But by 1990, more than a decade into his career and fresh off of his band’s biggest-ever tour, moan was all Robert Smith could seem to do. And with all due respect to Morrissey, Robert Smith was perhaps his era’s greatest moaner. Even at his most tender, Robert Smith often sounded like a ghost who’s just realized he’s a ghost. Even the Cure’s love songs—like, for instance, “Lovesong”—feel like they’re set on the last good day on Earth. Melody Maker called the Cure “the sandmen we deserve, pitiful generation that we are”; they meant it as a compliment.