The Cult Songs Ranked
The Cult is a British rock band formed in 1983. Before settling on their current name in January 1984, the band performed under the name Death Cult, which was an evolution of the name of lead singer Ian Astbury’s previous band Southern Death Cult. They gained a dedicated following in the United Kingdom in the mid-1980s as a post-punk/gothic rock band, with singles such as “She Sells Sanctuary”, before breaking into the mainstream in the United States in the late 1980s establishing themselves as a hard rock band with singles such as “Love Removal Machine” and “Fire Woman”. Since the initial formation of the Southern Death Cult in Bradford in 1981, the band has had various line-ups; the longest-serving members are Astbury and guitarist Billy Duffy, who is the band’s two songwriters.
After moving to London, the band released their second album Love in 1985, which charted at No. 4 in the UK and included singles such as “She Sells Sanctuary” and “Rain”. On their third album, Electric (1987), the band supplemented their post-punk sound with hard rock; the polish on this new sound was facilitated by producer Rick Rubin. Their fourth album, Sonic Temple (1989), proceeded in a similar vein, and these two albums enabled them to break into the North American market. It was also during this period that The Cult relocated to Los Angeles, California, where the band is currently based. Here are all of The Cult’s songs ranked.
Don’t miss out on the pulsating metal sound of The Cult below! Click to enjoy the songs that made them popular in the UK and the US!
20. Sun King (Sonic Temple, 1989)
“Great lyrics and a catchy guitar riff. Just awesome all round and is absolute criminal that it’s so low. Guitar work is classic and vocals are that pure classic rocker anthem.”
19. Aphrodisiac Jacket (Electric, 1987)
“I guess I want the song to have some great meaning, but I guess it is like a Duran Duran or a Beck song and just has some cool sounding words but in the end is just nonsense- but this song does rock”
18. Revolution (Love, 1985)
“The love album its all great but this song along with the opening track Nirvana is one of the best songs off the love album”
17. Soul Asylum (Sonic Temple, 1989)
“Sort of sounds like a mix between 80’s hair metal and 90’s alternate rock and average songwriting. What makes this record stand out is the excellence of the band and the singer.”
See more: The Cult Albums Ranked
16. Star (The Cult, 1994)
“With a big, infectious drum intro paving the way, “Star” blossoms into a full-blown, upbeat, funky, four-minute rocker. The retro roller features a killer grinding groove and hot guitar work from Billy Duffy, while Ian Astbury’s brash vocals accent the good time vibe number. This star shines brightly.”
15. Nirvana (Love, 1985)
“I love The Cult. This song really “sends” me if you know what I mean. I never got to see them in concert and that’s a shame, but their music still lives on.”
14. Painted On My Heart (Gone in 60 Seconds, 2000)
“I couldn’t believe what I heard when I was watching the movie….. that voice… that voice… isn’t the Cult ? but I never heard this song…. Surprise !!!! New stuff !!!! The songs are great….. but better is that The Cult is back and making good music, like in the old times.”
13. Peace Dog (Electric, 1987)
“I think this song is about the military/industrial complex and the appeal of WAR to superpowers. War was good for uniting citizens and for solving the depression, and above all, for profiteering.”
12. Love (Love, 1985)
“A timeless piece. The Love Album is a masterpiece. The Lizard King would be proud. Amazing manchester style jangling sharp solos”
11. Lil’ Devil (Electric, 1987)
“Interesting subgenre here, this is kind of metal/punk/hard rock thing. The vocals are a little punk with maybe even a little blues rock in there, and the music sounds a little like ZZ Top. The vocals sound like She Sells Sanctuary here which I believe is by them to. Every time I hear this one, I want to hear She Sells sanctuary three times.”
10. Spiritwalker (Dreamtime, 1984)
“Spiritwalker 1984 UK Situation Two label 3-track 12″ vinyl single, also includes a BBC session recording of Flower In the Desert plus an extra track Bone Bag.”
9. Phoenix (Love, 1985)
“Intense riff, powerful beat, unconventional structure, almost religious sound–this B-side of Love comes out of nowhere! Duffy plays an outstanding riff throughout the whole song. This is my favorite.”
8. Wild Hearted Son (Ceremony, 1991)
“The Cult’s greatest masterpiece. I would give it 6 stars if I could. The single version has a arty Indian chant at the beginning which is stripped away in the Greatest hits versions. Astbury’s magical pipes are given a work out and Duffy’s haunting guitars rip and tear in teenage angst. The words really reached out to me in my younger rebel years ” I live outside of convention, I know the people who stare, I’m just a breed of society, I’m pushing hard and I’m stealing free, Don’t try and lay no trip on me”.
7. Edie (Ciao Baby) (Sonic Temple, 1989)
“The Cult’s tribute to actress Edie Sedgwick, once a Warhol-circle-member, must be one of the best songs of the late ’80s. I absolutely love this song! It’s got strong lyrics, great guitars both in the sound and melody, and great string-arrangements and of course Ian Astbury’s superb vocals. The version on this single is the album-version, but I can also recommend the acoustic version, I actually think I like that one even better! “
See more: Blue Oyster Cult Albums Ranked
6. Wild Flower (Electric, 1987)
“Wild flower (and the song) gives the impression that the object of their affection is a bit of free spirit (wild) and the flower points to a female. The song talks about how they make them feel (the euphoria of love, how it makes you act strange and the intoxication of love).”
5. Sweet Soul Sister (Sonic Temple, 1989)
“Sweet Soul Sister 1989 UK Beggars Banquet label limited edition 3-track 12″ vinyl single, including The River, plus a live version of American Horse recorded at Wembley Arena on 24th November 1989, gatefold picture sleeve including bonus fold-out full colour poster.Nice collectors item”
4. Rain (Love, 1985)
“This ironically sounds like a mix of Sting, The Cure, and Black Crowes. None of those three bands sound much alike but some how they all sound like this group. It remains good in both the hard rock area, as well as the gothic pop realm. It is great in both aspects. Like the song a lot.”
3. Love Removal Machine (Electric, 1987)
“Starts off sounding deceptively ordinary, until that guitar just stealth-attacks you from nowhere. My favorite Cult song of them all. The guitar in this song is just too much to handle!”
2. Fire Woman (Sonic Temple, 1989)
“Amazing song. It does a great job at capturing the inexplicable, overwhelming feeling of being consumed by love. The song is full of raw desperation, giving it a feeling of danger and aggression as the emotions at play in the song begin to boil over. That desperate sense makes it a great hard-rock ass-kicker as well as a love song, great for pumping iron to the tune of”
1. She Sells Sanctuary (She Sells Sanctuary, 1985)
“An incredibly distinctive song that can be recognized from the first note. Encourages a good feeling in me every time I hear it. This is one of my all-time favorite songs. Great song, you can really dance to it. This song makes my back burn”