The Walk

from the LP Japanese Whispers, Fiction Records, 1983



WOW, if you only knew how hard I sweated over this choice here; seeing as how I nearly own the Cure’s entire discography, choosing which single track would be the first out of the gate had me literally wringing my hands a bit. This is the case for a number of bands I will be posting on here, so once again: these reviews aren’t necessarily my favorite songs ever, just whatever is jumping out at me when I’m sitting here in the present moment. Robert Smith and co. took the idea of an elegiac, doom-n-gloom death dirge just about as far as one could possibly go on the album preceding this one (Pornography), so they were bound for either a new direction, or an early grave. Thankfully, in my humble opinion anyways, they chose the former option, and this track is one of a handful of 12” releases which were thrown together as Japanese Whispers. I enjoy all of the Cure’s many stylistic detours and triumphs through the years, but I particularly respond to this transitional sound: very upbeat, certainly as compared to the crawl of Pornography, jazzy drumming, and loads of new keyboards and synth noises abounding everywhere. This song really prevails, both in changing the creative direction of their music and in sheer enjoyment for the listener; it was produced by Steve Nye, who also produced music for another unique band, Japan. Mr. Smith delivers some quirky, dream-like images through the lyrics: “…I passed the howling woman and stood outside your door…we walked around a lake and woke up in the rain…troubled in their dreams again…” As he continues, however, the kinky ‘BD/SM’ undercurrent to the theme reveals itself in full: “I kissed you in the water, made your dry lips sing…I saw you look like a Japanese baby…take me for a walk…take me for a walk…” I’m sure many an assertive fan have fantasized about cute, then-little Robert Smith collared at the end of their leather leash, performing…well, performing. I recently saw these guys in concert, and still, after all these years, their music translates incredibly well; I felt like a little kid, to be honest. They endure, not just because of a rabid fanbase, but because their musical prowess and flexibility eclipses their peers’; his canine-like baying in the bridge, right before the coda, had thousands of people moaning and fawning their approval---present company included!