Fascination Street

The American first single from Disintegration, and the band's first number one on the Modern Rock chart.
The Cure, from Disintegration (1989)

Released
1989
Length
5:18
Album
Disintegration

Issued as a single only in North America, after the American record company refused to release the band's choice, Lullaby, as the first single, it became their first number one on the newly created Billboard Modern Rock Tracks chart and stayed there seven weeks. The extended mix, produced by Smith, Chris Parry and Mark Saunders, has a four-minute instrumental introduction and is on Mixed Up.

In the notes to the compilation Galore, Smith described it as a generic song about the often cynical delights of exploring a new city's nightlife, loosely based on one band adventure in New Orleans in 1985. He added that he had been getting ready to go there and wondered what he thought he would find. Pitchfork's Nitsuh Abebe called it seething, and the Guardian's Luke Turner described it as a beautiful dirge when the band played it at the Troxy in 2024.

More songs by The Cure

A Forest, Boys Don't Cry, Just Like Heaven, Lovesong, Friday I'm in Love, Alone, Killing an Arab, Charlotte Sometimes, Let's Go to Bed, The Love Cats, In Between Days, Close to Me, Lullaby, Pictures of You

Sources

  1. Fascination Street, Wikipedia
  2. Disintegration [Deluxe Edition] review, Pitchfork (2010-06-10)
  3. The Cure review: Troxy, London, The Guardian (2024-11-03)