I've Been Cured

My first semester of college was transformational. I know people say stuff like this all the time, but for me it really was, especially musically. Since I was making friends with people who had very different music tastes than me, I was discovering new artists daily. I remember a specific day when Jackie, my prissy, anal-retentive roommate from Chicago came back to our dorm room one day saying: "Today's song of the day is Jack Johnson's 'Better Together.'" Having never heard that guy's name, but not wanting to let Jackie know that, I simply nodded and agreed that it was a great song. When she started working on her homework, I started downloading the song (illegally, I'll admit, but I've since quit), plugged in my headphones and gave it a listen. How had I never heard of Jack Johnson before that moment, how had I survived?

There isn't a really great answer to that question, but I was thankful that Jack was now in my life. Since I couldn't stand heaping doses of Jackie, I'd spend the majority of my weekends at Mandy and Ashley's (Mashley's, if you will). Their dorm room was well-equipped for my weekend get-aways and we always had a lot of fun even if we were just watching movies and eating too much ice cream from Cat Trax, the "convenience store" on campus. Sometimes we'd lay around reading or we'd do something creative, like painting the wood supports that lofted their beds. We'd listen to The Postal Service or Modest mouse and I'd never heard either band before then.

During my sophomore year (which has since been referred to as "The Best Year" of college by many of my friends), I started spending more time with Courtney as she lived just across the hall from me. We learned of each other's musical interests and started sharing our favorites with each other. She once made me a CD that had Katie Melua's cover of The Cure's "Just Like Heaven" and I fell in love with the song. Certainly I'd heard The Cure's version before, but I hadn't really taken to it I guess.

It's been a few years since then and I've come across other very talented bands and artists but perhaps the most exciting discovery was a rediscovery. Over the past couple of weeks I've discovered just how much I love The Cure and am amazed that I've gone so long without being absolutely addicted to them. This morning I decided that if ever someone were to ask me what my favorite band is, I'd confidently answer: "That's easy, The Cure."

So, for your viewing and listening pleasure, I give you a studio version of The Cure's "Close to Me." ENJOY!