Album
The Head on the Door
The Head on the Door is the sixth studio album by the Cure, released on 30 August 1985. It follows The Top from 1984 and finds the band in a changed shape: drummer Boris Williams joins for the first time, while bassist Simon Gallup and guitarist Porl Thompson both return after several years away. It is also the first Cure record on which Robert Smith wrote every song himself.
The mood here is brighter and more varied than on their earlier, darker records. "In Between Days", which reached No. 15 on the UK singles chart, led the way, and Melody Maker described the album as a collection of pop songs. It was the first Cure album to produce more than one single, and its range of styles brought in listeners across Europe and North America. In the UK it entered the albums chart at No. 7, their biggest success there so far.
The Head on the Door: tracklist, credits and charts
10 tracks · 37:46Tracklist
- 1In Between DaysRobert Smith2:57
- 2Kyoto SongRobert Smith4:16
- 3The BloodRobert Smith3:43
- 4Six Different WaysRobert Smith3:19
- 5PushRobert Smith4:33
- 6The Baby ScreamsRobert Smith3:45
- 7Close to MeRobert Smith3:24
- 8A Night Like ThisRobert Smith4:16
- 9ScrewRobert Smith2:39
- 10SinkingRobert Smith4:54
- Produced by
- David M. Allen, Robert Smith, Howard Gray
- Recorded at
- Angel Recording, London
- Recorded
- 1985
- Mixed by
- David M. Allen, Robert Smith
- Engineered by
- David M. Allen
- Labels
- Elektra, Fiction
- Length
- 37:46
Line-up
- Simon Gallup · bass guitar, electric bass guitar
- Robert Smith · guitar, bass guitar, keyboard, lead vocals, vocals
- Porl Thompson · keyboard, guitar
- Lol Tolhurst · keyboard
- Boris Williams · drums (drum set), percussion
- Ron Howe · saxophone · guest
Singles
- “In Between Days” · 19 July 1985
- “Close to Me” · 13 September 1985
Peak chart positions
| Chart | Peak |
|---|---|
| UK Albums Chart · 1985–1986 | 7 |
| US Billboard 200 · 1985–1986 | 59 |
| Dutch Albums · 1985–1986 | 3 |
| Australian Albums (ARIA) · 1985–1986 | 6 |
| European Albums (Eurotipsheet) · 1985–1986 | 7 |
| New Zealand Albums · 1985–1986 | 11 |
| Swiss Albums · 1985–1986 | 14 |
| German Albums · 1985–1986 | 15 |
| Italian Albums (Musica e dischi) · 1985–1986 | 18 |
| Swedish Albums · 1985–1986 | 24 |
All 14 charts
| Croatian International Albums (HDU) · 2023–2025 | 36 |
| Italian Albums · 2006 | 96 |
| Belgian Albums (Flanders) · 2023–2025 | 99 |
| Belgian Albums (Wallonia) · 2023–2025 | 189 |
Certifications
| Region | Certification |
|---|---|
| France · 1985 | Gold |
| New Zealand · 2025 | Gold |
| United Kingdom · 1985 | Gold |
| United States · 1991 | Gold |
From MusicBrainz, Wikipedia and Wikidata. Only what the sources record is shown.
91.6
Popularity (0–100, vs the whole vault)
9.8k
ListenBrainz listeners
157k
Wikipedia views, last 12 months
46k
Deezer fans (all editions)
Also released on 30 August
Every year →
More from The Cure
Full discography →
Three Imaginary Boys
1979
Boys Don’t Cry
1980
Seventeen Seconds
1980
Happily Ever After
1981
Faith
1981
Pornography
1982
Japanese Whispers
1983
The Top
1984
Concert: The Cure Live
1984
Half an Octopuss
1985
Standing on a Beach: The Singles
1986
Kiss Me Kiss Me Kiss Me
1987
The Peel Sessions
1988
Disintegration
1989
Mixed Up
1990
Entreat
1991
Lost Wishes
1992
Wish
1992
Sideshow
1993
Show
1993
Paris
1993
Wild Mood Swings
1996
Five Swing Live
1997
Galore: The Singles 1987–1997
1997
Bloodflowers
2000
Greatest Hits
2001
Trilogy
2003
Join the Dots: B‐Sides and Rarities
2004
The Cure
2004
Hypnagogic States EP
2008
4:13 Dream
2008
Bestival Live 2011
2011
Torn Down: Mixed Up Extras 2018
2018
Songs of a Lost World
2024
Mixes of a Lost World
2025
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More on Elektra
The label →
Ride the Lightning
Metallica · 1984
Kill ’Em All
Metallica · 1983
Kiss Me Kiss Me Kiss Me
The Cure · 1987
News of the World
Queen · 1977
The Game
Queen · 1980
Jazz
Queen · 1978
Stiff Upper Lip
AC/DC · 2000
Sheer Heart Attack
Queen · 1974
A Day at the Races
Queen · 1976
Bossanova
Pixies · 1990
Reinventing the Steel
Pantera · 2000
Dr. Feelgood
Mötley Crüe · 1989
Releases and pressings
How we know the release date wikipedia 1985-08-30; musicbrainz + wikidata 1985-08-13 (17 days apart, likely another territory)
| Source | Date | Note |
|---|---|---|
| MusicBrainz | 13 August 1985 | |
| Wikipedia infobox | 30 August 1985 | |
| Wikidata | 13 August 1985 | |
| US release | 13 August 1985 | earliest US date |
| UK / Europe release | 13 August 1985 | earliest UK or European date |
29 editions
| Date | Country | Label | Barcode | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| — | CA | Elektra | 603497981298 | remaster |
| — | XW | UMC | other | |
| — | US | Elektra | 075596043526 | other |
| — | US | Fiction | 075596043526 | other |
| — | CA | Elektra | 075596043526 | other |
| 1985 | US | Elektra | 075596043526 | other |
| 1985 | US | Elektra | 075596043540 | other |
| 1985 | XE | Fiction | 042282723123 | other |
| 1985 | FR | Fiction | 042282723116 | other |
| August 1985 | US | Elektra | 075596043526 | other |
| August 1985 | US | Elektra | 075596043519 | other |
| 13 August 1985 | US | Elektra | 07559604354 | original |
| 13 August 1985 | GB | Fiction | 042282723116 | original |
| 9 September 1985 | GB | Fiction | 042282723123 | other |
| 1988 | XE | Fiction | 042282723123 | other |
| 1988 | XE | Fiction | 042282723123 | other |
| 1988 | XE | Fiction | 042282723123 | other |
| 1988 | XE | Fiction | 042282723123 | other |
| 2006 | XE | Fiction | 602498400173 | other |
| 2006 | — | Polydor | 00602498400173 | remaster |
| 2006 | US | Fiction | 081227417925 | other |
| 8 August 2006 | US | Rhino | 081227406325 | deluxe |
| 8 August 2006 | US | Elektra | 081227406363 | deluxe |
| 14 August 2006 | GB | Fiction | 602498400166 | deluxe |
| 21 May 2008 | JP | Fiction | 4988005514424 | other |
| 15 March 2012 | XE | Fiction | 600753270127 | deluxe |
| 2 September 2016 | US | Fiction Records | 081227944056 | other |
| 2022 | XE | Fiction | 042282723116 | other |
| — | — | Polydor | 042282723123 | other |
Cover art sources
coverartarchive · native: native 2400x2400
| Source | Size | Verdict |
|---|---|---|
| coverartarchive ✓ | 2400×2400 | native: native 2400x2400 |
| deezer | 1200×1200 | upscaled |
| fanarttv | 1000×1000 | upscaled |