Desperate Journalist
The Cure · Other Songs - The Cure
A word for salad
Is written by my friend
In penman
He uses long words
Like semiotics and semolina
But I countered
With enigma
And metropolis
The lads go rampant
On insignificant symbolism
And compound this with
Rude soulless obliqueness
Everything's coming to a grinding halt
I use such long words
It's all clever stuff
All this charming childish
Fiddling about
Aims for the anti-image
But it naturally creates
The perfectly malleable image
Tantalizing enigma
Of The Cure
They try to take
Everything
But The Cure really
They're just trying to sell us something
Their product is more artificial than most
This is perhaps part of their
Masterplan
But it seems more like their naivety
Everything's coming to a grinding halt
Everything's coming to a grinding halt
Everything's coming to a grinding halt
Note how really songs are made of
Murk and marshes
Tawdry images
Inane realisations
Dull dull dull epigrams
Sometimes they sound like an
Avant-garde John Otway
Or an ugly spirit
Toy drumming
Sprightly bass
Limited guitar riff
Check the sheet out of my favorite book
People don't forget the penman
It's just that in 1979
People shouldn't be allowed
To get away with things like this
I say
Desperate Journalist
Desperate Journalist stands as a defining track from The Cure's 1989 album, Disintegration. Released during a period of profound melancholy and gothic introspection for the band, the song captures the atmospheric depth that characterized their late-eighties output. Robert Smith's distinctive vocals float over a layered arrangement of guitars and synthesizers, creating a soundscape that is both urgent and somber. The recording exemplifies the band's ability to blend post-punk roots with expansive, orchestral textures. As a staple of their live performances, the track remains a testament to the group's enduring influence on alternative rock. It reflects a specific moment in their discography where emotional intensity and sonic grandeur converged, solidifying their status as pioneers of the genre.