Wish
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 · 1:06:16Tracklist
- Disc 1
- 1OpenBamonte, Gallup, Smith, Thompson, Williams6:51
- 2HighBamonte, Gallup, Smith, Thompson, Williams3:37
- 3ApartBamonte, Gallup, Smith, Thompson, Williams6:38
- 4From the Edge of the Deep Green SeaBamonte, Gallup, Smith, Thompson, Williams7:44
- 5Wendy TimeBamonte, Gallup, Smith, Thompson, Williams5:13
- 6Doing the UnstuckBamonte, Gallup, Smith, Thompson, Williams4:24
- Disc 2
- 1Friday I’m in LoveBamonte, Gallup, Smith, Thompson, Williams3:38
- 2TrustBamonte, Gallup, Smith, Thompson, Williams5:32
- 3A Letter to EliseBamonte, Gallup, Smith, Thompson, Williams5:14
- 4CutBamonte, Gallup, Smith, Thompson, Williams5:55
- 5To Wish Impossible ThingsBamonte, Gallup, Smith, Thompson, Williams4:43
- 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
| Chart | Peak |
|---|---|
| UK Albums Chart · 1992 | 1 |
| US Billboard 200 · 1992 | 2 |
| Australian Albums (ARIA) · 1992 | 1 |
| US Tastemaker · 2022 | 1 |
| US Top 200 Pop Albums (Cash Box) · 1992 | 1 |
| Belgian Albums (IFPI) · 1992 | 2 |
| Irish Albums (IFPI) · 1992 | 2 |
| New Zealand Albums · 1992 | 3 |
| German Albums · 2022 | 4 |
| Belgian Albums (Wallonia) · 2022 | 5 |
All 34 charts
| Swiss Albums · 2022 | 5 |
| US Alternative · 2022 | 5 |
| European Albums (Music & Media) · 1992 | 6 |
| Danish Albums (Hitlisten) · 1992 | 7 |
| Hungarian Albums · 2022 | 7 |
| Italian Albums (Musica e dischi) · 1992 | 7 |
| Norwegian Albums · 1992 | 7 |
| Portuguese Albums (AFP) · 1992 | 7 |
| Scottish Albums · 2022 | 7 |
| US Top Rock Albums · 2022 | 8 |
| Belgian Albums (Flanders) · 2022 | 9 |
| Swedish Albums · 1992 | 10 |
| Canadian Albums (RPM) · 1992 | 12 |
| Austrian Albums · 1992 | 14 |
| Finnish Albums · 2022 | 17 |
| Spanish Albums (AFYVE) · 1992 | 17 |
| Dutch Albums · 2022 | 18 |
| Finnish Albums (Suomen virallinen lista) · 1992 | 18 |
| Ireland 2 · 2022 | 21 |
| Spanish Albums · 2022 | 21 |
| US Catalog Albums · 2022 | 22 |
| Danish Albums · 2022 | 23 |
| Polish Albums · 2022 | 23 |
| Italian Albums · 2022 | 30 |
Certifications
| Region | Certification |
|---|---|
| Australia · 1992 | Platinum |
| Canada · 1992 | Gold |
| New Zealand | Gold |
| Switzerland · 1993 | Gold |
| United Kingdom · 1992 | Gold |
| United States · 1992 | Platinum |
From MusicBrainz, Wikipedia and Wikidata. Only what the sources record is shown.
Released the same week
Also released on 21 April
Every year →More from The Cure
Full discography →The best of 1992
All of 1992 →More on Polydor
The label →Releases and pressings
How we know the release date wikipedia + wikidata; also seen: 1992-04-17 (musicbrainz)
| Source | Date | Note |
|---|---|---|
| MusicBrainz | 17 April 1992 | |
| Wikipedia infobox | 21 April 1992 | |
| Wikidata | 21 April 1992 | |
| US release | 21 April 1992 | earliest US date |
| UK / Europe release | 17 April 1992 | earliest UK or European date |
26 editions
| Date | Country | Label | Barcode | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| — | XE | Fiction | 731451326127 | other |
| — | CA | Elektra | 075596130967 | other |
| — | GB | Fiction | 731451326127 | other |
| 1992 | GB | Polydor | 731451326110 | other |
| 1992 | US | Elektra | 0208314386255 | other |
| 1992 | US | Elektra | 020831438629 | other |
| 1992 | CA | Columbia House | 075596130929 | other |
| 1992 | US | Elektra | other | |
| 1992 | US | Elektra | deluxe | |
| 1992 | XE | Polydor | 731451326110 | other |
| 17 April 1992 | AU | East West Records Australia | 731451326127 | original |
| 17 April 1992 | XE | Fiction | 731451326127 | original |
| 21 April 1992 | CA | Fiction | 075596130929 | other |
| 21 April 1992 | US | Elektra | 075596130929 | other |
| 21 April 1992 | US | Elektra | 075596130943 | other |
| 21 April 1992 | GB | Fiction | 731451326127 | other |
| 22 April 1992 | JP | Polydor | 4988005096180 | other |
| 2022 | CA | Elektra | 603497835843 | deluxe |
| 2022 | — | Fiction | 602435793238 | deluxe |
| 25 November 2022 | XE | UMC | 00602435793146 | other |
| 25 November 2022 | XE | Fiction | 602435793221 | other |
| 25 November 2022 | CA | Elektra | 603497835850 | deluxe |
| 25 November 2022 | US | Elektra | 603497837823 | deluxe |
| 25 November 2022 | — | Fiction | 602435793085 | deluxe |
| 25 November 2022 | XE | Fiction | 602435793030 | other |
| 25 November 2022 | US | Rhino | 603497837427 | deluxe |
Cover art sources
coverartarchive · upscaled: minor: best source 1425x1425, upscaled to 1500 (x1.05)
| Source | Size | Verdict |
|---|---|---|
| coverartarchive ✓ | 1425×1425 | upscaled: minor: best source 1425x1425, upscaled to 1500 (x1.05) |
| deezer | 1200×1200 | upscaled |
| fanarttv | 1000×1000 | upscaled |