The 13th

---

title: "The 13th" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["1996-singles", "1996-songs", "the-cure-songs", "elektra-records-singles", "fiction-records-singles", "music-videos-directed-by-sophie-muller", "polydor-records-singles", "songs-written-by-jason-cooper", "songs-written-by-perry-bamonte", "songs-written-by-robert-smith-(musician)", "songs-written-by-roger-o'donnell", "songs-written-by-simon-gallup", "mariachi"] description: "1996 single by The Cure" topic_path: "arts" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_13th" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0

::summary 1996 single by The Cure ::

::data[format=table title="Infobox song"]

Field	Value
name	The 13th
cover	The Cure - The 13th album cover.jpg
type	single
artist	the Cure
album	Wild Mood Swings
released
genre	Mariachi
length	4:16
label	Fiction
lyricist	Robert Smith
prev_title	A Letter to Elise
prev_year	1992
next_title	Mint Car
next_year	1996
::

::callout[type=note] the 1996 rock single by the Cure ::

| name = The 13th | cover = The Cure - The 13th album cover.jpg | alt = | type = single | artist = the Cure | album = Wild Mood Swings | B-side =

• "It Used to Be Me"
• "Ocean"
• "Adonais" | released = | recorded = | studio = | venue = | genre = Mariachi | length = 4:16 | label = Fiction | composer =
• Perry Bamonte
• Jason Cooper
• Simon Gallup
• Roger O'Donnell
• Robert Smith | lyricist = Robert Smith | producer =
• Robert Smith
• Steve Lyon | prev_title = A Letter to Elise | prev_year = 1992 | next_title = Mint Car | next_year = 1996 "The 13th" is a song by English rock band the Cure, released as the first single from the band's 10th studio album, Wild Mood Swings (1996), on 22 April 1996. The song reached the top 20 in several territories, including Finland, Sweden, the United Kingdom, and Wallonia. It charted the highest in Hungary, where it reached number two, and in Italy, where it peaked at number five.

Background

Bassist Simon Gallup discussed the creation of the track in a contemporary interview, "That was one of Robert's songs, initially called The 2 Chords Corp. because it was just two chords strummed on a guitar. It was one of the songs we had recorded; we kept adding bits of percussion and then we'd put it away and then add more to it." he also viewed the song as "tacky" and "tongue-in-cheek".

Release

The song reached number 15 on the UK Singles Chart and number 44 on the US Billboard Hot 100. The song was played very few times during the Swing Tour and never again since the tour.

Reception

Writing for AllMusic, Ned Raggett rated the single four stars out of five and noted the unexpected tone of the song: "There's no question that 'The 13th' was probably one of the Cure's most unexpected singles -- though horns had appeared on the single mix of 'Close to Me' back in 1985, the distinctly Latin percussion and brass on the song here was something else entirely!"

Clash magazine said that, alongside "Gone!", "The 13th" has become known for dividing fans, describing them as "love/hate affairs", but noted they "still [show] a band happy to experiment and play with conventions." Peter Parrish described "The 13th" as "a pseudo-latin number with a not-especially-hidden message about giving in to your lust."

Music video

The music video of the song shows Robert Smith, dressed in ripped velvet dress, lying on his bed and watching a TV broadcast where he performs with the Cure. Comedian Sean Hughes also appears in the video.

Track listings

All tracks were written by Smith, Gallup, Bamonte, Cooper, and O'Donnell. UK CD1 and Australian CD single

1. "The 13th" (swing radio mix)
2. "It Used to Be Me"
3. "The 13th" (Killer Bee mix)

UK CD2

1. "The 13th" (Two Chord Cool mix)
2. "Ocean"
3. "Adonais"

European CD and cassette single

1. "The 13th" (swing radio mix)
2. "It Used to Be Me" US CD1 and cassette single
3. "The 13th" (swing radio mix)
4. "Adonais"

US CD2 and Canadian CD single

1. "The 13th" (Two Chord Cool mix)
2. "Ocean"
3. "It Used to Be Me"
4. "The 13th" (Killer Bee mix)

Japanese CD single

1. "The 13th" (swing radio mix)
2. "It Used to Be Me"
3. "Ocean"
4. "Adonais"

Personnel

The Cure

• Robert Smith – vocals, guitar, trumpet arrangements
• Simon Gallup – bass
• Perry Bamonte – guitar
• Roger O'Donnell – keyboards
• Jason Cooper – drums, percussion

Additional musicians

• Jesus Alemany – trumpet
• Steve Dawson – trumpet
• Sid Gauld – trumpet arrangements

Technical

• Steve Lyon – production, engineering
• Robert Smith – production
• Spike Drake – mixing
• Ian Cooper – mastering

Charts

::data[format=table] | Chart (1996) | Peak position | |---|---| | Europe (Eurochart Hot 100) | 30 | | Hungary (Mahasz) | 2 | | Italy (Musica e dischi) | 5 | ::

Release history

::data[format=table]

Region	Date	Format(s)	Label(s)	Ref(s).	United States	United Kingdom	United States	Japan
8 April 1996
22 April 1996		Fiction
23 April 1996
29 April 1996	Top 40 radio
1 June 1996	CD
::

References

References

1. Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "Galore: The Singles 1987–1997 – The Cure". [[AllMusic]].
2. "Interview: The Cure's Wild Mood Swings".
3. "AllMusic Review by Ned Raggett".
4. (6 September 2016). "Complete Guide: The Cure".
5. (9 November 2004). "Playing God: The Cure - Wild Mood Swings".
6. (22 April 1996). "Making Wild Mood Swings pay off". Music Fan Club.
7. [[The Cure]]. (1996). "The 13th". [[Fiction Records]].
8. The Cure. (1996). "The 13th". Fiction Records.
9. The Cure. (1996). "The 13th". Fiction Records.
10. The Cure. (1996). "The 13th". Fiction Records.
11. The Cure. (1996). "The 13th". Fiction Records.
12. The Cure. (1996). "The 13th". [[Elektra Records]], Fiction Records.
13. The Cure. (1996). "The 13th". Elektra Records, Fiction Records.
14. The Cure. (1996). "The 13th". Elektra Records, Fiction Records.
15. The Cure. (1996). "The 13th". Elektra Records, Fiction Records.
16. The Cure. (1996). "The 13th". [[Polydor Records]], Fiction Records.
17. (25 May 1996). "Eurochart Hot 100 Singles".
18. (25 May 1996). "Top National Sellers".
19. Sexton, Paul. (30 March 1996). "Cure Captures 'Wild Mood Swings'".
20. (5 April 1996). "Be on the Lookout".
21. (20 April 1996). "New Releases: Singles".
22. "Cure Discography". [[PolyGram]].

::callout[type=info title="Wikipedia Source"] This article was imported from Wikipedia and is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Content has been adapted to SurfDoc format. Original contributors can be found on the article history page. ::