A Strange Day vs. The Hanging Garden

[nausearockpig]

I've recently come to the opinion that I think it would have been better for The Cure to release A Strange Day as a single instead of The Hanging Garden. Now i don't know what "better" means in this context, perhaps it means commercial success or perhaps it means that one song is better than the other [but what is better really]. Maybe I think it would be a "better" song because I've heard THG soooooooo many times, that I can't listen to it unless I'm listening to Pornography as a whole....

Who thinks what?

[Dillinger]

the hanging garden is one of the bands best songs i think

[PAOKCURE]

In my opinion every Cure single has a particular purpose: it's a missionary of the world's most wonderful music.
I don't care for the label's purposes (money). I do care if a young person listen to all this crap out there. When I meet someone who looks about the real thing, someone with willingly ears, I always try to "convert" him. And you know what? There are very few out there who didn't stuck. They begin with the "lighter" stuff and soon they find them selves listening to Pornography. That is what the single-releases do, in large terms.
So when it comes to singles, I prefer what is more catchy for the others and not the "better one" from a Curefan's point of view. Let them start and then we will welcome them all in curefans.com and discuss about it  
Besides we know that most of the best Cure songs never released as singles.

On that base, I believe that A Strange Day would be a much more appropriate choise.
As far as the "better" concerns, for me "A Strange Day" is better in many ways. I personally consider it one of the best Cure songs ever.

The Hanging Garden is a very stern song even for a Cure fan. I mean it requires, more than many other songs, a certain mood. And I believe more concentration to the music.
7 to 10 times I hear it, I pass it over. But the remaining three times I'm captivated. That is how it works for me. I love it for these 3 times.

[rjl]

As much as I love A Strange Day, THG was the perfect choice for a single, especially if they were going for such a dark, ugly album. Might as well be jerks, stick to their guns, and submit an ugly, unsettling song as their single. And compare the video to what was out there at the time, as well.

And it's cool that such a young band (at the time), with a fraction of the clout that they have now with a record company, were able to get away with releasing THG as a single.

It's almost like how the Flaming Lips amazingly got Warner Brothers to release Zaireeka (for those who don't know, an album split over 4 CDs, to be played simultaneously), even though their previous album didn't fare so well, they lost their guitarist, and they had a fraction of the popularity & respect than they do now...

It's kind of neat when artistic decisions win, when it comes to the numbers-driven, business side of things.

[Dillinger]

yeh that was cool of them, reall though as much as none of us want to admit it the cure are driven by money now. also when i convert people to the cure they nearly always stick too, whether that be with pornography or the greatest hits

[Janko]

I've recently come to the opinion that I think it would have been better for The Cure to release A Strange Day as a single instead of The Hanging Garden. Now i don't know what "better" means in this context, perhaps it means commercial success or perhaps it means that one song is better than the other [but what is better really]. Maybe I think it would be a "better" song because I've heard THG soooooooo many times, that I can't listen to it unless I'm listening to Pornography as a whole....

Who thinks what?

The Hanging Garden is a single material because the song has the dynamics for a radioplay while A Strange Day takes some time to build up...


BUT THEN AGAIN, THAT ALBUM DOESN'T HAVE ANY "SINGLE"

[japanesebaby]

also when i convert people to the cure they nearly always stick too

hmm it almost sounds like a lossy conversion (once poor mp3s, always poor mp3s... )
anyway, i somehow love that expression, "convert people to the cure"!

i remember seeing 'a strange day' often been titled as "the great lost cure single" or something like that (correct me if i'm wrong). it's probably a better song of the two but anyway i'd agree that 'the hanging garden' was a powerful choice, probably the right one for a single.
i think it did bring forward the "dynamics" of the band during that era much better and more truthfully than 'a strange day' would have done, which also made it a more "authentic" choice, so to speak.

[strange_day]

Guess which one i think would have been the appropriate choice.........  

[splitmilk34]

I believe "The Hanging Garden" was the appropriate choice for the single.  At the time the band didn't care (or want) commercial success and therefore chose a song (probably) that they felt best represented what the album was about - dark, moody psychedelics wrapped in metronome-ish, propulsive beats.  It really does sum up the album quite well, and its not as if "The Hanging Garden" is as difficult a listen as, say, "Siamese Twins" or "Cold" (both absolute favorites of mine).  I may also have this view being that "A Strange Day", while very nice, never really became "One of Those" songs for me - you know, one of the songs where if I had to make a Cure mixtape for someone I'd absolutely have to put it on there.  Maybe that's why the band also chose not to release it as the single.  Who knows?  There's my 2 cents, though.

[KingOfSomeIsland]

if they truly wanted no sucess they wouldve released Pornography or The Figurehead as a single and called it a day... The Hanging Garden has at least some mainstream potential.

[rjl]

Well, here's a quick sampling of some of the top hits of 1982 (presumably based off of the US charts. If I have a second, I can maybe find the UK). I think "The Hanging Garden" is from an entirely different planet:

http://eightiesclub.tripod.com/id198.htm

Just scroll down a bit.

If John Oates doesn't scare you away.

[Dillinger]

the hanging garden has that strong distinct start which makes it the better choice.

[Steve]

IMHO A Hundred Years knocks Hanging Garden into a cocked hat!
Would have been a much better A side.
Also, you have to consider that it does actually stand up today as a good song.
When was the last time Hanging Garden got an airing in concert?

Cheers.

Steve

[Dillinger]

i think the hanging garden stands up today just as well as 100 years. its the bands decision not to play it, roberts voice is perhaps a little too old to carry it.

[Janko]

INTERESTING,ALSO,HOW ROBERT SAID THAT THE ALBUM
BLOODFLOWERS HAD NO SINGLES AT ALL
WHILE "MAYBE SOMEDAY" WAS THE SINGLE MATERIAL
100%
WITH A BETTER AIRPLAY
AND SOME CUTTING TO MAKE IT AROUND 3,5 minutes
IT COULD BE MASSIVE HIT