Wish is the ninth studio album by the Cure, released on 21 April 1992. It followed Disintegration (1989) and came before Wild Mood Swings (1996), and it arrived through Fiction Records in the UK and Elektra Records in the US. The band's sound here draws on alternative rock, gothic rock, new wave and jangle pop, with electronic touches too.

It is the most commercially successful record of the Cure's career, entering the UK chart at number one and the US chart at number two. For anyone who knows the band mainly through their darker records, it shows them at their widest reach. A remastered 30th-anniversary deluxe edition appeared on 25 November 2022, adding unreleased vocal demos, instrumental demos, the Lost Wishes instrumental cassette and remixes.

Wish: tracklist, credits and charts

12 tracks · 1:06:16

Tracklist

  1. Disc 1
  2. 1OpenBamonte, Gallup, Smith, Thompson, Williams6:51
  3. 2HighBamonte, Gallup, Smith, Thompson, Williams3:37
  4. 3ApartBamonte, Gallup, Smith, Thompson, Williams6:38
  5. 4From the Edge of the Deep Green SeaBamonte, Gallup, Smith, Thompson, Williams7:44
  6. 5Wendy TimeBamonte, Gallup, Smith, Thompson, Williams5:13
  7. 6Doing the UnstuckBamonte, Gallup, Smith, Thompson, Williams4:24
  8. Disc 2
  9. 1Friday I’m in LoveBamonte, Gallup, Smith, Thompson, Williams3:38
  10. 2TrustBamonte, Gallup, Smith, Thompson, Williams5:32
  11. 3A Letter to EliseBamonte, Gallup, Smith, Thompson, Williams5:14
  12. 4CutBamonte, Gallup, Smith, Thompson, Williams5:55
  13. 5To Wish Impossible ThingsBamonte, Gallup, Smith, Thompson, Williams4:43
  14. 6EndBamonte, Gallup, Smith, Thompson, Williams6:45
Produced by
David M. Allen, The Cure, Robert Smith
Recorded at
The Manor, The Manor (Shipton-on-Cherwell, England)
Recorded
Fall 1991 – January 1992
Mixed by
Mark Saunders
Mixed at
Olympic Studios
Engineered by
David M. Allen, Steve Whitfield
Labels
Polydor, Fiction
Length
1:06:16

Line-up

  • Perry Bamonte · guitar, keyboard, bass guitar
  • Simon Gallup · bass guitar, keyboard
  • Robert Smith · guitar, bass guitar, keyboard, vocals, lead vocals
  • Porl Thompson · guitar
  • Boris Williams · drums (drum set), percussion
  • Katie Wilkinson · viola · guest

Singles

  • “High” · 16 March 1992
  • “Friday I'm in Love” · 15 May 1992
  • “A Letter to Elise” · 5 October 1992

Peak chart positions

ChartPeak
UK Albums Chart · 19921
US Billboard 200 · 19922
Australian Albums (ARIA) · 19921
US Tastemaker · 20221
US Top 200 Pop Albums (Cash Box) · 19921
Belgian Albums (IFPI) · 19922
Irish Albums (IFPI) · 19922
New Zealand Albums · 19923
German Albums · 20224
Belgian Albums (Wallonia) · 20225
All 34 charts
Swiss Albums · 20225
US Alternative · 20225
European Albums (Music & Media) · 19926
Danish Albums (Hitlisten) · 19927
Hungarian Albums · 20227
Italian Albums (Musica e dischi) · 19927
Norwegian Albums · 19927
Portuguese Albums (AFP) · 19927
Scottish Albums · 20227
US Top Rock Albums · 20228
Belgian Albums (Flanders) · 20229
Swedish Albums · 199210
Canadian Albums (RPM) · 199212
Austrian Albums · 199214
Finnish Albums · 202217
Spanish Albums (AFYVE) · 199217
Dutch Albums · 202218
Finnish Albums (Suomen virallinen lista) · 199218
Ireland 2 · 202221
Spanish Albums · 202221
US Catalog Albums · 202222
Danish Albums · 202223
Polish Albums · 202223
Italian Albums · 202230

Certifications

RegionCertification
Australia · 1992Platinum
Canada · 1992Gold
New ZealandGold
Switzerland · 1993Gold
United Kingdom · 1992Gold
United States · 1992Platinum

From MusicBrainz, Wikipedia and Wikidata. Only what the sources record is shown.

91.8
Popularity (0–100, vs the whole vault)
13k
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165k
Wikipedia views, last 12 months
36k
Deezer fans (all editions)

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Releases and pressings

How we know the release date wikipedia + wikidata; also seen: 1992-04-17 (musicbrainz)
SourceDateNote
MusicBrainz17 April 1992
Wikipedia infobox21 April 1992
Wikidata21 April 1992
US release21 April 1992earliest US date
UK / Europe release17 April 1992earliest UK or European date
26 editions
DateCountryLabelBarcodeKind
—XEFiction731451326127other
—CAElektra075596130967other
—GBFiction731451326127other
1992GBPolydor731451326110other
1992USElektra0208314386255other
1992USElektra020831438629other
1992CAColumbia House075596130929other
1992USElektraother
1992USElektradeluxe
1992XEPolydor731451326110other
17 April 1992AUEast West Records Australia731451326127original
17 April 1992XEFiction731451326127original
21 April 1992CAFiction075596130929other
21 April 1992USElektra075596130929other
21 April 1992USElektra075596130943other
21 April 1992GBFiction731451326127other
22 April 1992JPPolydor4988005096180other
2022CAElektra603497835843deluxe
2022—Fiction602435793238deluxe
25 November 2022XEUMC00602435793146other
25 November 2022XEFiction602435793221other
25 November 2022CAElektra603497835850deluxe
25 November 2022USElektra603497837823deluxe
25 November 2022—Fiction602435793085deluxe
25 November 2022XEFiction602435793030other
25 November 2022USRhino603497837427deluxe
Cover art sources

coverartarchive · upscaled: minor: best source 1425x1425, upscaled to 1500 (x1.05)

SourceSizeVerdict
coverartarchive ✓1425×1425upscaled: minor: best source 1425x1425, upscaled to 1500 (x1.05)
deezer1200×1200upscaled
fanarttv1000×1000upscaled