Robert Smith (7,008 views)

[IhateMana]

Associated Acts: The Cure, Siouxsie and the Banshees, The Glove
Vocal Range: F2 - B♭5

SPOILER: Click to show

{vocal summary}One of the biggest faces in goth, and for that matter, in the English music scene, Robert Smith is best known as the frontman for seminal "holy shit that's depressing" band The Cure. Smith's voice gives off an unnerving sense of desperation and misery. His entire upper register essentially gives the impression that he's crying, sounding rather painful and thin, while his (barely explored at all) lower register, despite showing promising strength in places, is sadly lacking in a solid technique. Smith is certainly not an aesthetically pleasing vocalist, but then again The Cure aren't exactly the kind of band that makes you feel "pleasant". So if you're in the market for emotional distress, Robert Smith's got you covered.

Significant High Notes

B♭5 ("Friday I'm In Love")
A5 ("The Baby Screams", "The Birdmad Girl", "Cut", "Dressing Up", "Give Me It", "Like an Animal" Robert Smith Guide Vox, "Looking Glass Girl" Robert Smith Guide Vox, "Shiver and Shake", "This Green City" Robert Smith Guide Vox)
G♯5 ("Friday I'm In Love", "I'm Cold" SAV Studio Demo, November 1977, "Mr Pink Eyes", "New Day", "Want")
G5 ("alt.end", "The Blood", "The Caterpillar", "Do the Hansa", "The End of the World", "Fight", "Hey You!!!", "The Perfect Girl", "Six Different Ways", "Taking Off", "Throw Your Foot", "Why Can't I Be You?", "You Stayed…")
F♯5 ("The Birdmad Girl", "High", "(I Don't Know What's Going) On", "Kyoto Song", "Mint Car", "The Only One", "Sadacic M05", "Throw Your Foot", "Want")
F5 ("Banafishbones", "Japanese Dream", "Lament", "Piggy in the Mirror", "Screw", "Stop Dead", "Temptation Two (LGBT)", "Why Can't I Be You?", "Young Americans")
E5 ("All I Want", "Hot Hot Hot!!!", "The Only One", "New Day", "Relax" Robert Smith Guide Vox, "Return", "Throw Your Foot")
E♭5 ("Happy the Man", "Mansolidgone (Lalala)", "Mr. Alphabet Says", "Stop Dead")
D5 ("And All Around Us the Mermaids Sang" Robert Smith Guide Vox, "The Baby Screams", "The Caterpillar", "Dressing Up", "A Few Moments After This…", "Give Me It", "Gone!", "Icing Sugar", "It's Over", "Perfect Murder", "Pillbox Tales", "A Pink Dream", "Punish Me With Kisses" Robert Smith Guide Vox, "Push", "Return", "Sadacic (M05)", "Screw", "Shake Dog Shake", "Sinking", "Why Can't I Be You?")
C♯5 ("Bananafishbones", "The Birdmad Girl", "Halo", "It's Over", "A Night Like This", "To the Sky")
C5 ("The 13th", "All I Want", "Cut", "The Dream", "The End of the World", "Fight", "Give Me It", "Hello Goodbye", "Heroin Face" Live @ The Rocket 12/77, "Hey You!!!", "Hot Hot Hot!!!", "Labyrinth", "Lost", "Mr. Pink Eyes", "Open", "Orgy" Robert Smith Guide Vox, "The Perfect Girl", "Pillbox Tales", "The Promise", "Purple Haze", "The Real Snow White", "The Scream", "Sex-Eye-Make-Up" Robert Smith Guide Vox, "Shake Dog Shake", "Six Different Ways", "Strange Timez", "Take Forever", "The Top", "Us or Them", "Wendy Time", "Witchcraft", "World in My Eyes", "You Stayed…")
B4 ("Before Three", "Bloodflowers", "Boys Don't Cry", "A Chain of Flowers", "Coming Up", "Cut", "Disintegration", "Doubt", "The Dragon Hunter's Song", "Dressing Up", "Gone!", "Grinding Halt", "Happy the Man", "How Beautiful You Are", "The Hungry Ghost", "(I Don't Know What's Going) On", "It's Over", "Japanese Dream", "A Letter to Elise", "Lost", "Mint Car", "Never", "The Perfect Boy", "Perfect Murder", "Piggy in the Mirror", "The Real Snow White", "The Reasons Why", "Relax" Robert Smith Guide Vox, "Sadacic (M05)", "The Scream", "Shiver and Shake", "Speak My Language", "Strange Attraction", "Switch", "This. Here and Now. With You", "Underneath the Stars")
