"I'm a Cult Hero" is a single released by an extended lineup of

the Cure The Cure are an English Rock music, rock band formed in 1978 in Crawley, Crawley, West Sussex. Throughout numerous lineup changes since the band's formation, guitarist, lead vocalist, and songwriter Robert Smith (musician), Robert Smith has re ...

under the name Cult Hero.

History

The single was conceived by Robert Smith (singer/guitarist of the Cure) and

Simon Gallup Simon Jonathon Gallup (born 1 June 1960) is an English musician and bassist with the alternative rock band The Cure. He is the second longest-serving member of the band after lead vocalist/guitarist Robert Smith. Early years Born in Duxhurst ...

(then bassist of the Magspies) as a way to test their musical compatibility. Smith was considering Gallup as a prospective replacement for

Michael Dempsey Michael Stephen Dempsey (born 29 November 1958) is an English musician and composer, who has played bass as a member of several post-punk and new wave bands, including the Cure and the Associates. History Early years Dempsey was born on 29 ...

(the Cure's bassist at the time), "whose personality and ambitions for the band were seriously at odds" with those of Smith.''

Seventeen Seconds ''Seventeen Seconds'' is the second studio album by English rock band the Cure, released on 18 April 1980 by Fiction Records. The album marked the first time frontman Robert Smith co-produced with Mike Hedges. After the departure of original ba ...

Deluxe Edition'' liner notes. The songs were written for, and feature on vocals, local

Horley Horley is a town in the borough of Reigate and Banstead in Surrey, England, south of the towns of Reigate and Redhill. The county border with West Sussex is to the south with Crawley and Gatwick Airport close to the town. It has its own eco ...

postman Frank Bell, who is also depicted on the single's artwork. They also feature Malice/

Easy Cure The Cure are an English Rock music, rock band formed in 1978 in Crawley, Crawley, West Sussex. Throughout numerous lineup changes since the band's formation, guitarist, lead vocalist, and songwriter Robert Smith (musician), Robert Smith has re ...

guitarist

Porl Thompson Pearl Thompson (born 8 November 1957 as Paul Stephen ThompsonChris Gerrard (2021)The Cure FAQ: All That’s Left to Know About the Most Heartbreakingly Excellent Rock Band the World Has Ever Known. Backbeat, ISBN 9781493053988, p. 155) is an E ...

and Magspies keyboardist

Matthieu Hartley Matthieu Hartley (born 4 February 1960) is an English musician born in Smallfield, England. He is best known for as the original keyboardist for The Cure. Before then he was in Lockjaw and The Magazine Spies and was in several bands after leavi ...

amongst an extended lineup of friends and family, including Robert's sisters Janet and Margaret and local band the Obtainers.

After Cult Hero

Following the recording of the single in 1979, Gallup left the Magspies and joined the Cure, replacing Dempsey. At the same time, Matthieu Hartley also left the Magspies and joined the Cure as the group's first keyboardist. Hartley ultimately left the Cure in 1980, after only one album, ''

,'' and its subsequent tour. Gallup also left the Cure in 1982, but then rejoined the band in 1984 and remains a member to the present day. Porl Thompson also rejoined the Cure between 1983 and 1992, and then again from 2005 to 2011.

Releases

"I'm a Cult Hero" was originally released in December 1979 in the UK with the song "I Dig You" on the B-side. Upon release in 1980 in

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

, and in 1981 in

New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...

, the tracks were flipped, with "I Dig You" as the A-side. The track "I'm a Cult Hero" was also included in the

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

compilation album A compilation album comprises Album#Tracks, tracks, which may be previously released or unreleased, usually from several separate recordings by either one or several Performing arts#Performers, performers. If by one artist, then generally the tr ...

''Britannia Waives the Rules'' in 1981. Both tracks are included in their original order in the 2005 deluxe edition of ''Seventeen Seconds''. Also included are previously unreleased live recordings of both tracks, but in reverse order.

Track listing

(Both tracks written by Robert Smith) ;UK single #"I'm a Cult Hero" – 3:00 #"I Dig You" – 3:24 ;Canadian/New Zealand single #"I Dig You" – 3:24 #"I'm a Cult Hero" – 3:00

Personnel

*Frank Bell –

vocals Singing is the act of creating musical sounds with the voice. A person who sings is called a singer, artist or vocalist (in jazz and/or popular music). Singers perform music (arias, recitatives, songs, etc.) that can be sung with or without ...

* Robert Smith –

guitar The guitar is a fretted musical instrument that typically has six strings. It is usually held flat against the player's body and played by strumming or plucking the strings with the dominant hand, while simultaneously pressing selected stri ...

– guitar *

– bass *

Lol Tolhurst Laurence Andrew "Lol" Tolhurst (born 3 February 1959) is a founding member and the former drummer and keyboardist of English band The Cure - he left the Cure in 1989 and was later involved in the band Presence and his current project, Levinhurs ...

–

drums A drum kit (also called a drum set, trap set, or simply drums) is a collection of drums, cymbals, and other Percussion instrument, auxiliary percussion instruments set up to be played by one person. The player (drummer) typically holds a pair o ...

–

keyboard Keyboard may refer to: Text input * Keyboard, part of a typewriter * Computer keyboard ** Keyboard layout, the software control of computer keyboards and their mapping ** Keyboard technology, computer keyboard hardware and firmware Music * Musi ...

– keyboard *Janet Smith – keyboard *Margaret Smith – backing vocals *The Obtainers – backing vocals

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:I'm A Cult Hero The Cure songs 1979 singles Songs written by Robert Smith (musician) 1979 songs Fiction Records singles