The 13th


"The 13th" is a song by English rock band The Cure, released as the first single from the band's tenth studio album Wild Mood Swings in April 1996. The song was commercially less successful than the band's previous hits from Disintegration and Wish, but it still managed to reach the top 20 in several territories, including Wallonia, Finland, Sweden and the United Kingdom. It was most successful in Hungary, where it reached number two, and in Italy, where it peaked at number five.

Release

The song reached number 15 on the UK Singles Chart and number 44 on the US Billboard Hot 100. The song was played very few times during the Swing Tour and never again since the tour.
Writing for AllMusic, Ned Raggett rated the single four stars out of five and noted the unexpected tone of the song: "There's no question that 'The 13th' was probably one of the Cure's most unexpected singles -- though horns had appeared on the single mix of 'Close to Me' back in 1985, the distinctly Latin percussion and brass on the song here was something else entirely!"
Clash magazine said that, alongside "Gone!", "The 13th" has become known for dividing fans, describing them as "love/hate affairs", but noted they "still a band happy to experiment and play with conventions." Peter Parrish described "The 13th" as "a pseudo-latin number with a not-especially-hidden message about giving in to your lust."

Music video

The music video of the song shows Robert Smith, dressed in ripped velvet dress, lying on his bed and watching a TV broadcast where he performs with The Cure. Comedian Sean Hughes also appears in the video.

Track listing

All tracks were written by Smith/Gallup/Bamonte/Cooper/O'Donnell.
Version 1
  1. "The 13th "
  2. "It Used to Be Me"
  3. "Adonais"
  4. "Ocean"
Version 2
  1. "The 13th " – 4:09
  2. "Ocean" – 3:29
  3. "It Used to Be Me" – 6:57
  4. "The 13th " – 4:16
Note: "It Used to Be Me" can also be found as an extra track on the Japanese version of Wild Mood Swings.

Personnel