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.
Sweet Salvation
The Cult Lyrics
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No harm will come between us
Oh beautiful, radiant child
Eyes azure, vow to me
Your golden heart
Ooh, she moves in silence
Then whispers to me
Sweet salvation, baby
Melts my heart made of stone
Please guide me and carry me on
Sweet salvation is
For this man made of stone
Please hold me and embrace my soul
Seduced by your glance
Overwhelmed and enchanted by you, baby
Well, when the loving is good
Do you feel strong now?
You know past lives, they don't matter anyhow
Oh, she moves in silence
Then she whispers to me
Sets my soul harp on fire
Sweet salvation, baby
Melts my heart made of stone
Please guide me and carry me on, yeah
Sweet salvation is
For this man made of stone
Please hold me and embrace my soul
Sweet salvation, baby
Melts my heart made of stone
Please guide me and carry me on
Sweet salvation is
For this man made of stone
Please hold me and embrace my soul
Oh...
Yeah...
Oh...
Sweet salvation, baby
Melts my heart made of stone
Please guide me and carry me
Sweet salvation
You make me feel strong now, baby, yeah
You make me feel like the king of the world
The Cult's song Sweet Salvation is a love song, which uses religious imagery and language to describe the transformative power of love. The opening lines "Oh, ask the dust, no harm will come between us" suggest the couple in question has a sense of unity and connection that will protect them from any outside forces that come their way. The singer then describes the person they love as a "beautiful, radiant child" with "azure eyes," using religious imagery to describe their purity and innocence. The next lines, "Your golden heart, ooh she moves in silence, then whispers to me, sets my soul harp on fire," suggest that this person's quiet, gentle ways have a powerful and transformative effect on the singer's soul, igniting passion and creativity within them.
The chorus, "Sweet salvation, baby, melts my heart made of stone, please guide me and carry me on," implies that the singer's heart was once hardened and closed off to love, but the person they're singing to has melted their defenses and brought them to a place of healing and renewal. The repetition of the phrase "sweet salvation" emphasizes the idea that this love is more than just a passing fancy; it has the power to heal and transform.
In the second verse, the singer describes feeling "seduced" and "enchanted" by the person in question, suggesting a sense of danger and risk that makes the love even more exciting and powerful. They also suggest that the past doesn't matter in the context of their love; all that matters is the present and the transformative power of their connection. The song ends with the repetition of the chorus, emphasizing that this love has given the singer a new sense of strength and purpose.
Line by Line Meaning
Oh, ask the dust
Looking into the void with hope and optimism, believing that one's desires will be fulfilled
No harm will come between us
A promise of a positive, loving relationship
Oh beautiful, radiant child
Addressing an innocent, pure-hearted lover
Eyes azure, vow to me
Asking for a commitment and devotion from a beloved with blue eyes
Your golden heart
Referencing someone's kind and caring nature
Ooh, she moves in silence
Describing a lover's elegant and subtle movements
Then whispers to me
Communicating love and desire in a soft, intimate way
Sets my soul harp on fire
Elevating emotions to a passionate and intense level
Sweet salvation, baby
Finding redemption and peace in a lover's arms
Melts my heart made of stone
Breaking down emotional walls and becoming vulnerable
Please guide me and carry me on
Asking for support and partnership in difficult times
For this man made of stone
Describing oneself as emotionally hardened and guarded
Please hold me and embrace my soul
Yearning for physical and emotional closeness and intimacy
Seduced by your glance
Feeling captivated and entranced by a lover's eyes
Overwhelmed and enchanted by you, baby
Expressing intense admiration and affection for a partner
Well, when the loving is good
Reflecting on how a relationship is stronger when love and intimacy are present
Do you feel strong now?
Asking a partner if they feel empowered and fulfilled by the relationship
You know past lives, they don't matter anyhow
Emphasizing the importance of living in the present and focusing on the current relationship
Oh...
A vocalization of intense emotion or sensation
Yeah...
An affirmation or agreement
You make me feel strong now, baby, yeah
Acknowledging the positive impact a partner has on one's life
You make me feel like the king of the world
Feeling powerful and confident due to a partner's love and support
Lyrics © Round Hill Music Big Loud Songs, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: IAN ROBERT ASTBURY, WILLIAM DUFFY, WILLIAM HENRY DUFFY
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind