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Cover of Electric by The Cult
Cover: Electric

Song · The Cult

“Love Removal Machine” by The Cult

From the album Electric (1987)

“Love Removal Machine” by The Cult appears on 50 radio countdowns from 17 stations between 1987 and 2026. It was first released in 1987 on the album Electric. Its best result is #13 on the KROQ Flashback 500 (Memorial Day 1989). In the combined RockLists rankings it is the #35 alternative song of 1987, #348 alternative song of all time and #271 of the '80s.

50countdowns
17stations
#13best position
0#1 finishes
0top 10 finishes
1987–2026years charted

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Love Removal Machine

Video from YouTube (The Cult - Topic). Pressing play loads YouTube's player. Watch on YouTube

"Love Removal Machine" was the first single from Electric, the Cult's 1987 album, and it's the sound of a band that decided rock and roll needed no decoration at all. It took the long road to get there: first cut for a radio session, then reworked with a different arrangement for a planned third album called Peace. When Peace was shelved, the Cult recorded it again for Electric, the album that replaced it. Rick Rubin produced, with George Drakoulias assisting, and Andy Wallace engineered and mixed.

Billy Duffy's riff struts so hard that people have compared it to the Rolling Stones' 1981 hit "Start Me Up", and he plays it with a grin. Ian Astbury wrote the words, howls them and shakes a tambourine, while Jamie Stewart on bass and Les Warner on drums keep it lean and mean. An extended remix went out on the 12-inch single.

VH1 later ranked it No. 74 among the greatest hard rock songs of all time.

Written with AI assistance from RockLists chart data, MusicBrainz and Wikipedia.

RockLists rankings

Alternative & Modern Rock

Indie & Adult Alternative

Classic Rock

Hard Rock & Metal

All Rock Formats

Year-end countdowns

Year#StationCountdownof
1987 34 KROQ Los Angeles, CA KROQ Top 106.7 Songs of 1987 107
1987 23 91X San Diego, CA / Tijuana 91X Top 91 Songs of 1987 91
1987 84 WLIR / WDRE Long Island, NY WLIR Top 100 Songs of 1987 99

All-time and decade countdowns

Year#StationCountdownof
1988 110 KROQ KROQ Flashback 500 (Memorial Day 1988) 496
1989 13 KROQ KROQ Flashback 500 (Memorial Day 1989) 495
1989 111 WOXY 97X WOXY Modern Rock 500 (1989) 500
1990 624 Z-Rock Z-Rock Top 1001 Songs of All-Time (1990) 1000
1991 254 Live 105 Live 105 Top 300 Songs of All-Time (Memorial Day 1991) 302
1991 96 WOXY 97X WOXY Modern Rock 500 (1991) 500
1991 258 CFNY 102.1 The Edge CFNY Top 1002 Songs of All-Time (1991 Edition) 1002
1992 161 KROQ KROQ Flashback 500 (Memorial Day 1992) 500
1994 162 KROQ KROQ Flashback 500 (Memorial Day 1994) 497
1994 274 Live 105 Live 105 Revolutionary 500 (July 1994) 500
1994 146 WOXY 97X WOXY Modern Rock 500 (1994) 500
1994 748 KISW KISW Top 1000 of All Time (1994) 1000
1995 241 KROQ KROQ Flashback 500 (Memorial Day 1995) 500
1995 593 KISW KISW Top 1000 of All Time (1995) 1000
1996 235 KROQ KROQ Flashback 500 (Memorial Day 1996) 500
1996 160 WOXY 97X WOXY Modern Rock 500 (1996) 498
1996 289 KISW KISW Top 1000 of All Time (1996) 1000
1998 120 KROQ KROQ Flashback 500 (Memorial Day 1998) 488
1998 305 KISW KISW Top 1000 of All Time (1998) 1000
1999 254 WLIR / WDRE WLIR Top 300 Songs of All-Time (December 1999) 300
1999 247 WFNX WFNX Top 500 Songs of All-Time (June 1999) 500
1999 376 107.7 The End The End Top 1077 Songs of All-Time (December 1999) 1077
1999 341 WOXY 97X WOXY Modern Rock 500 (1999) 500
1999 40 CFNY 102.1 The Edge CFNY Top 1002 Songs of All-Time (November 1999) 1002
1999 225 KISW KISW Top 1000 of All Time (1999) 998
2000 386 WOXY 97X WOXY Modern Rock 500 (2000) 500
2001 387 WOXY 97X WOXY Modern Rock 500 (2001) 498
2002 405 WOXY 97X WOXY Modern Rock 500 (2002) 500
2002 240 KISW KISW Top 999 of All Time (2002) 999
2002 64 Fred (XM 44) Fred XM Top 2002 Songs of All-Time (July 2002) 2002
2003 1889 CD101 CD101 Top 2004 Songs of All-Time (December 2003) 2004
2003 41 Fred (XM 44) Fred XM Top 2044 Songs of All-Time (July 2003) 2044
2004 212 Q101 Q101 Top 300 Party Songs of All-Time (July 2004) 300
2004 401 107.7 The End The End Original Alternative 500 (May 2004) 500
2004 1889 CD101 CD101 Top 2005 Songs of All-Time (December 2004) 2005
2005 1877 CD101 CD101 Top 2006 Songs of All-Time (December 2005) 1994
2005 430 99X 99X Freedom of Choice 1000 (2005) 1000
2007 459 CD101 CD101 Top 2008 Songs of All-Time (December 2007) 2008
2008 447 CD101 CD101 Top 2009 Songs of All-Time (December 2008) 2009
2009 445 CD101 CD101 Top 2010 Songs of All-Time (December 2009) 2010
2010 455 CD101 CD101 Top 2011 Songs of All-Time (December 2010) 2011
2011 464 CD101 CD101 Top 2012 Songs of All-Time (December 2011) 2011
2013 479 CD101 CD101 Top 2013 Songs of All-Time (December 2013) 2012
2014 492 CD101 CD101 Top 2014 Songs of All-Time (2014) 2013
2022 408 99.1 PLR 99.1 PLR Big 500 (2022) 500
2023 299 The Colorado Sound The Colorado Sound Top 850 Songs of the 1980s 850
2026 372 WFPK WFPK Top 500 Songs of the '80s 498

Charting alongside it in 1987

Best songs of 1987 →
  1. 1Girlfriend in a ComaThe Smiths
  2. 2With or Without YouU2
  3. 3Dear GodXTC
  4. 4Why Can't I Be You?The Cure
  5. 5StrangeloveDepeche Mode
  6. 6Lips Like SugarEcho and the Bunnymen

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