For the final selection of our 2020 All Hallows Even celebration, we are going with The Cure's "Lullaby." Skeptics might point at that just about any Cure song could be considered for a Halloween celebration, but this isn't totally true. Yes, The Cure were known for their goth pop songs - they might even be the masters of this genre. However, few of their songs were genuinely spooky - although "Lullaby" certainly fits the bill.
While the lyrics of "Lullaby" are literally about being eaten by "The Spiderman," the song is likely a metaphor. Lead singer Robert Smith wrote the lyrics, and in typical form, has provided several conflicting answers as to the meaning of "Lullaby." Many fans believe that the song is a metaphor for drug addiction, a view shared by Tim Pope, who directed the video. Other possibilities include depression, sexual assault, sleep issues, and even nightmares.
The video takes a somewhat literal approach to the song, creating a spider infested nightmare - though it is worth noting that Robert Smith plays both the victim and the spider. Amazingly (considering how dark it is), the clip won the video of the year at the 1990 Brit Awards. The song would go on to reach #5 on the UK charts and become the highest charting single of The Cure's career there. In the U.S., it was less successful, reaching only #74. ("Lovesong" also off the Disintegration LP, would hit #2 and become the band's highest charting single in the U.S.)
As many readers will know, The Cure remains active as of this writing, and have become one of the most successful alternative bands of the past few decades. For other ERV videos of the group, "In Between Days" was posted in April, 2013 and "Pictures of You" was posted in September, 2014.
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