Cure for Me

* Original
* Acoustic
* Remix
* EP
* Live

## *The Gods We Can Touch* alternative chronology

"**Cure for Me**" (originally titled "**A Cure for Me**") is the twenty-seventh single released by AURORA and the second single from her album *The Gods We Can Touch*. On July 7, 2021, the song was officially released worldwide. Two days later it was released on a vinyl single with "A Potion for Love" on the B-side.

An acoustic version of the song was released on August 6, 2021. Remixes of the song by Vintage Culture were released on August 27, 2021. These 4 versions were eventually bundled together in a digital EP released on October 31 and November 11, 2022.

A live version featuring Silvana Estrada was released on June 21 and 23, 2023.

## Background

"Cure for Me" was written in 2019 while touring, before Aurora finished "Exist for Love" and before she formed a broad idea for *The Gods We Can Touch* .

In May 2020, Aurora announced her new music 'era', releasing "Exist for Love" as her album's first single. Amidst the global COVID-19 pandemic, she decided not to release further music from her upcoming album during this time, releasing several standalone singles instead.

During an interview with *NME*, Aurora noted that it took her team a long time to realize that "Cure for Me" could be a single. She said something similar to *Euphoria* magazine:

> "I was in Australia on tour and then instead of having a day off in between the gigs, I asked my drummer and co-producer Magnus if we could rent a studio for a day and have some fun. I had this theme I wanted to get out of my head [hums melody]. I just really wanted to make a song with this ugly theme and we made it — my team kind of discovered it a few years later and said, *Ah, this is lovely, we should make it a single*."
>
>

The song was originally intended to be released on April 16, 2021, but was delayed so as to not overshadow the success of "Runaway" after that song went viral on social media. During a livestream on May 18, when details about the new single and album were still under wraps, Aurora mentioned she was excited for the buzz around "Runaway" to die down so she could release new music, describing her upcoming single as:

> "Different, but I think it's important to have a bit of humor. I think you'll understand what I mean."
>
>

In June 2021, over a year after announcing the new era, Aurora began to tease a new single with the release of a runner-style video game and an interview with Portal AURORA Brasil. She also teased the song with TikTok videos and various uses of the mask emoji (🎭). On June 28, Aurora shared an image containing words in her alphabet (previously seen on album covers for *A Different Kind of Human - Step 2*, merch and stage dressing). The text was decoded to say "Cure for Me July 7". The single was officially announced on June 30, 2021.

> "🔮May there never be a cure for human nature 🔮"
>
>

"Cure for Me" premiered on *The Zane Lowe Show* shortly before its worldwide release. It was performed live for the first time on July 9, 2021 for *Music is Universal* on piano.

## About the song

"Cure for Me" addresses the widespread misconception that LGBTQ+ individuals can or need to be "cured". Aurora, bisexual herself, challenges that view, stating that nobody needs to be cured for love and hoping there will never be a cure for human nature. In the same interview, Aurora dives deeper into the song, touching on the legality of conversion-therapy and personal shame for being oneself.

On the song's world premiere broadcast, the host asked how Aurora felt writing a dance song, after having written many sad songs in the past:

> "It felt very liberating. It was like this tiny, tiny door opened up in me, [and] I just felt like I had this whole new entire universe of sounds and music within me that I hadn't noticed before. So it was very liberating and eye-opening."
>
>

She continued, describing the song's inspiration:

> "It is inspired in the vibe, the having no shame in being who you are and being really proud and free in who you are. It's very inspired by the gay community and also drag queens because I just find them so inspiring in so many ways!"
>
>

Aurora also spoke about the song in an Instagram post announcing its release:

> "Sometimes I feel like the whole world Is trying to convince you something is wrong with you. And sadly often people believe this to be true. It is very frightening how easy it is for someone to convince you that you are wrong. Or that you are overly emotional, too strange, and not good enough. And I think it's about time we shut those voices out. Because in no way should anyone convince you that you are not worthy because of the way you look, act, your faith, or the way you are born to love. We should be allowed to be human. And we don't need a cure for it."
>
>

In an interview with *Klassekampen* in January 2022, Aurora stated: "I do not like the middle part of 'Cure for Me'. It's very ugly. My brain is not a fan. But my body likes it! And sometimes one has to listen to the body."

## Lyrics

I run from the liars, the fuel on the fire

I know I created myself

I know I can't fight the sad days and bad nights

But I never asked for your help

You got hurt

But we don't belong together

So you took the love from my arms

Into the arms of yours

But I don't need a cure for me

I don't need it

No, I don't need a cure for me

I don't need it

No, I don't need a cure for me

I don't like the tension, the misapprehensions

About our nature in love

The glorious teachers are no use for creatures

Who knows how to play with the gods

You got nеrves, but they never show

Unless they hurt, so you blamed it all

On my love, the moving

Heart I got

But I don't need a cure for me

I don't need it

No, I don't need a cure for me

I don't need it

No, I don't need a cure for me

I don't need it

I don't need it

Hmm, please, no cure for me

Please, no cure for me, cure for me

Cure for me, please, no cure for me, cure for me

Cure for me, please, no cure for me, cure for me, cure for me

(And you need to know I don't need it)

I don't need it

(And you should know)

I don't need a cure for me

(And you need to know I don't need it)

I don't need it

(And you should know)

No, I don't need a cure for me

(And you need to know I don't need it)

I don't need it

(And you should know)

No, I don't need a cure for me

(And you need to know I don't need it)

I don't need it

(And you should know)

No, I don't need a cure for me

Lyrics transcribed by listening.

