Great Songs from My Favorite Year in Music: 1985, Part 8

The Cult - "She Sells Sanctuary"



(Single Release: May 1985)
In the mid to late 80s and early 90s, there seemed to be a wealth of bands that found success by making a musical stew out of disparate influences. The Cult was certainly one of them. I was and am a big Cult fan. I loved everything about them: the biker meets hippie meets Warhol's Factory fashion sense, the anthemic guitar arrangements, Ian Astbury's gritty, yet melodious voice, and even their album cover aesthetics. Pretty much up until the release of "She Sells Sanctuary," and its parent album, Love, The Cult (nee the Southern Death Cult), was mostly known as a goth band. This song and album changed their direction, incorporating a bit of metal in their goth, a little pop in their drone, and a swagger in their shuffle. Their next album, Electric, would make the band worldwide superstars and would become half of the soundtrack for the summer of 1987, along with Guns n' Roses' Appetite for Destruction.