The Cure - The 13th - Full Video Song

What this video is

Released April 1996 as the lead single from Wild Mood Swings, 'The 13th' marked The Cure's most overtly Latin-influenced pop production — a mariachi/salsa-tinged departure that polarized the fanbase while demonstrating the band's mid-career commercial ambition. Directed by Sophie Muller via Oil Factory — a production house central to 1990s UK music video output — the video's theatrical campness and Robert Smith's…

Why it matters

A landmark in The Cure's genre-blending arc, 'The 13th' merged post-punk's theatrical sensibility with Latin percussion and horn arrangements at a moment when alternative rock was dominating mainstream radio and MTV. It represents a key document of mid-90s British alternative pop's willingness to…

The director

Sophie Luise Elisabeth Muller (born 31 January 1962, London) is an English music video director who has directed over 300 music videos. She trained at Central St Martins and the Royal College of Art. Major awards include a Grammy for Annie Lennox's Diva…