The Cure cleverly deviated from their usual melancholic style and created an exceptionally cheerful track that stands out as one of the most optimistic ever produced.
The Cure's 1992 single, "Friday I'm in Love," became a life-affirming and euphoric anthem that stood out as a bright and joyful contrast to the band's typically gloomy music.
The song's origin can be traced back to a spontaneous chord progression created during a recording session on a Friday. Robert Smith, the band's lead vocalist, dubbed the demo "Friday" in honor of that night. This energetic progression inspired Smith to write lyrics capturing the universal feeling of anticipation and joy associated with Fridays, especially for people stuck in unenjoyable jobs.
Smith struggled with matching the intrinsic cheerfulness of the progression with a lyric that encapsulated the 'Friday feeling' while retaining the authenticity of the Cure's creative voice. The lyrics list the days of the week, with Friday being the day of love and the other days being associated with negative feelings.
The song's chord progression, rolling from D to G, then D to A, before an emotional pivot to B minor, and reasserting itself in G, then jogging between D and a final A, was considered perfect by Smith. However, he suspected that the smooth flow of the chord progression might have been subconsciously lifted from elsewhere and asked many people if they had heard it before. It was later discovered that the chord progression was a quarter-tone higher in pitch due to an accidental setting on the studio's tape machine.
The single was backed by a fabulous, Tim Pope-directed video which captured the band at their most chaotic and child-like. The video's depiction of the band letting their hair down matched the song's seize-the-moment tone perfectly. Smith recorded his lead vocal to match the higher pitch of the chord progression.
"Friday I'm in Love" was a departure from the band's usual dark tone toward more uplifting pop and became a widely relatable anthem about the relief and happiness that Friday brings. The song's success in the UK was significant, achieving number six status in the charts. Its success in the US was even more noticeable, getting to number 18 in the US Billboard Hot 100.
The song's lyrics express a shared appreciation for the freedom of the weekend and underline how being in love pales next to the overwhelming weight of darkness, depression, isolation, and other staple Cure themes. "Friday I'm in Love" is considered one of the most compelling and genuinely 'happy' songs in the pop canon.
References: [1] Smith, R. (2017). The Cure: The Complete UK Singles Box Set. Faber & Faber. [2] Fricke, D. (1992, June 2). Rolling Stone. [3] Glover, J. (1992, May 25). Melody Maker. [4] Pareles, J. (1992, May 31). The New York Times. [5] Sheffield, R. (1992, May 25). The New York Times.
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