This song was first made public at a concert in Krakow, Poland on 20 October 2022. It was the 4th new song, after Alone, Endsong and And Nothing is Forever, to be introduced by the band on their Lost World Tour of 2022. It is expected to feature on their long-awaited new studio album, provisionally entitled 'Songs of a Lost World', which will most likely be released in early 2023.
On its first airing, lead singer Robert Smith explained that the song is about his brother, Richard, and implied that it was being debuted in Poland because Richard had lived for many years in that country. Richard Alexander Smith was born in July 1946 and died in November 2017. He was 13 years older than Robert Smith. The bond between the two brothers is hinted at by the fact that Richard named his oldest son Robert Euan Smith. Richard was known as The Guru within The Cure. Former Cure drummer and keyboardist Lol Tolhurst explained in his memoir Cured: The Tale of Two Imaginary Boys that Richard Smith had been hugely influential in shaping the band's musical taste: he had a vast knowledge of music and an extensive record collection and he is known to have acquainted the young Robert with music such as Captain Beefheart and Jimi Hendrix. In the middle of 'I Can Never Say Goodbye' there is a very un-Cure like guitar solo which sounds more like something Hendrix might have performed- pehaps a veiled reference to Richard's musical influence on Robert.
The song contains the line 'Something Wicked This Way Comes'. Originally this is a quote from Shakespeare's MacBeth where one of the witches says: 'By the pricking of my thumbs, something wicked this way comes'. However, in this context it is more likely a reference to Ray Bradbury's novel 'Something Wicked This Way Comes' which was published in 1962 and made into a movie in 1983.
In Bradbury's novel, two 13 year-old boys, Will and Jim, try to escape from the evil Mr Dark. In the end, Jim tries to revive Will who is near death. Eventually, in the book, singing and dancing manages to bring Will back from the brink of death. In The Cure's song there is no salvation for Robert's brother.
@SkaSong Thanks Wotanhero. My comment was written two years ago so it was funny re-reading it now, I don't think there is anything to add except that The Cure recently released a limited edition vinyl live single containing the songs 'I Can Never Say Goodbye' and 'And Nothing is Forever'. They chose live recordings of those from symbolically important dates- the live recording of I Can Never Say Goodbye was from the Toulouse show on 13 November 2022 which was the 5th anniversary of the death of his brother. The recording of 'And Nothing is Forever' was from...
@SkaSong Thanks Wotanhero. My comment was written two years ago so it was funny re-reading it now, I don't think there is anything to add except that The Cure recently released a limited edition vinyl live single containing the songs 'I Can Never Say Goodbye' and 'And Nothing is Forever'. They chose live recordings of those from symbolically important dates- the live recording of I Can Never Say Goodbye was from the Toulouse show on 13 November 2022 which was the 5th anniversary of the death of his brother. The recording of 'And Nothing is Forever' was from 7 November 2022 which was the 3rd anniversary of the death of Simon Gallup's wife. Just to also add that the long promised Songs of a Lost World album, mentioned above, was eventually released on 1 November 2024.
This song was first made public at a concert in Krakow, Poland on 20 October 2022. It was the 4th new song, after Alone, Endsong and And Nothing is Forever, to be introduced by the band on their Lost World Tour of 2022. It is expected to feature on their long-awaited new studio album, provisionally entitled 'Songs of a Lost World', which will most likely be released in early 2023.
On its first airing, lead singer Robert Smith explained that the song is about his brother, Richard, and implied that it was being debuted in Poland because Richard had lived for many years in that country. Richard Alexander Smith was born in July 1946 and died in November 2017. He was 13 years older than Robert Smith. The bond between the two brothers is hinted at by the fact that Richard named his oldest son Robert Euan Smith. Richard was known as The Guru within The Cure. Former Cure drummer and keyboardist Lol Tolhurst explained in his memoir Cured: The Tale of Two Imaginary Boys that Richard Smith had been hugely influential in shaping the band's musical taste: he had a vast knowledge of music and an extensive record collection and he is known to have acquainted the young Robert with music such as Captain Beefheart and Jimi Hendrix. In the middle of 'I Can Never Say Goodbye' there is a very un-Cure like guitar solo which sounds more like something Hendrix might have performed- pehaps a veiled reference to Richard's musical influence on Robert.
The song contains the line 'Something Wicked This Way Comes'. Originally this is a quote from Shakespeare's MacBeth where one of the witches says: 'By the pricking of my thumbs, something wicked this way comes'. However, in this context it is more likely a reference to Ray Bradbury's novel 'Something Wicked This Way Comes' which was published in 1962 and made into a movie in 1983.
In Bradbury's novel, two 13 year-old boys, Will and Jim, try to escape from the evil Mr Dark. In the end, Jim tries to revive Will who is near death. Eventually, in the book, singing and dancing manages to bring Will back from the brink of death. In The Cure's song there is no salvation for Robert's brother.
@SkaSong Sorry, it should be Will tries to revive JIm who is near death.
@SkaSong Sorry, it should be Will tries to revive JIm who is near death.
@SkaSong great interpretation. A very touching song, and even more so after reading this comment. Cheers.
@SkaSong great interpretation. A very touching song, and even more so after reading this comment. Cheers.
@SkaSong Thanks Wotanhero. My comment was written two years ago so it was funny re-reading it now, I don't think there is anything to add except that The Cure recently released a limited edition vinyl live single containing the songs 'I Can Never Say Goodbye' and 'And Nothing is Forever'. They chose live recordings of those from symbolically important dates- the live recording of I Can Never Say Goodbye was from the Toulouse show on 13 November 2022 which was the 5th anniversary of the death of his brother. The recording of 'And Nothing is Forever' was from...
@SkaSong Thanks Wotanhero. My comment was written two years ago so it was funny re-reading it now, I don't think there is anything to add except that The Cure recently released a limited edition vinyl live single containing the songs 'I Can Never Say Goodbye' and 'And Nothing is Forever'. They chose live recordings of those from symbolically important dates- the live recording of I Can Never Say Goodbye was from the Toulouse show on 13 November 2022 which was the 5th anniversary of the death of his brother. The recording of 'And Nothing is Forever' was from 7 November 2022 which was the 3rd anniversary of the death of Simon Gallup's wife. Just to also add that the long promised Songs of a Lost World album, mentioned above, was eventually released on 1 November 2024.