Nineties Revisited: Friday I'm in Love

Original video located here. Accessed 9th August 2010

Song title: Friday I'm in Love

Artist: The Cure

Year: 1992

Why I like this song:

This is my favourite song of all time. No competition. I will never tire of it no matter how many times I hear it. It sits atop my list of most played songs, picking it's teeth with the bones of many a would-be challenger.

So what makes this song special?
Simple: It make me happy.

Of course such a statement is a loaded one so lets unpack shall we?

This song is by a band who have built a career out of being touchstone for gothic music. After all, it was only a decade prior when they released the Pornography album. An album that had the opening line of: "It Doesn't Matter If We All Die!"
But there is an appeal to me that a band with such a dour reputation would turn around do something so cheerful. Uncharacteristic maybe but that's part of the charm.

Going further with the dual nature of the song, the lyrics fascinate me: They tell the story of a guy who is miserable throughout the week - that is until Friday comes along. Granted this is a universal feeling (who doesn't wait for Friday to do something fun?) but these are real grim lyrics for such a cheerful sounding song. Does it fit? Maybe but when one utilises such the exuberance one can get away with anything.

I will maintain that when Robert Smith can put his mind to it, he can churn out a winner of a pop song (see: High, Just Like Heaven, Inbetween Days). And this is that theory in practice; It has more hooks than a fisherman's tacklebox, boasts an instantly recognisable intro and some winning guitar figures. Indeed, it's not hard to hear this and smile.

Finally, it seems that Robert has an odd relationship with this song: One on hand it still gets played live and he certainly doesn't appear embarrassed by it. But on the other hand, he did declare that it isn't representative of The Cure as a whole. Well I have enjoyed The Cure at their gothiest but that doesn't stop me from enjoying their poppier side. 

So perhaps it's the dual nature of the song that really clicks with me: I myself consider myself a powderkeg of contradictions so may it is fitting that I would adore a song that is in itself a powderkeg of contradictions.