Footprint

Cure

I put on the acoustic bonus disc for The Cure's Greatest Hits this morning, both because I'm in need of "comfort music" right now and because I thought Skylar might like it. At first she didn't seem to notice, as she was preoccupied on an art project. But then, as "Boys Don't Cry" came on -- I had the CD player on shuffle mode -- she said, "I really like this melody." A little later, when I was in my office, I noticed that one of the songs appeared to be skipping. When I came out to see what was wrong, though, she told me that she'd been trying to hear the previous song again, "But it only lets me go back to the start of this one." I took the player off shuffle mode and found her the song she wanted. As of now, she has listened to "Friday I'm in Love" four times in a row. While it's not my favorite Cure song, I remember how happy I was back in 1992 to see Robert & Company finally hit the top of the American charts after years of not quite making it in the States. And it's such a perfect song for someone Skylar's age, overflowing with sonic sugar but with just enough ironic aftertaste to elevate it above the fare made specifically for her age group. Needless to say, this is what I needed and a whole lot more.