Standing on the Beach

The Cure : Killing an Arab

[Purchase]

On December 21, 1978 The Cure released their debut single "Killing an Arab" b/w "10:15 Saturday Night". Fans say "Killing An Arab" is the most misunderstood song and one Robert Smith would spend the rest of his career defending--that it's actually a distillation of Albert Camus' The Stranger and not an irresponsibly racist song. Smith would say "It's not really racist. It's bot a call kill to kill Arabs". The song features the lyrics "staring at the sea", which would be the title of one of their best selling singles compilations.

Smith wrote the B side when he was 16. "'10.15 Saturday Night' was written at the table in our kitchen, watching the tap dripping, feeling utterly morose, drinking my dad's home-made beer. My evening had fallen apart and I was back at home feeling vert sorry for myself," wrote Smith in liner notes for the 2005 reissue of Three Imaginary Boys.