The Cult's debut studio album Dreamtime was released in 1984 to moderate success, with its lead single "Spiritwalker" reaching No. 1 on the UK Indie Chart. Their second studio album, Love (1985), was also successful, charting at No. 4 in the UK and including singles such as "She Sells Sanctuary" and "Rain". The band's third album, Electric (1987), launched them new heights of success, also peaking at No. 4 in the UK and charting highly in other territories, and spawned the hit singles "Love Removal Machine", "Lil' Devil" and "Wild Flower". On that album, The Cult supplemented their post-punk sound with hard rock; the polish on this new sound was facilitated by producer Rick Rubin. After moving to Los Angeles, California, where the band has been based for the remainder of their career, The Cult continued the musical experimentation of Electric with its follow-up album Sonic Temple (1989), which marked their first collaboration with Bob Rock, who would produce several of the band's subsequent albums. Sonic Temple was their most successful album to that point, entering the Top 10 on the UK and US charts, and included one of the band's most popular songs "Fire Woman".
By the time of their fifth album Ceremony (1991), tensions and creative differences began to surface among the band members. This resulted in the recording sessions for Ceremony being held without a stable lineup, leaving Astbury and Duffy as the only two official members left, and featuring support from session musicians on bass and drums. The ongoing tension had carried over within the next four years, during which they released one more studio album, The Cult (1994), and called it quits in 1995. The Cult reformed in 1999 and released their seventh album Beyond Good and Evil two years later. The commercial failure of the album and resurfaced tensions led to the band going back on hiatus in 2002. They resumed activity in 2006, and have since released three more studio albums: Born into This (2007), Choice of Weapon (2012), and Hidden City (2016).
According to music critic Stephen Thomas Erlewine, the band fuse a "hardcore punk revivalist" sound with the "pseudo-mysticism ... of the Doors and Uriah Heep and the guitar-orchestrations of Led Zeppelin and The Cure ... while adding touches of post-punk goth rock". In 1985 Astbury said, "Our music is just melodies and guitars. We're like Big Country and U2, only better!".
On August 15, 2020, Duffy announced on his Twitter that the band were recording a new album with producer Tom Dalgety at Rockfield Studios, where The Cult had recorded their debut album Dreamtime 36 years earlier.
The Cult is also the name of a Las Vegas funk group that recorded one album in 1976, an Australian psych rock band that released one single in 1965, a UK punk band that released one 7" in 1980 and a garage rock band (featuring Allan Springfield of Chelsea Beige) that released two singles in 1965 and 1966.
Heart of Soul
The Cult Lyrics
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Los Angeles and Paris too
I drank a river In my time
Just to get on through yeah
Well the night rise above you, rise above me
And the blues they swirl around me
You gotta bleed a little while you sing
Less the words don't mean no thing
Get to the heart of soul
Gotta get to the heart of soul, yeah
Get to the hip now baby
'Fore the hip get to you, lil' woman
Try to bend me out of shape
Can't tell me what to do, a lil' honey
Well the night it rise above me yeah
And those blues they swirl around me
To the heart of soul
You gotta bleed a little while you sing
Lest the words don't mean no thing
Get to the heart of soul
Gotta get to the heart of soul, yeah
You gotta bleed a little while you sing
Lest the words don't mean no thing
Get to the heart of soul
Baby heart of soul, ow
From the delta
Down on the river
We need some heart of soul
In the world today now
A lil' bit of heart of soul now
In the world today
A lil' bit of heart of soul now
A lil' heart of so so so so soul
(You gotta bleed a while your singin')
Lest the words don't mean nothin', no they don't, no
Get to the heart of soul, yea
Ow, baby, heart of soul
(You gotta bleed lil' a while your singin')
Lest the words don't mean nothin', no they don't, no
Get to the heart of soul
The song "Heart of Soul" by The Cult is all about finding your innermost self, your soul. The lyrics talk about the struggles of life in cities such as London, Los Angeles, and Paris. The singer talks about drinking a river in his time, which could mean drowning in problems and obstacles. But, as he sings the song, he is drawn towards the heart of his soul, which is the part of him that keeps him going. The lyrics encourage the listener to bleed a little while singing or to pour their emotions out through music so that the words mean something.
The night rises above the singer, and the blues swirl around, which could mean that he finds solace in the darkness and the melancholy of blues music. However, the song is upbeat and funky, with a catchy hip-hop mixed with rock beat, which gives hope and energy to the listener. The song encourages the listener to find their heart of soul before they are too late and to embrace their emotions and bleed a little.
Overall, "Heart of Soul" is about finding one's innermost self, the soul, through music, emotions, and facing the struggles of life. It encourages the listener to embrace their emotions, to pour them out through music, and to find strength and hope through the heart of their soul.
Line by Line Meaning
Down and out in London
I have hit rock bottom in different parts of the world
Los Angeles and Paris too
Even in affluent places, I have experienced difficult times
I drank a river In my time
I have gone through a lot of difficulties and hardships in life
Just to get on through yeah
I did everything in my power to survive and get through tough times
Well the night rise above you, rise above me
Even in the darkest of times, we must rise above and overcome our struggles
And the blues they swirl around me
I am surrounded by sadness and negativity
To the heart of soul
We must dig deep down to reach the essence of our being
You gotta bleed a little while you sing
To truly express ourselves, we must put our heart and soul into it, even if it hurts
Less the words don't mean no thing
If we don't pour our emotions into our words, they become meaningless
Get to the heart of soul
Find the true essence of your being
Gotta get to the heart of soul, yeah
It is necessary to discover our true self in order to live a meaningful life
Get to the hip now baby
Now it's time to get into the groove
'Fore the hip get to you, lil' woman
Don't be left behind, get into the beat, young lady
Try to bend me out of shape
I won't be controlled by anyone else's expectations
Can't tell me what to do, a lil' honey
I am my own person and won't be bossed around
From the delta
From the deep south of the United States
Down on the river
Near the riverbank
We need some heart of soul
The world needs more people to truly discover their inner self
In the world today now
In our modern society
A lil' bit of heart of soul now
We need some people who are truly in tune with their inner self
(You gotta bleed a while your singin')
In order to truly express ourselves, we must put our whole being into it, even if it's painful
Lest the words don't mean nothin', no they don't, no
Without true emotions, words become meaningless
Ow, baby, heart of soul
We must discover our true inner self to live a fulfilling life
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: IAN ROBERT ASTBURY, WILLIAM HENRY DUFFY
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
cheshire cat
Unlike most of their contemporaries, The Cult's music aged gracefully and still holds up to date. These guys are alive and kicking
Boss
I think alive and kicking is the simple minds
Deedee 60
Ian is a great singer and Billy Duffy's a brilliant guitarist! Long live The Cult!
Big MT
*studio singer
Rick Johnson
And Jamie Stewart is a kick ass bass player
Deedee 60
@Rick Johnson Indeed!
Emiliano Sena
Ian has one of greatest voices ever
GrowingDownUnder
wish he made a song with danzig back in the days
Javier Subiran
It was....till he lose that treasure.
Daniel Kelley (The Wand'ring Mage)
If Jim Morrison decided to answer the call of Glam Rock.