The opener to The Cure’s magnum-opus Disintegration is as grandiose as the album itself. Its lush, orchestral melodies introduce the album for over two and half minutes before Smith eventually adds vocals.
Plainsong is the name given for Gregorian chants and other Catholic liturgies. The track has...
[Instrumental Intro]
[Verse 1]
“I think it's dark, and it looks like rain,” you said
“And the wind is blowing like it's the end of the world,” you said
“And it's so cold, it's like the cold if you were dead”
And then you smiled for a second
[Verse 2]
“I think I'm old, and I'm feeling pain,” you said
“And it's all running out like it's the end of the world,” you said
“It's so cold, it's like the cold if you were dead”
And then you smiled for a second
[Bridge]
Sometimes you make me feel
Like I'm living at the edge of the world
Like I'm living at the edge of the world
“It's just the way I smile,” you said
[Instrumental Outro]
Plainsong was written by Roger O’Donnell & Simon Gallup & Pearl Thompson & Boris Williams & Robert Smith.
Plainsong was produced by Dave Allen & Robert Smith.
In the book Never Enough: The Story Of The Cure, Smith says of “Plainsong”:
I wanted something very lush, very orchestral.
In 1989, he told Oor Magazine:
“Plainsong” enlightens different aspects of an obsession.
Keyboardist Roger O'Donnell shared:
I remember the day we recorded “Plainsong”. It...