about the one I thought wasn't gonna make it anymore. It's giving me some hope.
Maybe "Friday I'm In Love" won't place after all... (x-post)

What's wrong with Friday? It's a great pop song, and it wouldn't surprise me if its top 5

I like Friday I'm In Love but at the same time it makes me cringe. didn't make my top 40.

It's a great pop song

If I had to guess 2 weeks ago what would be #1, I would've said the song that's at #5.

Sorry, I meant the song at #6. This one:

#6 - Plainsong, 619 points, 19 votes, 4 #1 votes

Disintegration, 1989

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g_gPwqTaKtw

Nothing's wrong with "Friday" except that it's competing with my #1 for a spot on this list.

We're not getting Friday. I came to the list fresh, with no biases, and am always open to a huge pop hook, and even I found twenty-odd tracks that do it for me more.

#5 - 10:15 Saturday Night, 628 points, 24 votes, 1 #1 vote

Three Imaginary Boys (& Killing An Arab b-side), 1979

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pF-m7Qet6xo

drip drip drip

There's a wonderful gawkiness in their stab at teenage ennui.

I thought it'd be my no.1 when I first heard it, but when I realised it's the source for The Libertines it started dropping down the list. Not very far in fairness, I do love it.

#4 - All Cats Are Grey, 663 points, 22 votes, 3 #1 votes

Faith, 1981

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xFKnu49wmms

dan is euphoric

Smith plays the keyboards on the original recording, no?

So nice to see this place in the top 5. Apparently it was written by Lol!

#3 - Close To Me, 692 points, 23 votes, 3 #1 votes

The Head on the Door (& single), 1985

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5pzcyGKu11M

luv the breathing sounds in this one

I knew Just Like Heaven and A Forest would battle for #1, but I honestly have no idea which will take it.

It's quite amazing that those two only actually had a total of one #1 vote between them.

"Punish Me With Kisses" #1 upset shocka?

#2 - Just Like Heaven, 845 points, 26 votes

Kiss Me Kiss Me Kiss Me (& single), 1987

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MBXwo6wGLkc

I was hoping it was the other way around, but I'm not gonna moan about it at #2. :D

no point dragging it out any longer

#1 - A Forest, 938 points, 30 votes, 1 #1 vote

Seventeen Seconds (& single), 1980

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AyebnhDD5Cw

wau @ the point jumps for the top three

It's the right result. Probably.

Thanks Nate!

My ballot:

Part 1: Tracks

01 All Cats Are Grey
02 Primary
03 Faith
04 The Drowning Man
05 The Upstairs Room
06 Pictures Of You
07 Push
08 The Exploding Boy
09 Just Like Heaven
10 Just One Kiss
11 The Walk
12 Punish Me With Kisses (The Glove)
13 Mouth To Mouth (The Glove)
14 Let's Go To Bed
15 Inbetween Days
16 Other Voices
17 The Funeral Party
18 The Holy Hour
19 The Figurehead
20 Lament
21 Perfect Murder (The Glove)
22 The Hanging Garden
23 Untitled
24 The Same Deep Water As You
25 At Night
26 Seventeen Seconds
27 A Forest
28 One Hundred Years
29 Charlotte Sometimes
30 Siamese Twins
31 The Baby Screams
32 The Lovecats
33 The Caterpillar
34 The 13th
35 2 Late
36 Halo
37 A Letter To Elise
38 Shake Dog Shake
39 Burn
40 Disintegration

Part 2: Albums

01 Faith
02 Seventeen Seconds
03 Pornography
04 The Head On The Door
05 Disintegration

Part 3: Videos

01 Close To Me (the original!)
02 Why Can't I Be You?
03 The Walk
04 Let's Go To Bed
05 The 13th

The results in full:

