Wish is the ninth studio album by British alternative rock band The Cure, released on 21 April 1992 through record labelFiction in the UK and Elektra in the US. Upon its release, Wish was the Cure's overall highest charting album, and most commercially successful in the band's career, given its debut at number one in the UK and number two in the United States, where it sold more than 1.2 million copies.
Recording
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, as well as being the last album featuring guitarist Porl Thompson for sixteen years. 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 Porl Thompson, 'Wish' was recorded on 48 tracks and "almost everything was used". 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. Robert 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." 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. "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." Smith also revealed that the songs "Mesmerize" 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 "Mesmerize" 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 "Mesmerize" 20 times, drinking and turning it louder and louder, putting myself into a trance."
Release
The album's lead single was "High", released on 16 March 1992. The single peaked at number eight on the UK Singles Chart, forty-two on the US BillboardHot 100 and number one on the BillboardModern Rock Tracks. The album's second single, "Friday I'm in Love", released on 11 May 1992, became one of the band's most popular songs – reaching number six in the UK Singles Chart and number eighteen in the Billboard Hot 100, and number one in the Modern Rock Tracks. The final single was for "A Letter to Elise", going at number twenty-eight in the UK and 2 in the Modern Rock Tracks. 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." 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 in the UK, and number two in the United States, where it sold more than 1.2 million copies. Wish was also nominated for the Grammy Award for Best Alternative Music Album in 1993. On 16 November 1993, a limited EP called Lost Wishes was released on cassette with four new tracks on it. 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. In 2000 it was voted number 646 in Colin Larkin's All Time Top 1000 Albums.
Reissue
On April 13, 2018, in an interview with BBC Radio 6, Robert Smith confirmed that the deluxe edition of “Wish” is finished. A release date is yet to be announced.
Track listing
All songs composed by The Cure. 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. Side A
