The 13th

"The 13th" is a song by English rock band The Cure, released as the first single from the band's tenth studio album Wild Mood Swings in April 1996. The song was commercially less successful than the band's previous hits from Disintegration and Wish, but it still managed to reach the top 20 in several territories, including Wallonia, Finland, Sweden and the United Kingdom. It was most successful in Hungary, where it reached number two, and in Italy, where it peaked at number five.

"The 13th"
Single by The Cure
from the album Wild Mood Swings
B-side"It Used to Be Me", "Ocean", "Adonais"
Released22 April 1996
GenreMariachi[1]
Length4:16
LabelFiction
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)
  • Robert Smith
  • Steve Lyon
The Cure singles chronology
"A Letter to Elise"
(1992)		 "The 13th"
(1996)		 "Mint Car"
(1996)

Release

The song reached number 15 on the UK Singles Chart and number 44 on the US Billboard Hot 100. The song was played very few times during the Swing Tour and never again since the tour.

Writing for AllMusic, Ned Raggett rated the single four stars out of five and noted the unexpected tone of the song: "There's no question that 'The 13th' was probably one of the Cure's most unexpected singles -- though horns had appeared on the single mix of 'Close to Me' back in 1985, the distinctly Latin percussion and brass on the song here was something else entirely!"[2]

Clash magazine said that, alongside "Gone!", "The 13th" has become known for dividing fans, describing them as "love/hate affairs", but noted they "still [show] a band happy to experiment and play with conventions."[3] Peter Parrish described "The 13th" as "a pseudo-latin number with a not-especially-hidden message about giving in to your lust."[4]

Music video

The music video of the song shows Robert Smith, dressed in ripped velvet dress, lying on his bed and watching a TV broadcast where he performs with The Cure. Comedian Sean Hughes also appears in the video.[5]

Track listing

All tracks were written by Smith/Gallup/Bamonte/Cooper/O'Donnell.

Version 1

  1. "The 13th (Swing Radio Mix)"
  2. "It Used to Be Me"
  3. "Adonais"
  4. "Ocean"

Version 2

  1. "The 13th (Two Chord Cool Mix)" – 4:09
  2. "Ocean" – 3:29
  3. "It Used to Be Me" – 6:57
  4. "The 13th (Killer Bee Mix)" – 4:16

Note: "It Used to Be Me" can also be found as an extra track on the Japanese version of Wild Mood Swings.

Personnel

Charts
Chart (1996) Peak
position
Australia (ARIA)[6] 31
Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders)[7] 43
Belgium (Ultratop 50 Wallonia)[8] 12
Canada Rock/Alternative (RPM)[9] 17
Europe (Eurochart Hot 100)[10] 30
Finland (Suomen virallinen lista)[11] 11
Germany (Official German Charts)[12] 55
Hungary (Mahasz)[13] 2
Ireland (IRMA)[14] 22
Italy (Musica e dischi)[13] 5
New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)[15] 37
Scotland (Official Charts Company)[16] 23
Sweden (Sverigetopplistan)[17] 20
Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)[18] 29
UK Singles (Official Charts Company)[19] 15
US Billboard Hot 100[20] 44
US Alternative Airplay (Billboard)[21] 15
US Hot Dance Singles Sales (Billboard)[22] 11
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References
  1. Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "Galore: The Singles 1987–1997 – The Cure". AllMusic.
  2. Raggett, Ned. "AllMusic Review by Ned Raggett". AllMusic. Retrieved 25 February 2017.
  3. Walker-Smart, Sam. "Complete Guide: The Cure". Clash. Retrieved 25 February 2017.
  4. Parrish, Peter (9 November 2004). "Playing God: The Cure - Wild Mood Swings". Stylus. Archived from the original on 30 March 2014. Retrieved 25 February 2017.
  5. "Making Wild Mood Swings pay off". Music Fan Club. 22 April 1996. Retrieved 16 October 2017.
  6. "Australian-charts.com – The Cure – The 13th". ARIA Top 50 Singles.
  7. "Ultratop.be – The Cure – The 13th" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50.
  8. "Ultratop.be – The Cure – The 13th" (in French). Ultratop 50.
  9. "Top RPM Rock/Alternative Tracks: Issue 2989." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 23 February 2019.
  10. "Eurochart Hot 100 Singles" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 13 no. 21. 25 May 1996. p. 16. Retrieved 21 November 2019.
  11. "The Cure: The 13th" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland.
  12. "Offiziellecharts.de – Cure – The 13th". GfK Entertainment Charts.
  13. "Top National Sellers" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 13 no. 21. 25 May 1996. p. 18. Retrieved 16 February 2020.
  14. "The Irish Charts – Search Results – The 13 th". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved 14 January 2020.
  15. "Charts.nz – The Cure – The 13th". Top 40 Singles.
  16. "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 13 March 2018.
  17. "Swedishcharts.com – The Cure – The 13th". Singles Top 100.
  18. "Swisscharts.com – The Cure – The 13th". Swiss Singles Chart.
  19. "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company.
  20. "The Cure Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard.
  21. "The Cure Chart History (Alternative Airplay)". Billboard. Retrieved 13 March 2018.
  22. "The Cure Chart History (Dance Singles Sales)". Billboard. Retrieved 7 May 2020.
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