The Cure, an English rock band from the 1970's, was formed in Crawley, West Sussex. They have sold over 27 million albums and were one of the most popular alternative rock bands in the world. One of their hit songs, "Just Like Heaven," was rated as one of Billboard's Top 40 songs. "Just Like Heaven" scored extremely high on the Student Song Rating System with a score of 102. The song is unbelievably rich in symbolism, ambiguity, and especially simile, as depicted in the title.
To start off, the very first line in the second verse, where he says, "Spinning on that dizzy edge," is an example of symbolism. The "dizzy edge" could symbolize the bliss and confusion that accompanies love or the dream that he constantly relates her to. Ambiguity is used when the singer sings, "'Why are you so far away?' she said." It is not clear whether she is asking why he is physically so far away or why he is so far away emotionally or mentally. In the third verse, there are two examples of similes. There is one simile when he sings, "Strange as angels" and one when he sings, "You're just like a dream." These are similes because, in each one, he is comparing two unlike things to each other. When he sings, "Dancing in the deepest oceans, Twisting in the water," the listener really has a good mental picture of what he is singing about. This imagery could also possibly represent a dream because of the dream-like actions being portrayed. At the end of the song, the singer ironically sings, "[I] found myself alone alone." This is ironic because throughout the whole song he is talking about a girl he loves, leading the listener to believe that they will be together for a while. By saying that he is now alone, he is hinting that he is not with that girl anymore; what the listener expected to happen was the opposite of what really happened.
This song also contains quite a few attributes that apply to the whole song, which is relatively rare. The whole song could be thought of as a symbol. The girl that he is describing in the song symbolizes a dream. The way he sings about the girl and compares her to a dream proves that she is a symbol of his dream. The whole song is also an extended metaphor because throughout the song, he is constantly referring her, and their actions together, to a dream. For example, when he says "Spinning on that dizzy edge, I kissed her face and kissed her head, And dreamed of all the different ways I had, To make her glow." Besides stating that he is dreaming of ways to make her glow, the "dizzy edge" contributes to the dream-like factor and the fact that he is kissing her in the dreamy setting leads the listener to believe that he is comparing her and her love to a dream.
To start off, the very first line in the second verse, where he says, "Spinning on that dizzy edge," is an example of symbolism. The "dizzy edge" could symbolize the bliss and confusion that accompanies love or the dream that he constantly relates her to. Ambiguity is used when the singer sings, "'Why are you so far away?' she said." It is not clear whether she is asking why he is physically so far away or why he is so far away emotionally or mentally. In the third verse, there are two examples of similes. There is one simile when he sings, "Strange as angels" and one when he sings, "You're just like a dream." These are similes because, in each one, he is comparing two unlike things to each other. When he sings, "Dancing in the deepest oceans, Twisting in the water," the listener really has a good mental picture of what he is singing about. This imagery could also possibly represent a dream because of the dream-like actions being portrayed. At the end of the song, the singer ironically sings, "[I] found myself alone alone." This is ironic because throughout the whole song he is talking about a girl he loves, leading the listener to believe that they will be together for a while. By saying that he is now alone, he is hinting that he is not with that girl anymore; what the listener expected to happen was the opposite of what really happened.
This song also contains quite a few attributes that apply to the whole song, which is relatively rare. The whole song could be thought of as a symbol. The girl that he is describing in the song symbolizes a dream. The way he sings about the girl and compares her to a dream proves that she is a symbol of his dream. The whole song is also an extended metaphor because throughout the song, he is constantly referring her, and their actions together, to a dream. For example, when he says "Spinning on that dizzy edge, I kissed her face and kissed her head, And dreamed of all the different ways I had, To make her glow." Besides stating that he is dreaming of ways to make her glow, the "dizzy edge" contributes to the dream-like factor and the fact that he is kissing her in the dreamy setting leads the listener to believe that he is comparing her and her love to a dream.
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