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.
The River
The Cult Lyrics
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Unto this pagan hole
Where nothing is real
A place so pure as gold
She runs deep and strong
Twisting like a snake
A thousand miles long
A terror like a storm
(...?) jangled tears
The shadows hold me near
Burn down the dawn
(...?)
Deep inside my heart i can feel he is near me
Cold sweat drips down
Illusion and fear
On the river, on the river
Gunshot
River demon
Hands of love hands of treason
( ... ??? ... )
On the river, on the river
Turnaround, turnaround yeah turnaround
Beating the darkside, yeah
The darkside
Turnaround darkside yeah turnaound
Beating the darkside ...
I have travelled far
Unto this pagan hole
Where nothing is real
A place so pure as gold
Deep inside my heart
I can feel he is near me
Cold sweat drips down
Illusion and fear
On the river ...
The Cult's song "The River" is a track that appears on their 1987 album "Electric." The song is an introspective journey about traveling to a pagan place, where nothing is real. The lyrics describe a constant threat, a terror like a storm, representing the river's raw and powerful nature. The singer's emotions are tense and fragmented, as they are dealing with an illusion and fear. Despite it all, the singer believes that there is someone near them, deep down in their heart.
The song creates an eerie feeling in the listener, reflecting the danger and mystery of the river's unknown depths. The line about "burn down the dawn" seems to hold significance, representing the end of a journey or the arrival at the destination. The river is viewed as a purifying force, but it also holds many secrets, with the demons and treacherous hands of love and treason.
In conclusion, "The River" is a multilayered song that explores themes of fear, illusion, and the unknown. Its powerful imagery draws the listener in and creates a world that's both terrifying and captivating, all wrapped up in a haunting melody.
Line by Line Meaning
I have travelled far
After traveling for a long time, I have come to a place that is strange and different from what I'm used to.
Unto this pagan hole
Here, in this place, everything is unknown and mysterious.
Where nothing is real
I feel like everything around me is fake and temporary.
A place so pure as gold
Despite the feeling of everything being fake, this place has a certain pristine beauty to it.
She runs deep and strong
The river I see is powerful and has a certain charm to it.
Twisting like a snake
This river has a meandering path and a lot of curves like a serpent.
A thousand miles long
This river is very long and has been around for many years.
A terror like a storm
The feeling and emotion of the strong current of the river is altogether nerve-racking.
On the river, on the river
This whole song talks about the river that the singer came across and how it makes him feel a certain way.
(…?) jangled tears
The singer's emotions are jumbled up and he feels like crying.
The shadows hold me near
The surroundings are dark and it feels like the shadows are enveloping him.
Burn down the dawn
He wants to destroy the darkness and brighten the surroundings.
(...?)
This line is unclear and open to interpretation.
Deep inside my heart I can feel he is near me
He feels a strong presence within him and is sure that something or someone is watching him.
Cold sweat drips down
He is sweating profusely despite feeling cold and shivering.
Illusion and fear
The singer is unsure of the illusions that surround him and feels very scared because of them.
Gunshot
A sudden sound of a gunshot is heard.
River demon
Perhaps a metaphor to describe the strong current of the river.
Hands of love hands of treason
People around the singer are either genuine or can't be trusted.
(...?)
This line is unclear and open to interpretation.
Turnaround, turnaround yeah turnaround
The singer wants to turn back and reverse his journey.
Beating the darkside, yeah
Despite the darkness around him, the singer is trying to overcome it.
The darkside
The surrounding area is dark and scary.
Turnaround darkside yeah turnaround
The singer is determined to reverse his journey from this scary place.
Beating the darkside ...
Despite the difficulties, the singer will try his best to come out of this scary place unscathed.
Contributed by Ian L. Suggest a correction in the comments below.