When I started CureFanDoc 2.0, I started collecting stories from Cure fans from around the world. I’ll try to feature them every Wednesday over here. This is one of my all-time favorites. Jami was born deaf, able to hear very, very little. Even now, with cochlear implants, she uses The Cure’s music to adjust her settings to hear better, and to hear the lyrics best. Here is a window into what it is like for someone with hearing challenges to experience music, as told by Jami Lemmer Parente:
Jami’s Cure Fan Story
The first time I ever heard of The Cure was in 6th grade in 1987. My Aunt Mary, who I looked up to for musical guidance, had their band name written on her white canvas Keds shoes in blue ink. I was deaf then. I could hear SOME music with one hearing aid, but did not want any kids making fun of me for being deaf, and did my best to avoid ridicule. She picked “Japanese Whispers” as my first cassette.
The Lyrics Opened Up My World
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Back then, being as deaf as I was, I relied heavily on reading lyrical content so I could connect with the songs. After seeing the “Love Song” music video in 8th grade, I finally got a visual of who The Cure were. Everything changed. I was obsessed. I was on a mission to learn everything I could. My poor sister -I enlisted her to write out all the lyrics of every song on my “Japanese Whispers” cassette.
This was the 80’s and there was no other way to get them. Every penny of my allowances went to buying “The Top”, and “Head on The Door”. I practiced hearing and reading their lyrics whilst listening as best as I could. Over and over. And still, It was so incredibly hard, because I was deaf! I would lie in bed at night with my Walkman rubber-banded around my hearing aid, listening to the ‘Kiss Me’ cassette over and over. And while listening, I would try to read the lyrics from the tiny sleeve, amid a night light in a room I shared with my sister. It drove her mad because my hearing aid amplified the music from my headphones. She couldn’t ever sleep! Ironically, my sister later told me she came to appreciate knowing Cure songs in her college years cos it made her ‘cool’ amongst her friends.
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Amid The Cacophony of Unique Musical Arrangements
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“Disintegration” was one of the hardest albums for me to hear the lyrics to and was quite challenging. My hearing range was well below the threshold of the high frequencies. Additionally, It was incredibly hard to hear the lyrics amid the cacophony of unique musical arrangements. I managed to get “Pictures of You” down pat. Key parts of ‘Lullaby’ and ‘Last Dance’, however, escaped me. All the other songs from that album, aside from ‘Love Song’, were a big blur. As you might imagine, this frustrated me to no end, as I absolutely loved the lyrics when I read them.
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Fascination Street – I Can Finally Hear!
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June 1994. Age 18. Everything changed again. I had hearing restoration surgery. Oh. My. God. I CAN HEAR! I can hear on the phone! It’s not perfect yet, but it feels close enough! I have seen The Cure 8 times in the last 20 years. I’ve made international friends through Cure News , have travelled to meet them and have shared shows with them. I was lucky enough to be in the front row in 2000, San Diego, and was able to hear The Cure fantastically whilst being close enough to read Robert’s lips as he sang. This was THE best show I have experienced! As I am still partially deaf, I still need the visual to follow his lyrics. Nonetheless, I am thrilled – beyond words – that I am able hear The Cure, and everything else, ten times better than I did long ago. – Jamie Lemmer Parente
