Mint Car

"Mint Car"
CD1 single cover
Single by the Cure
from the album Wild Mood Swings
B-side
  • "Home"
  • "Waiting"
  • "A Pink Dream"
Released17 June 1996 (1996-06-17)
GenreJangle pop[1]
Length3:29
Label
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)
The Cure singles chronology
"The 13th"
(1996) 		"Mint Car"
(1996) 		"Strange Attraction"
(1996)
Alternative covers
CD2 single cover
Audio
"Mint Car" on YouTube

"Mint Car" is a song by English rock band the Cure, released as the second single from their tenth studio album Wild Mood Swings in June 1996. It reached the top 20 in Finland and Iceland and peaked at number 31 on the UK Singles Chart.

Background

Robert Smith has stated in an interview that he thought this song was better than the British top-10 hit "Friday I'm in Love".[2] Smith said, "it was the single, and I thought it was a better song than 'Friday'. But it did absolutely nothing because we weren't the band at that time. The zeitgeist wasn't right. It taught me that sometimes there's a tipping point, and if you're the band, you're the band, even if you don't want to be, and there's nothing you can do about it."[2]

Release

Released on 17 June 1996,[3] the song reached number 31 on the UK Singles Chart and number 14 on the Billboard Modern Rock Tracks chart. The single includes two remixes of the song, as well as three songs not available on the album. The "Busker's Mix" includes the acoustic guitar parts but omits electric guitar tracks. The "Electric Mix" contains the electric guitar parts, but leaves out the acoustic guitar. All of the B-sides, except the remixes, would go on to appear in the 2004 box set Join the Dots.

Reception

Chris Gerard of Metro Weekly was unenthusiastic of the song saying it was "utterly inconsequential" and "a pale imitation of far better guitar-based pop songs like "In Between Days" and “Friday I’m in Love.”[4]Anthony DeCurtis of Rolling Stone dismissed it as "shiny, happy, self-consciously clichéd" [5]

Track listings

All tracks were written by Robert Smith, Simon Gallup, Perry Bamonte, Jason Cooper, and Roger O'Donnell.

Personnel

  • Robert Smith – writing, vocals, guitar, production, mixing
  • Simon Gallup – writing, bass
  • Perry Bamonte – writing, guitar
  • Jason Cooper – writing
  • Roger O'Donnell – writing, keyboards
  • Mark Price – drums
  • Bob Thompson – drums on "Waiting"
  • Steve Lyon – production, mixing on all tracks except "A Pink Dream"
  • Steve Whitfield – mixing on "A Pink Dream"

Charts

Release history

Region Date Format(s) Label(s) Ref.
United States 27 May 1996 Alternative radio
[24]
United Kingdom 17 June 1996
  • CD
  • cassette
 Fiction [3]
United States 18 June 1996 Contemporary hit radio
  • Fiction
  • Elektra
 [25]

References

  1. ^ Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "The Cure – Galore: The Singles 1987–1997". Allmusic. Retrieved 27 December 2015.
  2. ^ a b "Pete Wentz Meets Robert Smith". Stereogum. 28 November 2006. Retrieved 11 January 2016.
  3. ^ a b "New Releases: Singles" (PDF). Music Week. 15 June 1996. p. 31. Retrieved 17 August 2021.
  4. ^ Gerard, Chris (16 October 2013). "The Cure's "Wild Mood Swings" revisited". Metro Weekly. Retrieved 7 December 2024.
  5. ^ DeCurtis, Anthony (2 February 1998). "Wild Mood Swings". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 7 December 2024.
  6. ^ Mint Car (UK CD1 liner notes). The Cure. Fiction Records. 1996. FICCD 52, 576 967–2.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  7. ^ Mint Car (UK CD2 liner notes). The Cure. Fiction Records. 1996. FISCD 52, 576 969–2.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  8. ^ Mint Car (European CD1 liner notes). The Cure. Fiction Records. 1996. 576 971-2.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  9. ^ Mint Car (Australian CD single liner notes). The Cure. Fiction Records. 1996. 0630151022.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  10. ^ Mint Car (European CD2 liner notes). The Cure. Fiction Records. 1996. 576 966-2.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  11. ^ Mint Car (US CD1 liner notes). The Cure. Fiction Records, Elektra Records. 1996. 64275-2.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  12. ^ Mint Car (US CD2 liner notes). The Cure. Fiction Records, Elektra Records. 1996. 66012-2.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  13. ^ Mint Car (Canadian CD single liner notes). The Cure. Fiction Records, Elektra Records. 1996. CD 66012.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  14. ^ "The ARIA Australian Top 100 Singles Chart – Week Ending 04 Aug 1996". ARIA. Retrieved 16 April 2020 – via Imgur. N.B. The HP column indicates the single's highest position.
  15. ^ "Top RPM Rock/Alternative Tracks: Issue 3046." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 23 February 2019.
  16. ^ "The Cure: Mint Car" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat.
  17. ^ "Íslenski Listinn Topp 40 (24.8. – 30.8. '96)". Dagblaðið Vísir (in Icelandic). 24 August 1996. p. 42. Retrieved 2 October 2019.
  18. ^ "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 14 March 2018.
  19. ^ "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 23 February 2019.
  20. ^ "The Cure Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard.
  21. ^ "The Cure Chart History (Alternative Airplay)". Billboard. Retrieved 14 March 2018.
  22. ^ "Árslistinn 1996". Dagblaðið Vísir (in Icelandic). 2 January 1997. p. 25. Retrieved 30 May 2020.
  23. ^ "Airplay Monitor Best of '96: Modern Rock Tracks". Airplay Monitor. Vol. 4, no. 53. 27 December 1996. p. 24.
  24. ^ "Be on the Lookout". Gavin Report. No. 2105. 17 May 1996. p. 22.
  25. ^ "Selected New Releases" (PDF). Radio & Records. No. 1150. 14 June 1996. p. 37. Retrieved 17 August 2021.