## Music video

A music video for the song premiered on July 8, 2021. It was recorded in March and directed by Aurora and Sigurd Fossen.

## Trivia

* The song's existence was discovered in April 2021 after being registered on ASCAP.
* In early April 2021, a reliable insider teased the next single of Aurora's fourth studio album to have the initials "CFM". The duration of the song as well as its release date were also leaked. Due to the success of "Runaway", its release date was pushed back.
	+ Soon after, a promotional photo for the single was accidentally uploaded to Aurora's website by her team. It was quickly taken down, but not before being saved by fans. The website also briefly read "CURE FOR ME OUT NOW" when searched on Google.
* On June 25th, a snippet of the single was leaked. The full song was then leaked the following day.
	+ Snippet:
* The song's artwork and final release date were leaked on June 28, 2021.
* Both the official acapella and instrumental have leaked.
* The stems for the song leaked on May 20, 2022.
* The single's cover photo was shot by Isak Okkenhaug, see the photoshoot here.
* The song was featured on several of Spotify's New Music Friday playlists around the globe.
	+ Aurora was on the cover of the playlist in her home country, Norway.
* The song interpolates a melody from "Aquarela do Brasil", written by Ary Barroso, possibly as a nod to Aurora's fanbase in Brazil.
* Aurora said in a video for Spotify that she wrote the song in honour of Hermaphroditus and that she drew inspiration from LGBTQIA+ and trans communities.
* The choreography for the music video was inspired by the 1920s and *The Futterwack* or *Futterwacken*, a dance in the 2010 film *Alice in Wonderland*.
* Universal Music Korea also published the music video, on September 23rd 2022, but it contains different opening scenes.
* The song was featured on episodes 1, 5 and 10, season 7 (2021) of German teen drama streaming television series *Druck*.
* It also featured on rhythm game *Just Dance 2024*.

## References

1. ↑ https://aurora.lnk.to/CureForMe
2. ↑ https://aurora.lnk.to/CFMacoustic
3. ↑ https://aurora.lnk.to/CureRemix
4. ↑ https://music.apple.com/us/album/cure-for-me-ep/1651535150
5. ↑ https://music.apple.com/no/album/cure-for-me-ep/1652165648
6. ↑ https://music.apple.com/gb/album/cure-for-me-ep/1654011604
7. ↑ https://www.welovenordic.de/aurora-talks-about-cure-for-me-and-upcoming-plans/
8. ↑ https://nbhap.com/stories/interview-aurora-imperfection-and-spirituality
9. ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YytOgPVXqK0&t=88
10. ↑ https://www.euphoriazine.com/blog/2021/07/interviews-aurora-cure-for-me/
11. ↑ https://musically.com/2021/10/06/behind-the-campaign-aurora/
12. ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qywmIPUOg8M&t=1440s
13. ↑ https://glitch.ge/aurora/runner/v2
14. ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ycHD9mJwy-U (fan repost)
15. ↑ https://www.reddit.com/r/auroramusic/comments/o9o9r8/
16. ↑ 16.0 16.1 https://www.instagram.com/p/CQwK9UzB5qj/
17. ↑ 17.0 17.1 https://music.apple.com/us/post/1575083015
18. ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f2avKa4iMEY&t=74s
19. ↑ https://www.bt.no/kultur/i/Ep0bdj/tanken-paa-at-noen-vil-kurere-homofili-fikk-aurora-til-aa-skrive-laat
20. ↑ https://www.reddit.com/r/auroramusic/comments/of0ikc/
21. ↑ https://www.instagram.com/p/CRCDynEq1c-/
22. ↑ https://klassekampen.no/utgave/2022-01-24/a-ta-pa-det-ein-tilber
23. ↑ https://www.reddit.com/r/auroramusic/comments/scj83p
24. ↑ https://www.instagram.com/p/CT1m05JA52o/
25. ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sri7dbNA7sc
26. ↑ Spotify New Music Friday Norway screenshot
27. ↑ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aquarela\_do\_Brasil
28. ↑ https://g1.globo.com/pop-arte/musica/lollapalooza/2023/noticia/2023/03/29/aurora-diz-antes-de-show-no-lolla-que-ama-chico-buarque-e-se-sente-mais-em-casa-no-brasil-que-na-noruega-veja-video.ghtml (interview @ 3:08)
29. ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ej0eA-Fp-p8&t=81
30. ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S7ds7Xh1b5k&t=308
31. ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2klgqKvjL8I
32. ↑ https://www.zdf.de/funk/druck-11790
33. ↑ https://www.ubisoft.com/en-us/game/just-dance/2024
34. ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Rk\_1Y5W1Co
35. ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nE6gfb3jEcA