Closedown (song)
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| "Closedown" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Song by the Cure | ||||
| from the album Disintegration | ||||
| Released | 2 May 1989 | |||
| Recorded | November 1988 – February 1989 | |||
| Studio | Hookend Recording Studios (Checkendon, Oxfordshire) | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 4:16 | |||
| Label | Fiction | |||
| Songwriters | ||||
| Producers | Robert Smith, David M. Allen | |||
| The Cure singles chronology | ||||
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"Closedown" is a song by English rock band the Cure, released as the third track on their eighth studio album, Disintegration (1989). The song is characterized by its long instrumental introduction, prominent percussion, and lyrics concerning self-doubt and the passage of time.
"Closedown" was written by Robert Smith as a "creative exercise" to address the physical and mental exhaustion he felt while preparing for the recording of Disintegration. Smith originally intended the song to be a list of everything he felt he was "losing" as he approached age 30.[1]
Musically, the song is built around a heavy, tribal drum pattern by Boris Williams and layers of shimmering synthesizers played by Roger O'Donnell. The track features a significant instrumental section that lasts for nearly half the song's duration before the vocals begin. Smith's vocal delivery is often described as "breathy" and "resigned," reflecting the song's themes of spiritual and emotional depletion.[2]
Critical reception
The song has been praised for its contribution to the "wall of sound" production style of the album. AllMusic reviewer Stephen Thomas Erlewine noted that the song helps establish the album's "alluringly gloomy" atmosphere early on.[3] In a retrospective review, Rolling Stone described the track as a "slow-motion explosion," highlighting the interplay between the drums and the melodic bassline.[4]
