A cover of Love Will Tear Us Apart, the Joy Division classic, has thrilled fans of The Cure, who gave the Ian Curtis-penned song an “incredible” cover.
The Robert Smith-fronted band has covered everyone from Thin Lizzy to The Beatles, but the band’s cover of Love Will Tear Us Apart has struck a chord with listeners. Smith has made his love of Joy Division clear in interviews, with the frontman describing them as “just fantastic”. He said: “In 1980 we did a thing in London at the Marquee Club… we picked the four bands we wanted to play with us, and Joy Division were one of those bands… I heard Unknown Pleasures on the radio on John Peel, and they were just fantastic.” He would go on to say they were one of the best musical artists he had seen live, up there with The Rolling Stones and David Bowie.
Smith would add: “They were of that generation of bands which is my generation of bands, they were so powerful…that was our best show that year, I think, we went on after them and we had to really we had to try hard to match what they did… it’s a shame about Ian Curtis… It’s like Jimi Hendrix or Kurt Cobain… people that good come around far too infrequently.”
The Cure would cover Love Will Tear Us Apart, much to the delight of fans. One listener wrote: “Robert Smith is one of the most underrated British artists of all time. Forty years of beautiful music that has stayed with me throughout my life. Just Like Heaven was my first dance at my wedding (I begged and actually got my way!).”
Another praised the cover, adding: “This is what a cover should be: recognisable as the original, but with the band placing their own flair on it. The Cure pays this reverence to the magic of Joy Division.”
A third listener shared the crucial difference between the Joy Division original and this cover from The Cure. They wrote: “This version sounds like it’s a sad fact that’s already happened, whereas the original sounds more like an unfortunate possibility.”
Others have suggested the crucial difference between the two versions is Smith does not try and “outdo” Curtis’ original. One person wrote: “Robert covered it his way, he wasn’t trying to outdo Ian… great cover!”
Another added: “Not really a Cure fan, but this cover is very good indeed. The softer vocals offer a different perspective and the more dub-like bass line is pretty interesting, too!”
A third shared: “I love the Cure and Joy Division, I am an avid listener of both. This cover in my opinion, is exactly how I cover should be. JD is post-punk, while The Cure has more of a gothic, alternative, new wave sound. A good cover shouldn’t be an exact copy of the original cover, it should be an artist’s tribute to the other in thier own way.”
A fourth added: “This is incredible! Being an old school Cure fan, I can not believe that I have never heard this before. Humbled.” You can listen to The Cure’s cover of Love Will Tear Us Apart below.
Discover more from Cult Following
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
