"The 13th" is a song by English rock band

the Cure The Cure are an English rock band formed in 1978 in Crawley, West Sussex. Throughout numerous lineup changes since the band's formation, guitarist, lead vocalist, and songwriter Robert Smith has remained the only constant member. The band's ...

, released as the first single from the band's 10th studio album, ''

Wild Mood Swings ''Wild Mood Swings'' is the tenth studio album by English rock band the Cure, released on 7 May 1996 by Fiction Records. Release ''Wild Mood Swings'' charted at number nine on the UK Albums Chart, staying on chart for six weeks, and charted ...

'' (1996), on 22 April 1996. The song reached the top 20 in several territories, including Finland, Sweden, the United Kingdom, and

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. It charted the highest in Hungary, where it reached number two, and in Italy, where it peaked at number five.

Release

The song reached number 15 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 ...

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 AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databa ...

, 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 Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power of the ...

percussion and brass on the song here was something else entirely!" '' Clash'' magazine said that, alongside " Gone!", "The 13th" has become known for dividing fans, describing them as "love/hate affairs", but noted they "still

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a band happy to experiment and play with conventions." Peter Parrish described "The 13th" as "a pseudo-latin number with a not-especially-hidden message about giving in to your lust."

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.

Track listings

All tracks were written by Smith, Gallup, Bamonte, Cooper, and O'Donnell. UK CD1 and Australian CD single # "The 13th" (swing radio mix) # "It Used to Be Me" # "The 13th" (Killer Bee mix) UK CD2 # "The 13th" (Two Chord Cool mix) # "Ocean" # "Adonais" European CD and cassette single # "The 13th" (swing radio mix) # "It Used to Be Me" US CD1 and cassette single # "The 13th" (swing radio mix) # "Adonais" US CD2 and Canadian CD single # "The 13th" (Two Chord Cool mix) # "Ocean" # "It Used to Be Me" # "The 13th" (Killer Bee mix)

Personnel

* Robert Smith – vocals, guitar *

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 ...

– bass *

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 ...

– guitar *

Roger O'Donnell Roger O'Donnell (born 29 October 1955) is an English keyboardist best known for his work with The Cure. O'Donnell has also performed in The Psychedelic Furs, Thompson Twins and Berlin, as well as having an active solo career. Background O'Do ...

– keyboards *

Jason Cooper Jason Toop Cooper (born 31 January 1967) is an English drummer best known for his work with The Cure. Life and work Born in London, England, Jason studied drums at London's Drumtech (where he is now a patron and visiting artist). He first ca ...

– drums

Charts

Release history

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:13th, The 1996 singles 1996 songs The Cure songs Elektra Records singles Fiction Records singles Music videos directed by Sophie Muller Songs written by Jason Cooper Songs written by Perry Bamonte Songs written by Robert Smith (musician) Songs written by Roger O'Donnell Songs written by Simon Gallup