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Kiss Me, Kiss Me, Kiss Me
Studio album by the Cure
Released	26 May 1987
Recorded	1986–1987
Studio	Miraval (Correns, France) Compass Point (Nassau, Bahamas)
Genre	Alternative rock new wave pop post-punk gothic rock
Length	74:35
Label	Fiction
Producer	David M. Allen Robert Smith
The Cure chronology
Standing on a Beach (1986) Kiss Me, Kiss Me, Kiss Me (1987) Disintegration (1989)
Singles from Kiss Me Kiss Me Kiss Me
"Why Can't I Be You?" Released: 6 April 1987 "Catch" Released: 22 June 1987 "Just Like Heaven" Released: 5 October 1987 "Hot Hot Hot!!!" Released: 8 February 1988

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic
Blender
Chicago Sun-Times
Los Angeles Times
Pitchfork	9.4/10
Q
The Rolling Stone Album Guide
Sounds
Uncut
The Village Voice	B

Kiss Me, Kiss Me, Kiss Me is the seventh studio album by English rock band the Cure, released on 26 May 1987 by Fiction Records. The album was recorded at Studio Miraval in Correns, France.

The album helped bring the Cure into the American mainstream, becoming the band's first album to reach the top 40 of the Billboard 200 chart and achieving platinum certification. Like its predecessor, The Head on the Door, it was also a great international success, reaching the top 10 in numerous countries.

In 2000, the album was voted number 256 in Colin Larkin's All Time Top 1000 Albums.

Writing, recording, and production

Directly after wrapping filming in August 1986 for The Cure in Orange, the band embarked on a spontaneous week-long holiday in Le Mourillon before moving on to Jean Costa's studio in Draguignan for a two-week pre-production session to refine demos recorded earlier that summer in London. Smith recounted that the demos were the result of soliciting each band member for their own musical ideas and getting "six or seven songs from each one" on a series of cassettes, before winnowing down to a shortlist via full-band vote, marking a shift from Smith's previous top-down control over composition.

After Draguignan, The Cure decamped to the residential setting of Studio Miraval for the three-month album recording session, where according to Smith they emphasized spontaneity, "almost jamming the songs to get the right feel" and recording in one or two takes with minimal rehearsal. The band decided during the course of the session that they had an adequate surplus of strong material to justify releasing a double LP. Smith mixed the album with co-producer David M. Allen and engineer Michel Dierickx during sessions in December 1986 (Compass Point, Bahamas) and January 1987 (ICP Recording Studios, Belgium), respectively.

Release

Kiss Me, Kiss Me, Kiss Me was released on 26 May 1987 by Fiction Records in the UK and by Elektra in the US and Canada. Though a double album in its vinyl issue, it was released as a single CD and single cassette. One track, "Hey You!!!", was omitted from the original CD release because of the 74:33 Red Book CD time restriction, but was included on all cassette releases. A limited vinyl edition came with a bonus six-track, orange 12" featuring the songs "Sugar Girl", "Snow in Summer", "Icing Sugar" (Weird Remix), "A Japanese Dream", "Breathe" and "A Chain of Flowers."

The album appeared in August 2006 in both single-disc and deluxe double-disc CD editions as part of a Cure reissue campaign. All editions notably included "Hey You!!!", marking the first time a complete version of the album was made available on CD. The second disc of the deluxe edition is composed of demos and live versions of album tracks, including a recording of "Why Can't I Be You?" from the final show of the Kissing Tour at the Wembley Arena. Robert Smith stated on his website that there was so much material to draw from that he initially compiled a three-disc edition, with the third disc containing alternate studio versions of the album's songs. However, after discussing with family and friends, he decided that the two-disc edition was a better choice for release. Smith said that it was possible that his proposed third disc may surface as a leak or in a future release.

Reception

In a contemporary review, Mark Coleman of Rolling Stone praised the album for its developed sound saying "The Cure is trying to deepen and refine an existing sensibility rather than reach outward to expand it".

Chris Willman of Los Angeles Times observed, "For all its unevenness, “Kiss Me” is a welcome step away from the existential gloom-monster image the Cure has cultivated. The band still sounds like the Velvet Underground meeting Emo Philips in a dimly lit post-punk disco, but with an even wider variety of influences and instrumentation in the mix.", but was critical of the songs with longer running times, citing "Why Can't I Be You?" and "Just Like Heaven" as highlights.

