Synopsis
The Cult perform "Wild Flower" in a hot, high-contrast rock setting, with Ian Astbury commanding the frame and Billy Duffy driving the song's central guitar attack. Intercut with the band's performance are images of women in lingerie and swimsuits, presented as stylized visual counterparts to the song's sensual, untamed imagery. The clip favors attitude, movement, and quick-cut glamour over a conventional storyline, capturing the swaggering hard-rock identity The Cult embraced during the Electric era.
Factoids & Trivia
- "Wild Flower" was released as the third single from The Cult's 1987 album Electric. The song was written by Ian Astbury and Billy Duffy.
- The video received its UK television premiere on July 27, 1987.
- The clip features the five-piece lineup used for the promotion of "Wild Flower": Astbury, Duffy, Jamie Stewart, Les Warner, and Kid Chaos.
- Jamie Stewart appears on guitar in the video, although he played bass on the Electric recording and later returned to bass for the band's touring lineup.
- "Wild Flower" was added to MTV programming in August 1987 and was listed as a breakout video in Billboard's video reports.
- The song opens Electric and reflects Rick Rubin's stripped-down production approach: a tightly repeated guitar riff, forceful drums, prominent bass, and Astbury's unusually controlled, purring vocal delivery.
- The single was issued in several versions, including an extended rock mix and a dub mix, giving the song a stronger connection to the remix culture of late-1980s rock promotion.