Robbed hit of the week 8/29/16 - The Cure's "Fascination Street"...

"Fascination Street" - The Cure
from the album Disintegration (1989)
Billboard Hot 100 peak: #46

This week's "robbed hit" comes from the British "goth-mod rock" band the Cure, who after eight years and seven studio album landed themselves a top-40 pop hit in the U.S. with the sublime jangle-rock of "Just Like Heaven" in the winter of 1988. A follow-up single, "Hot! Hot! Hot!" was also a minor hit in America at #68. However, alcoholism caused the ousting of keyboardist Lol Tolhurst, the only remaining original member besides lead singer/guitarist Robert Smith. With former Psychedelic Fur Roger O'Donnell coming on as an official member, the Cure recorded their eighth studio set Disintegration. While internationally the more creepy arachnophobic "Lullaby" was put out as the first single, in the U.S. the first radio offering from the set was the dark, almost pre-grunge rock of "Fascination Street". Written by the band (with Tolhurst still getting credit) and produced by Smith with Dave Allen, the song got them much love from rock radio...

Although "Fascination Street" went to go to #1 on the newly-minted Modern Rock chart for seven weeks, and #24 on the Mainstream Rock radio list, the single stalled under the pop top 40 in June of 1989. (Pop stations quickly caught on to the album cut "Love Song" which would be the next single.) The 12" remix was able to climb to #7 on Billboard's Dance Club Play chart.

(Click below to see the rest of the post)


Here's the 12" remix by Mark Saunders that reached the top ten on the dance chart...

...and the band touring behind the album in 1990...

...and lastly on their Wish tour in 1992...