The Cult - She Sells Sanctuary

New wave's answer to AC/DC, The Cult's LPs were maddeningly inconsistent, but their best work (and there tended to be one or two songs per album) was incredibly strong.  "She Sells Sanctuary" was the song that really launched them, from the 1985 album Love.  The song actually predates the album, and there are at least 8 versions/mixes of the song that have been released to date.

The sound of the song came about quite by accident, as guitarist Billy Duffy was goofing off with a violin bow in the recording studio, hitting lots of pedals, when the producer (Steve Brown) started yelling through the intercom, "Hold it, hold it, that's great!"  The band re-worked some of the riffs, and the result is below.

We have always had a soft spot for "She Sells Sanctuary," as it is a real oddity -- an atmospheric hard rock song.  The video captures some of the quirky nature of the band, with lead singer Ian Astbury channeling his inner Mick Jagger/Stevie Nicks as the band rocks out.

The Cult's video for "Rain" was posted on ERV in September, 2015, and "Lil' Devil" was posted in May, 2021.