Repurposing can be found all over the place. Let’s look at the history of the Cure song “A Forest.”
Somehow I escaped hearing “A Forest” until decades after it was released, when the song was used on the old Fox Soccer Channel. This song was originally released in 1980, very early in the Cure’s career, and was a goth-yet-driving track that fit in with the times. And Robert Smith had not yet become Edward Scissorhands.
But then another Robert, Robert Palmer, would inject himself into the story.
Palmer had not yet become The Mannequin Guy (that would come four years later), but he was still pretty big. Big enough to rank higher than the Cure in the lineup for the Rock Werchter Festival on July 5, 1981. And when you’re a supporting act like the Cure was on that day, things don’t always go your way.
“The day before in Torhout the band had been able to play 15 songs, in Werchter they would only play 13 songs skipping “Three Imaginary Boys” and “Faith”. The Cure, consisting of Robert Smith, Simon Gallup and Laurence Tolhurst, was scheduled to play just before Robert Palmer and while they were playing, they were told to cut their set short by Robert Palmer’s managers.”
So the Cure was only allowed to play one more song. Robert Smith announced to the crowd:
“This is the final song because we’re not allowed to carry on anymore, cause everybody want’s to see Robert Palmer I think. It’s called ‘A Forest.'”
Cue malicious compliance.
The band starts playing the slow introduction to the song…with a few extra flourishes that stretched the intro out a bit.
After a minute-long introduction, the song finally picks up at the normal tempo. Well, with a little more of an instrumental introduction before Smith starts singing.
He sings the verses of the song, through the final words “again and again and again and again and again.” And five minutes in, it appears that the Cure has “a bad case of loving” the song, because they keep on playing.
And playing.
And playing.
With less of a drum beat and bass line as Smith explores every chord, and every note, on his guitar.
Six and a half minutes in, as you start to see backstage activity, Smith begins to sing new lyrics, “parting is such sweet sorrow” among them.
But the Cure didn’t part. They kept on playing. And at seven and a half minutes in, they picked up the pace again.
By the 8 minute mark, Smith is channeling his inner Hendrix/Townshend as the band finally concludes the song, “encouraged” by Robert Palmer’s roadies.
You can see the performance for yourself. Language warning at the end.
This sudden, provoked improvisation permanently affected future live performances of “A Forest.” Here’s a 1992 example, in which the song stretched for over 13 minutes. Minute-long slow intro, four-minute song proper, and a coda as long as the entire Werchter performance.
So feel free to repurpose YOUR content, longer or shorter as you wish. The original piece may resonate with some, while the newer pieces may resonate with others.
If the Fox Soccer Channel had played “A Forest” more often, maybe it would still be around today.
Bredemarket 