Robert Smith shared the story behind The Cure’s new single “Alone” in a video on their YouTube channel. The song is from their upcoming album Songs Of A Lost World, which is their first new music since 2008’s 4:13 Dream. Smith said the song was inspired by a poem called Dregs by Ernest Dowson. He found the poem in an old book where he writes down interesting words and ideas. When he was stuck writing the lyrics for Alone, he came across the poem again and realized its opening line was exactly what he needed, but there’s a clear difference between the Cure and Oasis’ concert pricing.
The song starts with a dreamy instrumental, and the lyrics match the poem, with lines like “The fire burned out to ash,” which are similar to Dowson’s words. Smith said this song helped him figure out the direction for the rest of the album.
In past interviews, Smith has described the album as very dark, similar to The Cure’s 1982 album Pornography. He also mentioned that the band is working on two albums, with Songs Of A Lost World being the more gloomy one, and the other having a more positive feel.
The album will be released on November 1, but more details are still to come. The Cure will also play two special shows for the BBC at the end of the month, and fans can apply for tickets online.
