Wish is the ninth studio album by the English rock band the Cure, released on 21 April 1992 by Fiction Records in the United Kingdom and Elektra Records in the United States. Wish was the most commercially successful album in the band's career, debuting at number one in the UK and number two in the US.
On 25 November 2022, a remastered 30th-anniversary deluxe edition of Wish was released, containing four previously unreleased demos with vocals, instrumental demos, the Lost Wishes instrumental cassette and remix versions.
Recording
The record is the final studio album by the Cure to feature drummer Boris Williams and the first to feature guitarist/keyboardist Perry Bamonte, who previously worked as a roadie for the band, as well as being the last album to feature guitarist Porl Thompson for 16 years.
Whilst retaining their trademark gothic rock sound and mood on some tracks, Wish often found the band emphasizing the lighter, broader guitar-driven alternative rock direction that was hinted on their previous three records. After recording several demos in early 1991, the official recording sessions for the album commenced in September 1991 and lasted around six months. According to Thompson, Wish was recorded on 48 tracks and "almost everything was used". Robert Smith also revealed the hit song "Friday I'm in Love" was accidentally sped up a quarter-tone sharp on the tape, halfway between D and E-flat. Smith commented on the speeding up of the tape of the song in a 1993 interview: "[…] that was an accident. I was playing with the vari-speed and forgot to turn it off. But the whole feel changed, and the fact that it's the only song on Wish that's not in concert pitch really lifts it out and makes it sound different. After working on the record for months, hearing something a quarter-tone off makes your brain take a step backwards."
| rev2 = Chicago Tribune
| rev2score =
| rev3 = Christgau's Consumer Guide
| rev3score = C+
| rev4 = Entertainment Weekly
| rev4score = B
| rev5 = Los Angeles Times
| rev5score =
| rev6 = NME
| rev6score = 8/10
| rev7 = Pitchfork
| rev7score = 8.4/10
| rev8 = Q
| rev8score =
| rev9 = Rolling Stone
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| rev10 = Select
| rev10score = 5/5
The album's lead single was "High", released on 16 March 1992. The single peaked at number eight on the UK Singles Chart, number 42 on the US Billboard Hot 100, and number one on the Billboard Modern Rock Tracks chart. The album's second single, "Friday I'm in Love", was released on 15 May 1992, a Friday, later reaching number six on the UK Singles Chart, number 18 on the Billboard Hot 100, and number one on the Modern Rock Tracks chart. This song reached number 28 in the UK and number two on the Modern Rock Tracks chart. It also reached number one on Cash Box Top 200 Pop Albums chart in the US on 16 May 1992. In 1995, Q included Wish in its publication "In Our Lifetime: Qs 100 Best Albums 1986–94", a list compiled to celebrate its 100th issue. In 2000 it was voted number 646 in Colin Larkin's All Time Top 1000 Albums.
Reissues
On 13 April 2018, in an interview with BBC Radio 6 Music, Robert Smith confirmed that the deluxe edition of Wish had been finished. On 28 July 2022, the band announced a remastered and expanded 30th-anniversary deluxe edition of Wish, releasing it on 25 November 2022. The 30th-anniversary edition contains 24 previously unreleased demos, out-takes, the Lost Wishes EP and a collection of 12-inch remixes of all three singles from the Wish period.
Track listing
All songs written by the Cure (Perry Bamonte, Simon Gallup, Robert Smith, Porl Thompson, Boris Williams).
2022 deluxe edition
Personnel
All credits taken from liner notes.
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! scope="row"| Danish Albums (Hitlisten)
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! scope="row"| Finnish Albums (Suomen virallinen lista)
| 18
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! scope="row"| Irish Albums (IFPI)
| 2
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! scope="row"| Italian Albums (Musica e dischi)
| 7
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! scope="row"| Portuguese Albums (AFP)
| 17
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! scope="row"| US Top 200 Pop Albums (Cash Box)
| 1
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{| class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center"
|+ Weekly chart performance for Wish<br/>(30th anniversary edition)
! scope="col"| Chart (2022)
! scope="col"| Peak<br />position
|-<!-- Only new peaks or entries explicitly credited as the 30th anniversary edition here -->
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Year-end charts
{| class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center"
|+ Year-end chart performance for Wish
! scope="col"| Chart (1992)
! scope="col"| Position
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! scope="row"| Canada Top Albums/CDs (RPM)
| 62
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! scope="row"| European Albums (Music & Media)
| 28
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! scope="row"| German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)
| 35
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! scope="row"| New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)
| 32
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! scope="row"| UK Albums (OCC)
| 82
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! scope="row"| US Billboard 200
| 55
|}