90's Jams #16: The Cure "Pictures Of You" (1990)

Much like the "Personal Jesus" entry, serious ass cheating was involved in order to get this into the 90's Jams: Disintegration was released in '89, with "Pictures Of You," the 4th and final single, released in March '90. One version of the single includes a 12-inch remix version which is 30 seconds longer, but the edits are not as good. One version includes the shortened 4:45 single edit, which removes most of the intro. So we are definitely referring to the 80's album version (sorry about that) but it WAS released as a single during the 90's, and so it's here on the 90's Jams.

The distinction is kinda huge though. Disintegration is one of those albums where its atmosphere is key to the whole record, with The Cure's trademark lengthly intros serving as an entrance to a world of darkness and layers upon layers of dense production. Its intro is the most important moment of "Pictures Of You," an elongated plunge into longing and regret in the midst of a shower of bleakness, appealing beyond the teenage emo types who once ate up this shit and started dying their hair and all that fun stuff... Robert Smith was approaching 30 when he wrote "Pictures Of You," and its subject matter within the context of its album sounds as though it's from a 30-year-old perspective, a grim reminder that wisdom doesn't necessarily alleviate sadness. But once again, it's the world created by its production that makes this record so special.. Expensive stereos with really good speakers become worth their pricetag for songs like this.