# The 1996 Cure song inspired by bad sex and planetary destruction: “That was rubbish”

- URL: https://talkfuse.com/story/the-1996-cure-song-inspired-by-bad-sex-and-planetary-destruction-that-was-rubbish/
- Published: 2026-10-26T14:55:38+00:00
- Updated: 2026-11-07T08:07:40+00:00
- Original publisher: Far Out
- Original article: https://faroutmagazine.co.uk/the-1996-cure-song-inspired-by-bad-sex-planetary-destruction/
- Topics: Entertainment, Music

## Key points

- ‘Jupiter Crash’ pairs a comet collision with a failed sexual encounter.
- Robert Smith said the analogy was about build-up and unmet expectations.
- Smith thought *Wild Mood Swings* was two songs too long.

## Summary

Robert Smith said The Cure’s 1996 song ‘Jupiter Crash’ drew on both the Shoemaker-Levy comet’s collision with Jupiter and a disappointing sexual encounter. The comparison links the song’s emotional build-up and anticlimax to public expectations that the comet would cause a spectacular explosion, though the impact was difficult to see.

The track appeared on *Wild Mood Swings*, an album Smith later said was two songs too long, naming ‘Gone’ and ‘Round and Round’ as songs that should have been left off. Despite a mixed response to the album, he considered it among his favourites, and singled out ‘Jupiter Crash’ as one of its strongest songs. He explained that the comet’s subtle impact was “incredible” even if it was not what people expected.

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Summarised by TalkFuse (https://talkfuse.com/). Quote the original publisher for the reporting and link this page for the summary and discussion.