A Single
| "A Single" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 |
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| Single by The Cure | ||||
| from the album Pornography | ||||
| Released | July 12, 1982 | |||
| Format | Double 7" / 7" / 10" | |||
| Recorded | April 27, 1982 (part 2) | |||
| Genre | Gothic rock, post-punk | |||
| Length | 4:22 | |||
| Label | Fiction | |||
| Producer(s) | Chris Parry, Phil Thornalley, The Cure | |||
| The Cure singles chronology | ||||
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A Single was the first limited edition release by The Cure. It was released as a gatefold double pack of 7" singles with a total of four tracks.[1] It has also been released as a 10" record which contains all four songs from the double 7" pack, as well as a single 7" featuring only "The Hanging Garden" and "Killing an Arab" (FICS 15).[2]
Whilst the official name is "A Single", this release is often referred to as "The Hanging Garden" as a way of avoiding confusion.
The single made it to number 34 in the UK Singles Chart.[3]
Contents
Reception
NME writer Adrian Thrills was not impressed with the single, writing "The Cure have drifted disappointingly and indulgently from the idllic pop invention of their younger days".[1] BBC Radio 1 DJ John Peel included the song at number 25 in his Festive Fifty list for 1982.[4] In his review for Allmusic, Stewart Mason noted that Robert Smith was splitting his time between The Cure and Siouxsie and the Banshees at this time and went on to note that this song was heavily influenced by the Banshees.[5]
Music video
The video shows the band playing in the York House Gardens [London, UK]. The band also wears masks, which is similar to the concept of the album, Pornography. According to Robert Smith, he said "For The Hanging Garden video we got two people who did Madness videos but it was a really awful video. They wanted to make us look serious and we wanted them to make us look like Madness".[6] The video is directed by Chris Gabrin.[7][8]
Cover versions
In 1998, the California-based alternative rock band, AFI, covered "The Hanging Garden", which was released on their A Fire Inside EP.[9]
Track listing
Single
- "The Hanging Garden"
- "Killing an Arab" (Live)
Double Pack
Disc one
- "The Hanging Garden"
- "One Hundred Years"
Disc two - recorded April 27, 1982 at the Manchester Apollo
- "A Forest" (Live)
- "Killing an Arab" (Live)
Personnel
- Simon Gallup - bass, keyboard
- Robert Smith - guitar, keyboard, vocals
- Lol Tolhurst - drums, keyboard
References
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- ↑ Mason, Stewart. The Hanging Garden at AllMusic. Retrieved October 11, 2014.
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- ↑ ASIN B00000AE8M, AFI – A Fire Inside
External links
- The Hanging Garden single - The Cure Official Site
- The Hanging Garden video - The Cure Official Site
- "A Single" at Discogs (list of releases)
