Synopsis
The Cure perform "The Hanging Garden" in the grounds of York House Gardens, Twickenham, surrounded by trees, overgrown vegetation, and stark outdoor scenery. Robert Smith, Simon Gallup, and Lol Tolhurst appear in a series of brooding performance shots, with masks and theatrical styling adding to the unsettling atmosphere associated with the Pornography era. The video favors mood and visual texture over a conventional narrative, presenting the band as a stark, ritualistic presence within an otherwise peaceful garden setting.
Factoids & Trivia
- The promotional video was filmed at York House Gardens in Twickenham, Middlesex, in July 1982.
- The masks reflect the imagery associated with The Cure's fourth album, Pornography, from which "The Hanging Garden" was taken.
- Robert Smith's heavily backcombed hairstyle appears here for the first time in a Cure music video, helping establish one of his most recognizable early looks.
- Smith later expressed dissatisfaction with the video's serious presentation. The production team had previously worked on videos for Madness, while The Cure had hoped for a more playful and eccentric result.
- The video was included on the 1986 home-video compilation Staring at the Sea - The Images.
- "The Hanging Garden" was the sole single released from Pornography. It reached No. 34 on the UK Singles Chart.
- BBC Radio 1 DJ John Peel placed the song at No. 25 in his 1982 Festive Fifty, reinforcing its importance to the band's early gothic audience.