Fascination Street

There are songs that invite you to immerse yourself in an atmosphere, and Fascination Street is one of them. Its sound pulls you in, with that repeating bassline that envelops you from the start, creating a sense of constant movement. The band recorded it at Hookend Recording Studios, in Checkendon, Oxfordshire, between late 1988 and early 1989, as part of the production of their eighth album, Disintegration. The album, in general, marked a return to the more introspective style the band had explored in the 80s.

The inspiration for Fascination Street came from an intense night in New Orleans, specifically from an experience on Bourbon Street. Robert Smith, the lyricist and one of the composers, has commented that the song is about that feeling of disbelief when continuing to search for a perfect moment, even when one realizes they might be deceived. The release of this track as a single had a particular journey in North America. The Cure's American record label preferred to release Fascination Street as the first cut instead of Lullaby, which was the first single in the UK and was released in the United States later. On the US modern rock charts, Fascination Street reached number one and stayed there for seven weeks. For the 12-inch vinyl and maxi-CD editions, an extended version was included with a four-minute instrumental introduction, produced by Robert Smith, Chris Parry, and Mark Saunders. This extended version later appeared on the 1990 remix compilation album, Mixed Up.