Robert Smith, lead singer of The Cure, is known for writing sad and dark songs. But on their new album, Songs of a Lost World (out Nov. 1), he’s sharing a very personal story. One song, “I Can Never Say Goodbye,” is about losing his older brother, Richard. In an interview with journalist Matt Everitt, Smith talked about how this loss inspired the song and how hard it was to get it right. In fact, The Cure and Radiohead teamed up against AI as well.
Smith explained that he wrote the song in many different ways before deciding on a simple approach. He wanted to capture how he felt on the night his brother died. Some early versions were very emotional, but a bit too intense. Smith found the right balance to make it meaningful yet listenable. Even performing the song live in 2023 was challenging for him, as it brought up strong feelings.
For Smith, the music in “I Can Never Say Goodbye” is as important as the words. He didn’t want the lyrics to overpower the song; instead, he wanted the music to help express his feelings. Writing it was a release for him, which he says helped him deal with his grief.
Smith also said that, as he’s grown older, he now sees death differently. In the past, he might have thought of it in a more romantic or distant way. But after losing family and friends, it’s become very real to him. This change shows in the new songs, which all feel personal to him: “On this album, they all matter to me,” he said.
Songs of a Lost World is The Cure’s first album since 2008’s 4:13 Dream. So far, the band has shared two other songs from the album, “A Fragile Thing” and “Alone.”