B♭4 ("Bananafishbones", "Burn", "Cold", "End", "The Exploding Boy", "Fascination Street", "Friday I'm In Love", "I'm Cold", "It's Not You", "It Used to be Me", "Mansolidgone (Lalala)", "New Day", "One More Time", "Open", "Other Voices", "Play With Me", "Sleep When I'm Dead", "Stop Dead", "Want")
A4 ("10:15 Saturday Night", "All I Want", "alt.end", "Babble", "The Baby Screams", "The Big Hand", "The Birdmad Girl", "The Blood", "Burn", "Catch", "The Caterpillar", "Charlotte Sometimes", "Closedown", "Club America", "Come to Me", "Coming Up", "Doing the Unstuck", "Doubt", "The Dragon Hunter's Song", "The Dream", "Dredd Song", "The Drowning Man", "The Exploding Boy", "Faith", "Fight", "Forever" Live Somewhere Summer 1981, "From the Edge of the Deep Green Sea", "Halo", "The Hanging Garden", "Hello Goodbye", "High", "Hot Hot Hot!!!", "The Hungry Ghost", "(I Don't Know What's Going) On", "In Between Days", "Japanese Dream", "Jumping Someone Else's Train", "Just Like Heaven", "The Kiss", "Labyrinth", "A Letter to Elise", "Looking Glass Girl" Robert Smith Guide Vox, "Lost", "Mint Car", "A Night Like This", "Numb", "The Only One", "The Perfect Boy", "The Perfect Girl", "Pillbox Tales", "A Pink Dream", "Plastic Passion", "Pornography", "Prayers for Rain" Live Entreat Plus 1989, "Primary", "Purple Haze", "Push", "The Real Snow White", "The Reasons Why", "Return", "Round & Round & Round", "The Scream", "Screw", "Secrets", "Shiver and Shake", "A Short Term Effect", "Sleep When I'm Dead", "Snakepit", "Snow in Summer", "So What", "Strange Timez", "Sugar Girl", "Switch", "Take Forever", "Taking Off", "Temptation Two (LGBT)", "This Green City" Robert Smith Guide Vox, "A Thousand Hours", "To the Sky", "Torture", "Trap", "Underneath the Stars", "The Upstairs Room", "Us or Them", "Watching Me Fall", "Wendy Time")
G♯4 ("39", "Bloodflowers", "Cold", "A Few Hours After This…", "The Funeral Party", "A Hand Inside My Mouth", "I Just Need Myself" PSL Studio Demo 1/78, "In Between Days", "It Used to be Me", "It's Not You", "Like Cockatoos", "More than This", "Mr. Alphabet Says", "Object", "Orgy" Robert Smith Guide Vox, "Pictures of You", "To Wish Impossible Things", "Young Americans")
G4 ("And All Around Us the Mermaids Sang" Robert Smith Guide Vox, "Before Three", "Breathe", "Charlotte Sometimes", "Come to Me", "Cut", "Disintegration", "Doubt", "The Dragon Hunter's Song", "The Drowning Man", "The Empty World", "End", "The End of the World", "Faith", "Fascination Street", "The Figurehead", "A Foolish Arrangement", "Forever" Live Somewhere Summer 1981, "Freakshow", "From the Edge of the Deep Green Sea", "The Hanging Garden", "Halo", "Hello Goodbye", "The Holy Hour", "I Just Need Myself" PSL Studio Demo 1/78, "Icing Sugar", "If Only We Could Sleep", "Just One Kiss", "Killing an Arab" Live @ The Hammersmith Odeon 1984, "Kyoto Song", "Last Dance", "Labyrinth", "Lament", "Lovesong", "M", "Maybe Someday", "Mouth to Mouth" Robert Smith Guide Vox, "One Hundred Years", "Open", "Out of Mind", "Piggy in the Mirror", "Play With Me", "Pornography", "Possession", "Primary", "The Reasons Why", "Scared as You", "Shake Dog Shake", "A Short Term Effect", "Sinking", "Siamese Twins", "Six Different Ways", "Snow in Summer", "Speak My Language", "A Strange Day", "Sugar Girl", "Temptation Two (LGBT)", "This Twilight Garden", "Three Imaginary Boys", "The Tightrope (Almost Time)" Robert Smith Guide Vox, "The Top", "Very Good Advice", "Wendy Time", "World War")


