The Cure broke through amidst the punk scene of the late 1970s with a sound all their own. Guitarist and vocalist Robert Smith had created a gloomy, chilly style of pop/rock that endured multiple decades of musical change. The band really gained mainstream popularity in the late 1980s crossing over from their cult hit status.

The Cure’s debut album Three Imaginary Boys was released in 1979 after their single “Killing an Arab”, inspired by writer and philosopher Albert Camus’ “The Stranger”, gained them minor recognition. After a series of lineup changes, the group scored their first U.K hit single “A Forest.” Their fourth album, the thought-provoking Pornography, reached the Top 10 in the U.K. in 1982.

Following a number of side-projects and some time spent working with other bands, Smith rejoined the Cure in 1983 and released the single “The Lovecats,” their most successful single which climbed all the way to number seven on the U.K. charts. It was their sixth album, The Head on the Door, that finally hit home with listeners in the U.S. and cracked the American Hot 100 in 1985. Their next album, Standing on a Beach: The Singles established The Cure as a cult favorite in the U.S.

The Cure’s eighth album, the downhearted Disintegration, was a smash hit, reaching number three in the U.K. and cracking the top 15 in the U.S. In 1992, Wish was an ever bigger success, debuting at number one in the U.K. and number two on U.S. charts and featured hit songs such as “High” and “I’m in Love.” The Cure has continued releasing albums at a bit of a slower pace, including a 2001 greatest hits album and, most recently, their 2004 self-titled effort.

The Cure’s dark and ominous sound helped pave the way for the Goth movement of the ‘80s and has provided them with tremendous commercial success for a group of a uniqueness commonly found in artists that never climb out of that cult favorite status. The band rejects any kind of musical classification, indication of the band’s desire to focus solely on what they create and not labels.

The Cure has seated itself in the realm of pop culture and has been referred to often in movies and television. The band somehow combined cult hit appeal with an appeal to the masses, a feat not often duplicated by musical acts of this day.