"Friday I'm in Love" is a song by British

rock Rock most often refers to: * Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids * Rock music, a genre of popular music Rock or Rocks may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wales ...

band

the Cure The Cure are an English Rock music, rock band formed in 1978 in Crawley, Crawley, West Sussex. Throughout numerous lineup changes since the band's formation, guitarist, lead vocalist, and songwriter Robert Smith (musician), Robert Smith has re ...

. Released as the second single from their ninth studio album, ''

Wish A wish is a hope or desire for something. In fiction, wishes can be used as plot devices. In folklore, opportunities for "making a wish" or for wishes to "come true" or "be granted" are themes that are sometimes used. In fiction In fiction a ...

'' (1992), in May 1992, the song was a worldwide hit, reaching number six in the UK and number 18 in the United States, where it also topped the

Modern Rock Tracks Alternative Airplay (formerly known as Modern Rock Tracks (1988–2009) and Alternative Songs (2009–2020)) is a music chart in the United States that has appeared in ''Billboard'' magazine since September 10, 1988. It ranks the 40 most-played ...

chart. It also won the award for European Viewer's Choice for Best Music Video at the 1992 MTV Video Music Awards. Robert Smith, the song's primary writer, described it in 1992 as both "a throw your hands in the air, let's get happy kind of record" and "a very naïve, happy type of pop song."

Production

During the writing process, Robert Smith became convinced that he had inadvertently stolen the chord progression from somewhere, and this led him to a state of paranoia where he called everyone he could think of and played the song for them, asking if they had heard it before. None of them had, and Smith realised that the melody was indeed his. "It's always been paradoxical that it's pushed down people's throats that we're a

goth A Goth is a member of the Goths, a group of East Germanic tribes. Two major political entities of the Goths were: *Visigoths, prominent in Spanish history *Ostrogoths, prominent in Italian history Goth or Goths may also refer to: * Goth (surname) ...

band," Smith observed. "Because, to the general public, we're not. To taxi drivers, I'm the bloke that sings 'Friday I'm in Love'. I'm not the bloke who sings 'Shake Dog Shake' or '

One Hundred Years 1 (one, unit, unity) is a number representing a single or the only entity. 1 is also a numerical digit and represents a single unit of counting or measurement. For example, a line segment of ''unit length'' is a line segment of length 1. I ...

'." The song was written to be a slower number than its upbeat final rendition. While the track was recorded in

D major D major (or the key of D) is a major scale based on D, consisting of the pitches D, E, F, G, A, B, and C. Its key signature has two sharps. Its relative minor is B minor and its parallel minor is D minor. The D major scale is: : Ch ...

, the commercially released version sounds a quarter-tone higher (halfway between D and D-sharp) due to Smith forgetting to disengage the vari-speed function on the multi-track recorder after toying with it before the actual recording process took place. When played live, the song is played in its original intended key as opposed to the speed discrepancy heard on the record. The track was produced by David M. Allen and the Cure.

Release

"Friday I'm in Love" was the second single taken from the band's ninth studio album, ''

'', and was released in the United Kingdom on 15 May 1992. Unusually, two formats of the song were released on a Friday instead of a Monday, so it debuted on the

UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart (currently titled Official Singles Chart, with the upper section more commonly known as the Official UK Top 40) is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), on behalf of the British record industry, listing the top-s ...

at a low number 31 on the chart week beginning 17 May. The following week, after the other two formats went on sale, the single rose to number eight and peaked at number six during its third week on the chart. In the United States, the song reached number 18 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100, giving the band their last American top-40 hit to date. It was also the band's last song (in a string of four) to top the ''Billboard''

chart, matching the success of their previous single, "

High High may refer to: Science and technology * Height * High (atmospheric), a high-pressure area * High (computability), a quality of a Turing degree, in computability theory * High (tectonics), in geology an area where relative tectonic uplift ...

", with a four-week stint at number one.

Music video

The video, directed by

Tim Pope Timothy Michael Pope (born 12 February 1956) is a film director most known for his music videos, for having directed feature films, and for a brief pop career. Early life and career Pope grew up in the north London suburb of Enfield. Both his ...

, features the band performing the song in front of various backdrops on a soundstage, in homage to French silent filmmaker

Georges Méliès Marie-Georges-Jean Méliès (; ; 8 December 1861 – 21 January 1938) was a French illusionist, actor, and film director. He led many technical and narrative developments in the earliest days of cinema. Méliès was well known for the use of ...

: the video features the appearance of characters from his ''

The Eclipse, or the Courtship of the Sun and Moon ''The Eclipse: Courtship of the Sun and Moon'' (originally ''L'éclipse du soleil en pleine lune'') is a French silent film made in 1907 by director Georges Méliès. Plot A professor of astronomy gives a lecture instructing on an impending sola ...

''. Throughout the video the band play with various props and costumes while several extras wander around, causing chaos and ultimately trashing the set. Tim Pope makes a cameo at the beginning, riding a

rocking horse __NOTOC__ A rocking horse is a child's toy, usually shaped like a horse and mounted on rockers similar to a rocking chair. There are two sorts, the one where the horse part sits rigidly attached to a pair of curved rockers that are in contact wit ...

and yelling out high-pitched stage directions through a plastic megaphone after inhaling

helium Helium (from el, ἥλιος, helios, lit=sun) is a chemical element with the symbol He and atomic number 2. It is a colorless, odorless, tasteless, non-toxic, inert, monatomic gas and the first in the noble gas group in the periodic table. ...

from a balloon. The band's Japanese make-up artist also makes an appearance. The final shot is of bassist

Simon Gallup Simon Jonathon Gallup (born 1 June 1960) is an English musician and bassist with the alternative rock band The Cure. He is the second longest-serving member of the band after lead vocalist/guitarist Robert Smith. Early years Born in Duxhurst ...

crouching and peering into the camera while wearing a bridal veil and holding some

champagne Champagne (, ) is a sparkling wine originated and produced in the Champagne wine region of France under the rules of the appellation, that demand specific vineyard practices, sourcing of grapes exclusively from designated places within it, spe ...

. The producer of "Friday, I'm in Love", Dave M. Allen, makes an appearance in the background, also holding up props. Another oddity is the band's name on the drum—a scrawled "The Cures" rather than the band's singular name.

Track listing

Personnel

* Robert Smith – vocals, guitar *

– bass *

Porl Thompson Pearl Thompson (born 8 November 1957 as Paul Stephen ThompsonChris Gerrard (2021)The Cure FAQ: All That’s Left to Know About the Most Heartbreakingly Excellent Rock Band the World Has Ever Known. Backbeat, ISBN 9781493053988, p. 155) is an E ...

– guitar *

Boris Williams Boris Peter Bransby Williams (born 24 April 1957) is a French-born English drummer best known for his extensive work with the Cure (1984–1994). Biography Born in Versailles, France, he had previously worked with various artists, including T ...

– drums *

Perry Bamonte Perry Archangelo Bamonte (born 3 September 1960) is an English musician best known as a member of the rock band The Cure from 1990 to 2005, and again since 2022. Biography Born in London, England, Bamonte became a guitar tech for The Cure in ...

– six-string bass, keyboards

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications

Release history

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Friday I'm In Love 1992 singles 1992 songs The Cure songs Elektra Records singles Fiction Records singles Jangle pop songs List songs Music videos directed by Tim Pope Song recordings produced by David M. Allen Songs written by Jason Cooper Songs written by Porl Thompson Songs written by Robert Smith (musician) Songs written by Simon Gallup