Let's Go to Bed (The Cure song)

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"Let's Go to Bed"
Single by The Cure
B-side"Just One Kiss"
Released23 November 1982[1]
Genre
Length3:33
LabelFiction
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)Chris Parry
The Cure singles chronology
"The Hanging Garden"
(1982) 		"Let's Go to Bed"
(1982) 		"The Walk"
(1983)
Music video
"Let's Go To Bed" on YouTube

"Let's Go to Bed" is a song by English rock band the Cure, released as a stand-alone single by Fiction Records in November 1982. In the aftermath of the dark Pornography, Robert Smith returned from a month-long detox in the Lake District to write the song, the antithesis to what the Cure currently represented. It was later included on the album Japanese Whispers, which compiles the band's three singles from 1982 to 1983 and their five B-sides.

The single was only a minor success in the UK, peaking at No. 44,[2] but became a Top 20 hit in Australia in 1983, reaching No. 15 in Australia (for two weeks)[3] and No. 17 in New Zealand.[4]

History[edit]

The origins of "Let's Go to Bed" lie in "Temptation", one of the demos for Pornography. The song is a relatively upbeat, guitar-driven instrumental. In August 1982, soon after Simon Gallup's departure from the band, Smith demoed a vocal version of the track, entitled "Temptation Two", a psychedelic piece not far removed from the Pornography album but somewhat lighter in tone. At the end of the song, Smith sings a string of wordless syllables, nearly identical to the "doo doo doo"s of the later song. The song version was debuted on Kid Jensen's radio show on 27 November 1982, as a take which was very close to the final version that appeared as a single in the same month.[citation needed]

In an interview with Rolling Stone, Robert Smith discussed the initial reaction when playing the song to Fiction Records:

When I took "Lets Go to Bed" to Fiction and played it to them, it was like silence. They looked at me, like, "This is it. He’s really lost it." They said, "You can’t be serious. Your fans are gonna hate it." I understood that, but I wanted to get rid of all that. I didn’t want that side of life anymore; I wanted to do something that’s really kind of cheerful. I thought, "This isn’t going to work. No one’s ever gonna buy into this. It’s so ludicrous that I’m gonna go from goth idol to pop star in three easy lessons."

However, the song became a success much to Smith’s surprise.

Suddenly, "Let’s Go to Bed" was turning into a big hit, on the West Coast particularly, and we had a young, predominantly female, teenage audience. It went from intense, menacing, psychotic goths to people with perfect white teeth. It was a very weird transition, but I enjoyed it. I thought it was really funny. We followed it up with "The Walk" and "Love Cats," and I just felt totally liberated."[5]

On 15 March 1983, the song was the first broadcast for the pioneering Boston-based alternative rock radio station WFNX. When WFNX was sold and ceased broadcasting on 20 July 2012, "Let's Go to Bed" was selected as the station's final broadcast.[6]

Reception[edit]

Chris True of AllMusic described the song as "antic, herky-jerky new wave pop",[7] while also observing it as 'poppier than former singles, but still maintains a dark edge. The moody atmospherics and percussive elements of the Cure of old are traded in for offbeat melodies and quirky dance beats." He also said "The song has an almost childlike approach". further stating that the "production feels like kids are trying out new toys."[8]

Pitchfork called it "bratty, funky synthpop".[9]

Music video[edit]

The song's music video was the band's first collaboration with Tim Pope,[10] who would go on to direct several more videos for the group. The video features members Robert Smith and Lol Tolhurst, who at that point were the only members of the Cure – the only instance in the band's history where the band officially had a two-person lineup.[11] Pope's video treatment displayed the band's more whimsical side, something absent from the band's early work. In his book, Tolhurst also recalls that he was dancing naked behind the screen as a shadowy silhouette.[12] He also says that the music videos soon helped the band's fortunes: "As we soon found out, some heavy rotation on MTV, together with our rigorous touring, would start to accelerate the rise of the band."

Track listing[edit]

7-inch vinyl

  1. "Let's Go to Bed" – 3:35
  2. "Just One Kiss" – 4:10

12-inch vinyl

  1. "Let's Go to Bed" (Extended Mix) – 7:04
  2. "Just One Kiss" (Extended Mix) – 7:02

US 7-inch vinyl

  1. "Let's Go to Bed" – 3:34
  2. "Boys Don't Cry" – 2:36

US 12-inch vinyl

  1. "Let's Go to Bed" – 7:45
  2. "Just One Kiss" – 7:18
  3. "Let's Go to Bed" (edit) – 3:35

Personnel[edit]

Charts[edit]

Weekly charts[edit]

Weekly chart performance for "Let's Go to Bed"
Chart (1983) Peak
position
Australia (Kent Music Report)[13] 15
New Zealand (RMNZ) 17
United Kingdom (OCC) 44
US Billboard Dance/Disco Top 80[14] 32

Year-end charts[edit]

Year-end chart performance for "Let's Go to Bed"
Chart (1983) Position
Australia (Kent Music Report)[13] 94

References[edit]

  1. ^ "The Cure / Discography : Latest Release : From Festival 2005 (Live Audio Version) - EP". Archived from the original on 2008-02-05.
  2. ^ "Let's Go to Bed". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 23 October 2016.
  3. ^ Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992. St Ives, NSW: Australian Chart Book. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
  4. ^ "The Cure – Let's Go to Bed (song)". charts.nz. Retrieved 23 October 2016.
  5. ^ Crandall, Bill (2004-06-18). "The Cure's Discography: Robert Smith Looks Back". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 2019-08-05.
  6. ^ "Listening to WFNX 1983-2012". The Boston Phoenix. Retrieved 30 June 2016.
  7. ^ Mason, Stewart. "Why Can't I Be You?". AllMusic. Retrieved 22 January 2013.
  8. ^ https://www.allmusic.com/artist/the-cure-mn0000137390, Let's Go to Bed by The Cure - Track Info | AllMusic, retrieved 2023-07-08 {{citation}}: |last= has generic name (help); External link in |last= (help)CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  9. ^ Abebe, Nitsuh (25 August 2006). "The Cure / Robert Smith: The Top / The Head on the Door / Kiss Me, Kiss Me, Kiss Me / Blue Sunshine". Pitchfork. Retrieved 23 October 2016.
  10. ^ Cured: The Tale of Two Imaginary Boys by Lol Tolhurst
  11. ^ "The Cure's Lol Tolhurst On Blackouts, Breakups, and Escaping the '80s Alive". Pitchfork. 2016-09-27. Retrieved 2023-08-31.
  12. ^ "The Cure's "Let's Go to Bed"". 27 November 2017.
  13. ^ a b "Kent Music Report – National Top 100 Singles for 1983". Kent Music Report. Retrieved 22 January 2023 – via Imgur.com.
  14. ^ "BB-1983-03-26.pdf" (PDF). World Radio History. March 26, 1983. p. 43. Retrieved September 11, 2023.

External links[edit]

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