The Cult are an English rock band formed in 1983 in Bradford, West Yorkshir… Read Full Bio ↴The Cult are an English rock band formed in 1983 in Bradford, West Yorkshire. 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". Since its initial formation in 1983, the band have had various line-ups; the longest-serving members are Astbury and guitarist Billy Duffy, who are also the band's two songwriters.

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.

Hollowman
The Cult Lyrics

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It's so nice to get away, get away for a day
I see a hollow man, gun in hand, gun in hand, it points my way
You know, he follows me everywhere and everyday, I gotta get away
I won't miss him if he goes away and stays away, yeah, yeah

He's just a hunter for the devil
Hollow man
Hollow man

Hollow man

He's just a hunter for the devil
Hollow man
Hollow man
Hollow man

You see, it's so nice to get away, get away for a day
I see a hollow man, gun in hand, gun in hand, it points my way, oh
You know, he follows me everywhere and everyday, I gotta get away
I won't miss him if he goes away and stays away, oh yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah

He's just a hunter for the devil
Hollow man
Hollow man
Hollow man

He's just a hunter for the devil
Hollow man
Hollow man
Hollow man

Yeah, yeah
Yeah, yeah, yeah
Yeah, yeah

Yeah, yeah
Yeah, yeah, yeah

Yeah, yeah
Yeah, yeah, yeah

Yeah, yeah
Yeah, yeah, yeah

Yeah, yeah
Yeah, yeah, yeah

Yeah, yeah
Yeah, yeah, yeah

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to The Cult's song "Hollowman" speak of someone who longs to escape their daily life and the feeling of being followed by a "hollow man" with a gun in his hand. The singer sees the hollow man everywhere they go and wishes to be free of his presence. The repeated lyric of "he's just a hunter for the devil" suggests that the hollow man is a dangerous presence, possibly a metaphor for addiction, mental illness, or some other destructive force in the singer's life.

The chorus of "Hollowman" is a chant-like repetition of the phrase "hollow man" over and over, creating an eerie and unsettling feeling that mirrors the singer's fear and paranoia. The lyrics are simple and repetitive, emphasizing the singular focus of the singer's desire to escape the hollow man's influence. The repeated lines of "get away for a day" suggest that the singer is seeking a temporary reprieve from the hollow man, but the fear of his presence lingers.

The Cult's "Hollowman" is a haunting and powerful song that speaks to the struggle of escaping destructive forces in our lives. It is a reminder that sometimes the things that haunt us don't go away easily and require constant vigilance to keep at bay.

Line by Line Meaning

It's so nice to get away, get away for a day
I relish the chance to escape from everyday life, if only for a brief time

I see a hollow man, gun in hand, gun in hand, it points my way
I envision a desperate, empty figure armed and aimed at me, intensifying the need for escape

You know, he follows me everywhere and everyday, I gotta get away
This phantom presence is a constant burden, creating a pressing need to flee

I won't miss him if he goes away and stays away, yeah, yeah
I would breathe easier if this troubled soul were no longer a part of my life

He's just a hunter for the devil
He's a pawn of evil, hunting and doing the bidding of the devil

Hollow man
A shell of a person, devoid of true life and substance

Hollow man
Echoing the sentiment of the previous line

Hollow man
Reiterating the idea of an empty, dangerous figure

Yeah, yeah
Emphasizing the previous lines

Yeah, yeah, yeah
Further emphasizing the previous lines

Yeah, yeah
Repeating the previous emphasis

Yeah, yeah, yeah
Repeating the previous emphasis

Yeah, yeah
Repeating the previous emphasis

Yeah, yeah, yeah
Repeating the previous emphasis