#1 - A Forest, 938 points, 30 votes, 1 #1 votes
#2 - Just Like Heaven, 845 points, 26 votes, 0 #1 votes
#3 - Close To Me, 692 points, 23 votes, 3 #1 votes
#4 - All Cats Are Grey, 663 points, 22 votes, 3 #1 votes
#5 - 10:15 Saturday Night, 628 points, 24 votes, 1 #1 votes
#6 - Plainsong, 619 points, 19 votes, 4 #1 votes
#7 - Inbetween Days, 616 points, 24 votes, 0 #1 votes
#8 - Primary, 600 points, 24 votes, 1 #1 votes
#9 - Boys Don't Cry, 593 points, 24 votes, 0 #1 votes
#10 - Charlotte Sometimes, 591 points, 23 votes, 0 #1 votes
#11 - Jumping Someone Else's Train, 587 points, 25 votes, 1 #1 votes
#12 - A Night Like This, 564 points, 25 votes, 2 #1 votes
#13 - Disintegration, 563 points, 23 votes, 2 #1 votes
#14 - One Hundred Years, 536 points, 23 votes, 0 #1 votes
#15 - Play For Today, 516 points, 21 votes, 0 #1 votes
#16 - Fascination Street, 506 points, 21 votes, 2 #1 votes
#17 - Pictures Of You, 497 points, 19 votes, 2 #1 votes
#18 - Let's Go To Bed, 473 points, 20 votes, 2 #1 votes
#19 - Lovesong, 461 points, 17 votes, 0 #1 votes
#20 - Lullaby, 443 points, 17 votes, 0 #1 votes
#21 - The Funeral Party, 433 points, 16 votes, 0 #1 votes
#22 - Fire In Cairo, 414 points, 20 votes, 0 #1 votes
#23 - Killing An Arab, 409 points, 17 votes, 0 #1 votes
#24 - Faith, 403 points, 16 votes, 0 #1 votes
#25 - Push, 387 points, 15 votes, 0 #1 votes
#26 - The Love Cats, 378 points, 19 votes, 0 #1 votes
#27 - Like Cockatoos, 368 points, 12 votes, 2 #1 votes
#28 - A Strange Day, 366 points, 15 votes, 1 #1 votes
#29 - The Kiss, 364 points, 13 votes, 1 #1 votes
#30 - The Drowning Man, 361 points, 12 votes, 0 #1 votes
#31 - Siamese Twins, 360 points, 11 votes, 0 #1 votes
#32 - The Hanging Garden, 352 points, 18 votes, 0 #1 votes
#33 - The Upstairs Room, 350 points, 13 votes, 1 #1 votes
#34 - Untitled, 344 points, 12 votes, 0 #1 votes
#35 - Shake Dog Shake, 330 points, 17 votes, 0 #1 votes
#36 - M, 325 points, 14 votes, 0 #1 votes
#37 - The Caterpillar, 323 points, 16 votes, 0 #1 votes
#38 - Lament, 311 points, 12 votes, 0 #1 votes
#39 - The Figurehead, 307 points, 12 votes, 2 #1 votes
#40 - The Walk, 295 points, 15 votes, 0 #1 votes
#41 - High, 286 points, 10 votes, 0 #1 votes
#42 - Why Can't I Be You?, 277 points, 9 votes, 0 #1 votes
#43 - Three Imaginary Boys, 275 points, 13 votes, 0 #1 votes
#44 - If Only Tonight We Could Sleep, 272 points, 14 votes, 0 #1 votes
#45 - Six Different Ways, 259 points, 11 votes, 0 #1 votes
#46 - Grinding Halt, 258 points, 11 votes, 0 #1 votes
#47 - Open, 257 points, 11 votes, 0 #1 votes
#48 - In Your House, 255 points, 14 votes, 0 #1 votes
#49 - Other Voices, 255 points, 13 votes, 0 #1 votes
#50 - A Man Inside My Mouth, 253 points, 9 votes, 0 #1 votes
#51 - How Beautiful You Are, 249 points, 11 votes, 0 #1 votes
#52 - Prayers For Rain, 245 points, 13 votes, 0 #1 votes
#53 - A Few Hours After This, 241 points, 9 votes, 1 #1 votes
#54 - The Exploding Boy, 226 points, 9 votes, 1 #1 votes
#55 - Friday Iím In Love, 212 points, 10 votes, 0 #1 votes
#56 - Sinking, 208 points, 10 votes, 0 #1 votes
#57 - The Same Deep Water As You, 200 points, 8 votes, 0 #1 votes
