Wish is the ninth studio album by English rock band the Cure, released on 21 April 1992[3] by Fiction Records in the United Kingdom and Elektra Records in the United States.[4] Wish was the most commercially successful album in the band`s career, debuting at number one in the UK and number two in the US, where it sold more than 1.2 million copies.

On 25 November 2022, a remastered 30th-anniversary deluxe edition of Wish was released, containing four previously unreleased demos with vocals, instrumental demos, the Lost Wishes instrumental cassette and remix versions.[5]

Recording

The record is the final studio album by the Cure to feature drummer Boris Williams and the first to feature guitarist/keyboardist Perry Bamonte, who previously worked as a roadie for the band,[6] as well as being the last album to feature guitarist Porl Thompson for sixteen years.[7]

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 Thompson, Wish was recorded on 48 tracks and "almost everything was used".[8] Robert Smith also revealed the hit song "Friday I`m in Love" was accidentally sped up a quarter-tone sharp on the tape, halfway between D and E-flat. 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."[8] 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.[8] "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."[8]

Smith also revealed that the songs "Mesmerise" 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 `Mesmerise` 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 `Mesmerise` 20 times, drinking and turning it louder and louder, putting myself into a trance."[8]

Release

The album`s lead single was "High", released on 16 March 1992.[19] The single peaked at number eight on the UK Singles Chart, number 42 on the US Billboard Hot 100, and number one on the Billboard Modern Rock Tracks chart.[20][21][22] The album`s second single, "Friday I`m in Love", was released on 15 May 1992, a Friday,[23] later reaching number six on the UK Singles Chart, number 18 on the Billboard Hot 100, and number one on the Modern Rock Tracks chart.[24][21][22] The final single was "A Letter to Elise", issued on 5 October 1992.[25] This song reached number twenty-eight in the UK and number two on the Modern Rock Tracks chart.[24][22]

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."[17] 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 on the UK Albums Chart, and number two on the US Billboard 200, where it sold more than 1.2 million copies.[24][26] It also reached number one on Cash Box`s Top 200 Pop Albums chart in the US on 16 May 1992.[27] Wish was nominated for the Grammy Award for Best Alternative Music Album in 1993.

On 16 November 1993, a limited-edition EP titled Lost Wishes was released on cassette with four new tracks on it.[28] 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.[29] In 2000 it was voted number 646 in Colin Larkin`s All Time Top 1000 Albums.[30]

Reissues

On 13 April 2018, in an interview with BBC Radio 6 Music, Robert Smith confirmed that the deluxe edition of Wish had been finished.[31] On 28 July 2022, the band announced a remastered and expanded 30th-anniversary deluxe edition of Wish, releasing it on 25 November 2022. The 30th-anniversary edition contains 24 previously unreleased demos, out-takes, the Lost Wishes EP and a collection of 12-inch remixes of all three singles from the Wish period.[5] The recordings were remastered by Smith and Miles Showell at Abbey Road Studios.[32][33]

Track listing

All songs composed by the Cure (Perry Bamonte, Simon Gallup, Robert Smith, Porl Thompson, Boris Williams).

2022 Deluxe Edition

Personnel

All credits taken from liner notes [7]

The Cure

• Robert Smith – vocals, guitars, six-string bass, keyboards
• Perry Bamonte – guitars, keyboards, six-string bass on "Friday I`m In Love" and "A Letter to Elise"
• Porl Thompson – guitars
• Simon Gallup – bass
• Boris Williams – drums, percussion

Additional musicians

• Kate Wilkinson – viola on "To Wish Impossible Things"

Production

• Producers: Dave Allen, the Cure
• Engineers: Dave Allen, Steve Whitfield
• Assistant engineer: Chris Bandy
• Mixing: Mark Saunders
• Mixing assistants: Andy Baker, William Parry, Danton Supple, Mark Warner
• Album cover: Parched Art (Porl Thompson and Andy Vella)

Charts

Certifications and sales

Certifications and sales for Wish