"In Between Days" (sometimes listed as "Inbetween Days" or "In-Between Days") is a song by the English rock band The Cure, released in July 1985 as the first single from the band's sixth album The Head on the Door.
The song was a big international success. In the UK, it was the band's ninth chart single and their fourth consecutive Top 20 hit; while in the US it was their first single to reach the Billboard Hot 100, where it peaked at number 99. It was a Top 20 hit in Australia and New Zealand and also charted in several European countries, increasing the popularity of the band.
Content
Music
The song is poppy and upbeat, featuring strummed acoustic guitars under a snappy synthesizer riff, although the song's lyrical themes of aging, loss and fear do not particularly reflect the upbeat tempo of the music. It features a distinctive drum intro by Boris Williams and a bass line reminiscent of "Dreams Never End" by New Order. The extended version, only released on the 12" single in North America, features a longer introduction to the song.
Title
The spacing and punctuation in the title of this song are widely disputed, as it varies between "In Between Days", "Inbetween Days", and "In-Between Days" on many official Cure releases. The single used "In Between Days", whereas the album The Head on the Door uses "In Between Days" on the back of the album cover and the record label, and "Inbetween Days" on the inner sleeve. However, the CD release of the album also uses "In Between Days" on the actual disc.
The 1986 singles compilation Standing on a Beach uses both "In Between Days" and "In-Between Days", whereas the 1990 remix album Mixed Up, the 1993 live album Show, the 2001 Greatest Hits collection and the 2004 B-sides compilation Join the Dots each use "Inbetween Days". The 2006 re-release of The Head on the Door uses "Inbetween Days" on the back of the box and the track listing in the booklet, but it uses "In Between Days" as the title in the lyrical portion of the book.
A similar inconsistency is present with The Cure's "Lovesong", as it is listed as a single compound word in some instances and two separate words ("Love Song") in others.
Track listing
UK 7" single
- "In Between Days"
- "The Exploding Boy"
UK 12" single
- "In Between Days"
- "The Exploding Boy"
- "A Few Hours After This"
U.S. 7" single
- "In Between Days"
- "Stop Dead"
U.S./Canadian 12" single
- "In Between Days"
- "In Between Days" (Extended version)
- "Stop Dead"
UK CD
- "In Between Days" (2:55)
- "The Exploding Boy" (2:52)
- "A Few Hours After This" (2:25)
- "Six Different Ways (Live)" (3:24)
- "Push (Live)" (4:33)
- "In Between Days" (2:55) (video)
Personnel
- Robert Smith â€" vocals, guitar, 6-string bass
- Porl Thompson â€" guitar
- Simon Gallup â€" bass
- Boris Williams â€" drums
- Lol Tolhurst â€" keyboards
Chart positions
Cover versions
Studio versions
Other versions
- The song was covered by John Eddie for a planned Elektra album that was never released by the label. Eddie's version was included on a promo CD produced by The Album Network.
- A live version of the song was released on The Rifles' single "She's Got Standards".
- The song was covered by the alternative punk band Face to Face and is featured in the film Not Another Teen Movie, during the scene where Ricky greets the main love interest of the protagonist for the first time.
- The song was covered by American indie rock band Superchunk as part of the first AV Undercover Series by The A.V. Club.
- The song was covered by Paramore during an acoustic set on Sirius XM Radio in 2013.
References
External links
- "In Between Days" at Discogs (list of releases)
- Lyrics of this song at MetroLyrics