#58 - At Night, 192 points, 12 votes, 0 #1 votes
#59 - Catch, 186 points, 12 votes, 0 #1 votes
#60 - Never Enough, 183 points, 9 votes, 0 #1 votes
#61 - End, 181 points, 10 votes, 0 #1 votes
#62 - The Blood, 177 points, 8 votes, 0 #1 votes
#63 - Bananafishbones, 176 points, 8 votes, 0 #1 votes
#64 - Throw Your Foot, 172 points, 7 votes, 0 #1 votes
#65 - Harold & Joe, 167 points, 9 votes, 0 #1 votes
#66 - Last Dance, 165 points, 10 votes, 0 #1 votes
#67 - From The Edge Of The Deep Green Sea, 165 points, 8 votes, 1 #1 votes
#68 - The Baby Screams, 159 points, 8 votes, 0 #1 votes
#69 - Give Me It, 153 points, 7 votes, 0 #1 votes
#70 - The Top, 152 points, 6 votes, 0 #1 votes
#71 - Seventeen Seconds, 146 points, 8 votes, 0 #1 votes
#72 - Cold, 146 points, 7 votes, 0 #1 votes
#73 - New Day, 144 points, 7 votes, 0 #1 votes
#74 - 2 Late, 133 points, 8 votes, 0 #1 votes
#75 - Just One Kiss, 133 points, 7 votes, 0 #1 votes
#76 - Kyoto Song, 132 points, 9 votes, 0 #1 votes
#77 - Hot Hot Hot !!!, 127 points, 9 votes, 0 #1 votes
#78 - This Twilight Garden, 126 points, 6 votes, 0 #1 votes
#79 - Piggy In The Mirror, 126 points, 6 votes, 0 #1 votes
#80 - To Wish Impossible Things, 121 points, 6 votes, 0 #1 votes
#81 - Doing The Unstuck, 118 points, 5 votes, 1 #1 votes
#82 - Burn, 107 points, 6 votes, 0 #1 votes
#83 - A Letter To Elise, 106 points, 8 votes, 0 #1 votes
#84 - Accuracy, 94 points, 4 votes, 0 #1 votes
#85 - Apart, 90 points, 6 votes, 0 #1 votes
#86 - To The Sky, 89 points, 3 votes, 0 #1 votes
#87 - Secrets, 88 points, 4 votes, 1 #1 votes
#88 - Closedown, 86 points, 6 votes, 0 #1 votes
#89 - Mr Pink Eyes, 84 points, 5 votes, 0 #1 votes
#90 - Pornography, 84 points, 3 votes, 0 #1 votes
#91 - The 13th, 79 points, 5 votes, 0 #1 votes
#92 - So What, 76 points, 3 votes, 0 #1 votes
#93 - Stop Dead, 75 points, 6 votes, 0 #1 votes
#94 - Splintered In Her Head, 74 points, 4 votes, 0 #1 votes
#95 - One More Time, 73 points, 7 votes, 0 #1 votes
#96 - Homesick, 72 points, 4 votes, 0 #1 votes
#97 - The Wailing Wall, 69 points, 4 votes, 0 #1 votes
#98 - Breathe, 69 points, 3 votes, 0 #1 votes
#99 - A Thousand Hours, 69 points, 2 votes, 0 #1 votes
#100 - Another Day, 66 points, 2 votes, 0 #1 votes
#101 - A Short Term Effect, 64 points, 4 votes, 0 #1 votes
#102 - Want, 63 points, 3 votes, 0 #1 votes
#103 - Screw, 63 points, 3 votes, 0 #1 votes
#104 - Dressing Up, 60 points, 4 votes, 0 #1 votes
#105 - The Holy Hour, 59 points, 5 votes, 0 #1 votes
#106 - Forever, 59 points, 3 votes, 0 #1 votes
#107 - Plastic Passion, 56 points, 4 votes, 0 #1 votes
#108 - Hey You!, 54 points, 3 votes, 0 #1 votes
#109 - Watching Me Fall, 53 points, 2 votes, 0 #1 votes
#110 - Halo, 52 points, 2 votes, 0 #1 votes
#111 - It's Not You, 52 points, 2 votes, 0 #1 votes
#112 - (I Don't Know What's Going) On, 52 points, 2 votes, 0 #1 votes
#113 - A Chain Of Flowers, 52 points, 2 votes, 0 #1 votes
#114 - Birdmad Girl, 50 points, 3 votes, 0 #1 votes
#115 - Speak My Language, 48 points, 3 votes, 0 #1 votes
#116 - Mouth To Mouth (The Glove), 47 points, 2 votes, 0 #1 votes
#117 - The End Of The World, 46 points, 3 votes, 0 #1 votes
