In Between Days
"In Between Days" (sometimes listed as "Inbetween Days" or "In-Between Days") is a song by the English rock band The Cure, released in July 1985 as the first single from the band's sixth album The Head on the Door.
"In Between Days" | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Single by The Cure | ||||
from the album The Head on the Door | ||||
B-side | "The Exploding Boy", "A Few Hours After This" | |||
Released | 15 July 1985 | |||
Recorded | 1985 | |||
Studio | Angel Recording Studios, London | |||
Genre | ||||
Length | 2:57 | |||
Label | Fiction | |||
Songwriter(s) | Robert Smith | |||
Producer(s) |
| |||
The Cure singles chronology | ||||
|
The song was an international success, being their first hit song to come off an album rather than a stand-alone single. In the UK, it was the band's ninth chart single and their fourth consecutive Top 20 hit;[3] while in the US it was their first single to reach the Billboard Hot 100, where it peaked at number 99.[4] It was a Top 20 hit in Australia and New Zealand[5] and also charted in several European countries,[6][7][8] increasing the popularity of the band.
Content
Music
The song is poppy and upbeat, featuring strummed acoustic guitars under a snappy synthesizer riff, although the song's lyrical themes of aging, loss and fear do not particularly reflect the upbeat tempo of the music. It features a distinctive drum intro by Boris Williams and a bass line reminiscent of "Dreams Never End" by New Order. The extended version, only released on the 12" single in North America, features a longer introduction to the song.
Title
The spacing and punctuation in the title of this song are widely disputed, as it varies between "In Between Days", "Inbetween Days", and "In-Between Days" on many official Cure releases. The single used "In Between Days", whereas the album The Head on the Door uses "In Between Days" on the back of the album cover and the record label, and "Inbetween Days" on the inner sleeve. However, the CD release of the album also uses "In Between Days" on the actual disc.
The 1986 singles compilation Standing on a Beach uses both "In Between Days" and "In-Between Days", whereas the 1990 remix album Mixed Up, the 1993 live album Show, the 2001 Greatest Hits collection and the 2004 B-sides compilation Join the Dots each use "Inbetween Days". The 2006 re-release of The Head on the Door uses "Inbetween Days" on the back of the box and the track listing in the booklet, but it uses "In Between Days" as the title in the lyrical portion of the book.
A similar inconsistency is present with The Cure's "Lovesong", as it is listed as a single compound word in some instances and two separate words ("Love Song") in others. In yet another instance, the 1983 single “The Love Cats”, has a similar situation where it's either listed as “The Love Cats”, or as “The Lovecats”.
Music video
The video was filmed on the 18th of June 1985 at Fulham Studios. The video simply depicts the band playing. However, many 360 degrees shots are used in the video in addition to drawn in, colorful, socks which appear throughout the video. Robert Smith had a camera, held by cables, which he could push away and hold at will and Porl Thompson had one as well, fixed on his guitar.[9]
Track listing
UK 7" single
- "In Between Days"
- "The Exploding Boy"
UK 12" single
- "In Between Days"
- "The Exploding Boy"
- "A Few Hours After This"
U.S. 7" single
- "In Between Days"
- "Stop Dead"
U.S./Canadian 12" single
- "In Between Days"
- "In Between Days" (Extended version)
- "Stop Dead"
UK CD
- "In Between Days" (2:55)
- "The Exploding Boy" (2:52)
- "A Few Hours After This" (2:25)
- "Six Different Ways (Live)" (3:24)
- "Push (Live)" (4:33)
- "In Between Days" (2:55) (video)
Personnel
- Robert Smith – vocals, guitar, 6-string bass
- Porl Thompson – guitar
- Simon Gallup – bass
- Boris Williams – drums
- Lol Tolhurst – keyboards
Charts
Chart (1985) | Peak position |
---|---|
Australia (Kent Music Report)[10] | 16 |
UK Singles Chart | 15 |
U.S. Billboard Hot 100 | 99 |
U.S. Billboard Hot Dance Club Play | 39 |
Certifications
Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
---|---|---|
United Kingdom (BPI)[11] | Silver | 200,000 |
Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone. |
Cover versions
Studio versions
Year | Artist | Album |
---|---|---|
1990 | John Eddie | Rubáiyát: Elektra's 40th Anniversary |
2000 | Luka Bloom | Keeper of the Flame |
2003 | Ben Folds | Speed Graphic |
2003 | Sunfactor | One Thousand Screaming Children |
2005 | Korn | Unplugged |
2005 | La Portuaria | Rio |
2006 | Sunshiners | Sunshiners |
2008 | Mumm-Ra | Out of the Question EP |
2008 | Blackblack | Perfect as Cats |
2008 | Fightstar | Alternate Endings |
2009 | Get Cape. Wear Cape. Fly | Covers |
2011 | Kim Wilde | Snapshots |
2015 | Tigers Jaw | Devinyl Splits No. 3: Tigers Jaw x Kevin Devine |
Other versions
- A live version of the song was released on The Rifles' single "She's Got Standards".
- The song was covered by Face to Face and is featured in the film Not Another Teen Movie.
- The song was covered by Superchunk as part of the first AV Undercover Series by The A.V. Club.
- The song was covered by Paramore during an acoustic set on Sirius XM Radio in 2013.
- The song was covered by Manic Street Preachers, who performed it at various festivals and at their show at Shepherd's Bush Empire to mark Absolute Radio's tenth anniversary.
- The song was covered by Ben Folds on his 2003 EP Speed Graphic.
References
- Bruce Pollock (26 August 2005). Rock Song Index: The 7500 Most Important Songs for the Rock and Roll Era. Routledge. p. 182. ISBN 9780415970730.
- Janovitz, Bill. "The Cure: In Between Days". www.allmusic.com. Retrieved 25 August 2018.
- "Cure | Full Official Chart History | Official Charts Company". Official Charts. Retrieved 2016-05-15.
- Steffen Hung. "charts.nz - The Cure - In Between Days". charts.nz. Retrieved 2016-11-09.
- Steffen Hung. "lescharts.com - The Cure - In Between Days". lescharts.com. Retrieved 2016-11-09.
- "Hit Parade Italia - Indice per Interprete: C". Hitparadeitalia.it. Retrieved 2014-03-17.
- Jaclyn Ward. "The Irish Charts - All there is to know". Irishcharts.ie. Archived from the original on 2009-06-03. Retrieved 2014-03-17.
- https://web.archive.org/web/20080402234450/http://www.impressionofsounds.com/videogr/INBETWEEN.html
- Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992. St Ives, NSW: Australian Chart Book. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
- "British single certifications – Cure – In Between Days". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 22 May 2020.
External links
- "In Between Days" at Discogs (list of releases)
- Lyrics of this song at MetroLyrics