“Just Like Heaven” by The Cure

"Just Like Heaven" was the third single from Kiss Me Kiss Me Kiss Me, The Cure's 1987 album on Fiction, and most of it was written during the band's recording sessions in southern France, with the track cut at Miraval Studios. Before Robert Smith had even finished the words, an instrumental version was already doing duty as the theme for the French TV show Les Enfants du Rock.

Smith's lyrics go back to a trip to the seaside with the woman who would become his wife, and those memories shaped the video too. It's a bright, tumbling pop song that still feels a little dizzy, like a head rush you don't want to end. Smith sings lead, plays electric guitar and keyboards, and produced it with David M. Allen; Porl Thompson doubles on guitar and keyboards, Lol Tolhurst adds keyboards, Simon Gallup's bass rolls the tune forward and Boris Williams keeps the drums racing. Bob Clearmountain's mix makes it glitter without sanding off the bittersweet edge, and the music is credited to all five.

It gave The Cure their first American hit, reaching number 40 on the Billboard chart in 1988, and Dinosaur Jr. and Katie Melua are among those who have covered it. Smith himself ranks it among the band's strongest songs.

Written with AI assistance from RockLists chart data, MusicBrainz and Wikipedia.