#118 - Shiver and Shake, 44 points, 2 votes, 0 #1 votes
#119 - Carnage Visors, 44 points, 2 votes, 0 #1 votes
#120 - Mint Car, 43 points, 3 votes, 0 #1 votes
#121 - Cut, 43 points, 1 votes, 0 #1 votes
#122 - Lost, 42 points, 2 votes, 0 #1 votes
#123 - All I Want, 39 points, 4 votes, 0 #1 votes
#124 - Before Three, 39 points, 2 votes, 0 #1 votes
#125 - Out of This World, 39 points, 2 votes, 0 #1 votes
#126 - The Big Hand, 39 points, 2 votes, 0 #1 votes
#127 - Underneath The Stars, 38 points, 4 votes, 0 #1 votes
#128 - Wrong Number, 36 points, 2 votes, 0 #1 votes
#129 - Perfect Murder (The Glove), 36 points, 2 votes, 0 #1 votes
#130 - Jupiter Crash, 36 points, 2 votes, 0 #1 votes
#131 - Cut Here, 34 points, 2 votes, 0 #1 votes
#132 - Uyea Sound, 34 points, 1 votes, 0 #1 votes
#133 - I'm Cold, 32 points, 2 votes, 0 #1 votes
#134 - Gone!, 32 points, 1 votes, 0 #1 votes
#135 - The Snakepit, 31 points, 3 votes, 0 #1 votes
#136 - Do The Hansa, 31 points, 2 votes, 0 #1 votes
#137 - Another Journey By Train, 30 points, 2 votes, 0 #1 votes
#138 - The Perfect Girl, 30 points, 2 votes, 0 #1 votes
#139 - Punish Me With Kisses (The Glove), 30 points, 1 votes, 0 #1 votes
#140 - Labyrinth, 29 points, 2 votes, 0 #1 votes
#141 - Maybe Someday, 29 points, 1 votes, 0 #1 votes
#142 - 39, 29 points, 1 votes, 0 #1 votes
#143 - Doubt, 26 points, 1 votes, 0 #1 votes
#144 - Happy The Man, 25 points, 2 votes, 0 #1 votes
#145 - Fear Of Ghosts, 25 points, 2 votes, 0 #1 votes
#146 - Play With Me, 25 points, 1 votes, 0 #1 votes
#147 - I'm a Cult Hero, 25 points, 1 votes, 0 #1 votes
#148 - Us or Them, 24 points, 1 votes, 0 #1 votes
#149 - A Japanese Dream, 23 points, 2 votes, 0 #1 votes
#150 - Wailing Wall, 22 points, 1 votes, 0 #1 votes
#151 - Descent, 21 points, 2 votes, 0 #1 votes
#152 - Babble, 19 points, 2 votes, 0 #1 votes
#153 - The Promise, 19 points, 1 votes, 0 #1 votes
#154 - Torture, 18 points, 2 votes, 0 #1 votes
#155 - A Foolish Arrangement, 18 points, 1 votes, 0 #1 votes
#156 - Last Day Of Summer, 14 points, 1 votes, 0 #1 votes
#157 - Snow In Summer, 14 points, 1 votes, 0 #1 votes
#158 - Numb, 14 points, 1 votes, 0 #1 votes
#159 - Pillbox Tales, 12 points, 1 votes, 0 #1 votes
#160 - Home, 12 points, 1 votes, 0 #1 votes
#161 - Play, 10 points, 2 votes, 0 #1 votes
#162 - Mr Alphabet Says, 10 points, 1 votes, 0 #1 votes
#163 - The Dream, 10 points, 1 votes, 0 #1 votes
#164 - Switch, 10 points, 1 votes, 0 #1 votes
#165 - The Only One, 10 points, 1 votes, 0 #1 votes
#166 - Temptation Two (aka LGTB), 9 points, 1 votes, 0 #1 votes
#167 - Going Nowhere , 9 points, 1 votes, 0 #1 votes
#168 - It's Over, 6 points, 1 votes, 0 #1 votes
#169 - Alt.End, 3 points, 1 votes, 0 #1 votes
#170 - Three, 3 points, 1 votes, 0 #1 votes
#171 - Bloodflowers, 3 points, 1 votes, 0 #1 votes
#172 - Subway Song, 2 points, 1 votes, 0 #1 votes
#173 - Object, 2 points, 1 votes, 0 #1 votes
#174 - Fake, 2 points, 1 votes, 0 #1 votes
#175 - Icing Sugar, 2 points, 1 votes, 0 #1 votes

Bravo, Nate!

The top 100 in a Spotify playlist:

http://open.spotify.com/user/nathanwoolls/playlist/0cnsQZacWxATLVfmUq6N2h