"Robert Smith - The Cure, Martin Gore - Depeche Mode"Violator. Even if you are one of those people who hates Depeche Mode there is probably a song or two on there that you like, or at least secretly dance to when no one is around. This is my personal favorite Depeche Mode album and 'World In My Eyes' is, if not #1 on my list of Depeche Mode songs then #2. It stands to reason then that eventually someone great in the music universe would want to cover such an amazing song and we would hope - do it justice.
And that did happen. Enter 1998, Enter Robert Smith, Enter 'For The Masses' the Martin Gore tribute album. When Robert and The Cure were asked to be on 'For The Masses' he said:
"The Cure doing Depeche Mode as The Cure just didn't seem quite right. We tried 'Walking In My Shoes' at first but it didn't really work, so I went off and did 'World In My Eyes' one night in Outside Studios near Reading."
So here is the crossroads. Both versions are amazing. Depeche Mode's version has that dark, mechanical, synth splashed, polished in smut feel to it while Robert Smith's version has a distant, angsty, raw, guitar laden, smothered in grit feel to it.
Being that 'World In My Eyes' is about dirty, dirty sex and infatuation it only makes sense that the song should make you feel a bit - uneasy, and both versions deliver. The only real question on the table is which version is the best. As I am a much bigger Cure fan then Depeche Mode my opinion is biased and obviously leaning towards Robert's version. So in that case, I must take this battle to the masses! (Pun intended)
So, who will win this battle between two anti-cool hero's? Will it be the Bleached blond, leather clad, trench coat wearing, synth master Martin Gore? Or will it be the draped in black, high-top wearing, guitar wielding, scarlet smeared lips of Robert Smith?
You be the judge.
"Depeche Mode - World In My Eyes."
"The Cure - World In My Eyes"