Significant Low Notes

E3 ("39", "Accuracy", "Adonais", "Bare", "Catch", "A Chain of Flowers", "Delirious Night", "Disintegration", "Doing the Unstuck", "From the Edge of the Deep Green Sea", "Happy the Man", "High", "Home", "How Beautiful You Are", "How Not to Drown", "(I Don't Know What's Going) On", "I'm a Cult Hero", "J'aurai tout essayé", "Jupiter Crash", "Just One Kiss", "The Last Day of Summer", "A Letter to Elise", "Lovesong", "Maybe Someday", "New Day", "Numb", "Plastic Passion", "Play", "The Real Snow White", "The Reasons Why", "The Same Deep Water as You", "Shiver and Shake", "Speak My Language", "Strange Attraction", "Strange Timez", "Switch", "This is a Lie", "Underneath the Stars", "To Wish Impossible Things", "The Upstairs Room", "Wailing Wall", "Yesterday's Gone")
E♭3 ("Friday I'm In Love", "Mansolidgone (Lalala)", "Young Americans")
D3 ("Adonais", "All Cats Are Grey", "Bare", "The Big Hand", "A Blues in Drag" Robert Smith Guide Vox, "Burn", "Coming Up", "Delirious Night", "Fear of Ghosts", "Going Nowhere", "It's Over", "Labyrinth", "Lament", "The Last Day of Summer", "Like an Animal" Robert Smith Guide Vox, "Looking Glass Girl" Robert Smith Guide Vox, "Lost", "Never", "A Night Like This", "Ocean", "Out of this World", "Perfect Blue Sky", "The Perfect Girl", "Perfect Murder", "A Pink Dream", "Please", "Possession", "Snakepit", "So What", "Subway Song", "Temptation Two (LGBT)", "This. Here and Now. With You", "This is a Lie" Ambient Mix, "The Tightrope (Almost Time)" Robert Smith Guide Vox, "Treasure", "Truth Is", "Untitled", "Waiting", "Watching Me Fall", "Where the Birds Always Sing")
C♯3 ("The 13th", "All of This", "Anniversary", "Believe", "Bloodflowers", "Da Hype", "A Hand Inside My Mouth", "Lullaby", "More than This", "The Scream", "World in My Eyes")
C3 ("Apart", "Fear of Ghosts", "Lime Time", "Looking Glass Girl" Robert Smith Guide Vox, "Ocean", "Plainsong", "The Promise", "Purple Haze", "Truth Is", "Watching Me Fall", "Witchcraft")
B2 ("Bloodflowers", "The Caterpillar" Studio Demo, "Opened the Box (A Waltz)" Robert Smith Guide Vox, "Perfect Blue Sky", "Pictures of You", "Please", "Relax" Robert Smith Guide Vox, "Signal to Noise", "There is No If", "Very Good Advice", "Yesterday's Gone")
B♭2 ("More than This", "Pirate Ships", "World in My Eyes")
A2 ("All of This", "Believe", "Club America", "Coming Up", "Gone!", "Homesick", "How Not to Drown", "Jupiter Crash", "The Loudest Sound", "Pictures of You", "Take Forever")
G2 ("2 Late", "Burn", "Going Nowhere", "Harold and Joe", "Homesick", "Possession")
F♯2 ("Punish Me With Kisses" Robert Smith Guide Vox, "The Scream")
F2 ("Homesick")

……………………………………………………………………………..
Blue indicates falsetto notes (as well as whistle register in the spoiler box)
Italics indicates non-melodic notes
Underlined indicates notes in harmonies or otherwise obscured
Boldface indicates notes that are particularly notable examples of this singer's capabilities

SPOILER: Click to show

{questionable notes}
I didn't even bother pitching whatever the hell that squeak was in "High"

A6: ("The Promise", "Sex-Eye-Make-Up" Robert Smith Guide Vox)
G6: ("The Exploding Boy")
F6: ("The 13th", "Temptation Two (LGBT)")
E6: ("Friday I'm In Love", "A Hand Inside My Mouth", "Watching Me Fall")
D6: ("Halo", "Maybe Someday", "Mint Car")
C♯6: ("Perfect Murder")
C6: ("Before Three", "Gone!", "Mouth to Mouth" Robert Smith Guide Vox)
B5: ("Like an Animal" Robert Smith Guide Vox, "Looking Glass Girl" Robert Smith Guide Vox)
B♭5: ("Purple Haze")
A5: ("alt.end", "Mint Car", "Sex-Eye-Make-Up" Robert Smith Guide Vox)
G♯5: ("Mansolidgone (Lalala)", "Other Voices", "Pictures of You")
G5: ("Hot Hot Hot!!!", "Push")
F♯5: ("Disintegration", "It's Not You")
F5: ("How Beautiful You Are", "Us or Them", "Wendy Time")
B♭4: ("A Few Moments After This…")

E2: ("Lullaby")
E♭2: ("Mansolidgone (Lalala)")
D2: ("Coming Up")

SPOILER: Click to show

{discography}

The Cure
Three Imaginary Boys / Boys Don't Cry - COMPLETED
Seventeen Seconds - COMPLETED
Faith - COMPLETED
Pornography - COMPLETED
The Top - COMPLETED
The Head on the Door - COMPLETED
Kiss Me, Kiss Me, Kiss Me - COMPLETED
Disintegration - COMPLETED
Wish - COMPLETED
Wild Mood Swings - COMPLETED
Bloodflowers - COMPLETED
The Cure - COMPLETED
4:13 Dreams - COMPLETED

Join the Dots - COMPLETED

The Glove
Blue Sunshine - COMPLETED

[Zedd Squared]

He sings some E3s in the second verse and A2s in the outro of his new collab with Chvrches called How Not to Drown (all lead vocal).

[rebaru]

www.youtube.com/watch?v=uDxDW9jEjHg

singing up to C5 or so here? haven't checked

neat though...

[Bink]

I'm pretty sure he hits an A5 in other voices

[IhateMana]

should just be his voice

[Goober]

Drunk song isn't in the thread