Modern Rock Tracks No. 1s - The Cure and "Never Enough"

While I'm generally OK with the band, whatever The Cure is doing here is "Never Enough" for me to enjoy it as much as their other tried-and-true classics

The Cure - “Never Enough”

Weeks atop the Billboard Modern Rock Tracks chart: 3 total weeks (September 29, October 6, and October 20, 1990)

Billboard Hot 100 chart toppers during this time:

• Nelson - “(Can't Live Without Your) Love And Affection” (9/29/1990)

• Maxi Priest - “Close To You” (10/6/1990)

• James Ingram - “I Don't Have The Heart” (10/20/1990)

There are definitely songs from The Cure that I love and consider to be among my all-time favorites. “Love Song,” for example, is on a short list of best ‘80s tracks, period, and I lamented the fact that this song somehow finished behind the Hoodoo Gurus at its peak in the summer of 1989. I also love their pop-friendly tracks like “Just Like Heaven” and future MRT chart topper “Friday I’m In Love.” I even gave “Fascination Street,” the band’s first Modern Rock Tracks chart #1 hit, a decent review.

But “Never Enough” just isn’t enough for me.

This track has a lot of the elements of what I like in my rock music. Indeed, the guitar play is especially raucous and on-point with the alt-rock genre, though at times it feels more like a holdover from ‘80s glam rock than presaging ‘90s grunge rock. This track might feel more appropriate as an opener for a Def Leppard show than the encore of a Smashing Pumpkins set.

But something is off for me here, and I think it’s Robert Smith’s vocals. And this comes down to individual tastes, which is probably where I veer off from diehard Cure fans who love everything this band puts together. Smith has a distinctive flavor in his vocal performances, with a range that oscillates between despairing monotone and over-the-top caterwauling. In “Never Enough,” I feel like we’re getting more of the caterwauling, combined with an unendingly repetitive lyric scheme that bashes you over the head with its repetition so much that it becomes nauseating by the end.

We get it, Robert. No matter what you do, it’s never enough. Except when you say “never enough” 1,000 times. It was enough 987 times ago. I didn’t count, but the phrase “never enough” was bleated out at least 32 times, which averages to about seven or eight times a minute, depending on which version of the song you’re hearing. You can say it’s never enough, but, I assure you, it’s enough.

I suspect I’d feel differently about the song if I heard it live, rocking out with the crowd to the music and being generally indifferent to the lyrical machinations of Smith in that moment. In a weird way, it’s very close stylistically to Jane’s Addiction’s “Stop!,” which I absolutely loved: Both are atypical rock songs that fall out of the pattern of the bands’ biggest mainstream hits, and both are sung by vocalists who have unique sounds and comparable vocal ranges. By all rights, I should love “Never Enough” for many of the same reasons I loved “Stop!” But I don’t. It just rings hollow to me, and I don’t know why.

If there’s any consolation, I’m not alone in my lack of praise for “Never Enough.” For one, it’s a product of its time: remix albums like this were all the rage in the late ‘80s and early ‘90s as electronic music was evolving. With any evolution, there’s fits and starts before the final product reaches a new level of mainstream palatability, and I think that’s the trap The Cure fell into with this album. Additionally, other outlets at the time found this album to be unnecessary and bland compared to the band’s more recent works at the time.

Entertainment Weekly was “meh” on it:

This retrospective collection of remixed singles — The Cure's attempt to join in the trendy dance style known as house music — frosts a perfectly good chocolate cake with pickle relish.

AllMusic reviewed it an album only hardcore fans would appreciate:

An assortment of remixes, re-recordings, old singles, and one new song ("Never Enough"). Most of the remixes are quite radical, leaving only the bare bones of the original song. There are enough oddities and rare tracks on “Mixed Up” to make it necessary for Cure fans, but it's too specialized for casual listeners.

I also think fans were hungry for more of The Cure coming off the multiplatinum success of “Disintegration,” and as this was the appetizer for what would be the band’s next musical meal — the release of “Wish” in 1992 — fans feasted on it and alternative radio producers snapped it up, which led to it’s chart-topping success. But as I’ve noted with other bands coming off of terrific albums, the food might be there to eat, but it doesn’t make it delicious.

Still, I can’t argue too strongly against this song, even if it’s not my jam. The guitar work is great, and the band’s goth-rock aesthetic plays well into the theme of the song itself, a self-reflective, angst-ridden review of someone doing all the right things but still not getting the attention they deserve. It’s emo-rock before there was a recognized genre for it, and there’ll always be a subset of music fandom that will turn to bands like The Cure to get their fix of music that speaks to their soul.

In the end I can’t wholeheartedly evaluate this song in a way that gives it the kind of cred that The Cure fans would expect. I always try to evaluate songs in a vacuum, to take away prejudices and learn more about the songs to see if I can connect with them even if they weren’t a part of my musical experience growing up. Many of the songs I’ve listened to as part of this project have been eye-opening experiences, leading me down musical paths I never dreamed possible. But for me, The Cure’s “Mixed Up” album is never going to be enough for me to want to revisit it further. I’m OK with that.

Rating: 3/10

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Chart Check: A look at other notable MRT chart songs from this time period

For the first time in awhile, I have several tracks to include here that absolutely deserved to spend at least a week in the top spot, but were instead relegated to lower positions. At least two of these tracks are ‘90s alt-rock staples even today.

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“I’m Free” by The Soup Dragons: Today I learned that this song, a solid #2 Modern Rock Tracks hit, is a cover of a Rolling Stones track from 1965, the final track off the U.K. release of their album “Out Of Our Heads.” I’m a reasonably big Stones fan, so I appreciate the original, but I think the Soup Dragons elevated it to a fun and funky alt-rock jam. The only regrettable thing: Soup Dragons were “never enough” to get past The Cure.

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“Type” by Living Colour: New York City natives Living Colour, “the children of concrete and steel,” produced their biggest Modern Rock Tracks chart hit in 1990 with “Type,” which peaked at #3 behind “Never Enough.” I suspect this one reached its chart peak due to the success of “Cult of Personality,” the band’s biggest hit from its previous album. Much like The Cure, this was the first release after the band’s biggest success, and it rode that success as high as it could, even if it paled in comparison to its predecessor.

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“Tom’s Diner” by DNA Featuring Suzanne Vega: This one fascinated me. I assumed this version of “Tom’s Diner” was the original, but it’s not. The original, non-DNA remix version debuted in 1987 and got no love on the Hot 100 or associated Billboard charts. But when DNA turned it into a catchy dance remix, the song exploded and hit #5 on the Billboard Hot 100, as well as the top of the charts in Austria, Switzerland, Germany, and the U.K. dance charts. On the U.S. MRT chart, it didn’t get quite as high as it did on the Hot 100, but still managed a respectable #7 peak behind “Never Enough.”

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