In a retrospective review, Stephen Thomas Erlewine of AllMusic wrote that the record was "more accessible and ambitious". However, he nuanced :"Even if Kiss Me doesn't quite gel, its best moments... are remarkable and help make the album one of the group's very best."

Slant Magazine was mostly positive of the album saying "with Kiss Me Kiss Me Kiss Me, the Cure gives the listener the kind of roller-coaster rush that only great pop can provide."

Track listing

All lyrics are written by Robert Smith; all music is composed by the Cure (Smith, Simon Gallup, Porl Thompson, Lol Tolhurst and Boris Williams)

Personnel

The Cure

• Robert Smith – guitar, keyboards, vocals, recorder on "The Snakepit" and "Like Cockatoos"
• Simon Gallup – bass guitar
• Porl Thompson – guitar, keyboards, saxophone on "Shiver and Shake"
• Lol Tolhurst – keyboards
• Boris Williams – drums, percussion
• Roger O'Donnell – keyboards on live tracks from the deluxe edition

Guest musician

• Andrew Brennen – saxophone on "Icing Sugar" and "Hey You!!!"

Production

• David M. Allen, Robert Smith – production
• Sean Burrows, Jacques Hermet – assistant production
• Bob Clearmountain – remixing for single version of "Just Like Heaven"

Charts

Certifications and sales

Notes

1. Saxophone parts

References

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8. McLeese, Don (25 June 1987). "The Cure: 'Kiss Me, Kiss Me, Kiss Me' (Elektra)". Chicago Sun-Times. Archived from the original on 20 March 2017. Retrieved 12 June 2016.
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10. Abebe, Nitsuh (25 August 2006). "The Cure / Robert Smith: The Top / The Head on the Door / Kiss Me, Kiss Me, Kiss Me / Blue Sunshine". Pitchfork. Retrieved 8 January 2016.
11. Heath, Chris (June 1987). "Fuzzy". Q. No. 9. Archived from the original on 11 May 2000. Retrieved 11 April 2019.
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13. Gibson, Robin (30 May 1987). "Tongue-Twister". Sounds.
14. Martin, Piers (September 2006). "From Meltdown to Megastardom". Uncut. No. 112. p. 102.
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16. "Happy 30th: The Cure, KISS ME KISS ME KISS ME". Rhino Entertainment. 25 May 2017.
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18. ^ Barbarian, Lydie; Sutherland, Steve; Smith, Robert (1988). The Cure: ten imaginary years (1. publ ed.). London: Zomba Books/Omnibus Press/Fiction Books. pp. 107, 110. ISBN 978-0-946391-87-5.
19. ^ Tolhurst, Laurence (2016). "Chapter 17: Kiss Me". Cured: the tale of two imaginary boys. Boston: Da Capo Press. ISBN 978-0-306-82428-9.
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25. The Cure - Kiss Me, Kiss Me, Kiss Me Album Reviews, Songs & More | AllMusic, retrieved 12 July 2023
26. Walsh, Barry (3 September 2004). "Review: The Cure, Kiss Me Kiss Me Kiss Me". Slant Magazine. Retrieved 12 July 2023.
27. Kent 1993, pp. 79–80.
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32. Pennanen, Timo (2021). "The Cure". Sisältää hitin – Levyt ja esittäjät Suomen musiikkilistoilla 1.1.1960–30.6.2021 (PDF) (in Finnish) (2nd ed.). Helsinki: Kustannusosakeyhtiö Otava. p. 55. ISBN 978-952-7460-01-6.
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41. "Jahreshitparade Alben 1987". austriancharts.at (in German). Retrieved 3 March 2021.
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48. Pinheiro de Almeida, Luis (14 January 1989). "Platinum in Portugal" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 6, no. 2. p. 11. OCLC 29800226 – via World Radio History.
49. "British album certifications – Cure – Kiss Me Kiss Me Kiss Me". British Phonographic Industry. 18 August 1987. Retrieved 1 April 2022.
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51. Apter, Jeff (2006). Never Enough: The Story of The Cure. London: Omnibus Press. ISBN 978-1-84449-827-7. Kiss Me's worldwide sales standing at two million...

Bibliography

• Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (illustrated ed.). St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.

• 1987 albums
• Albums produced by David M. Allen
• The Cure albums
• Elektra Records albums
• Fiction Records albums