“Bob Rock said, ‘Don’t worry, I’m gonna help you become a guitar hero.’ And he did!” Billy Duffy on how The Cult made their most challenging hit single

MILTON KEYNES, ENGLAND - JUNE 22: (EDITORIAL USE ONLY) Billy Duffy of Death Cult performs during Forever Now Festival at The National Bowl on June 22, 2025 in Milton Keynes, England. (Photo by Lorne Thomson/Redferns).

Truth be told, The Cult’s Billy Duffy doesn’t have a clear memory of how Fire Woman, the band’s 1989 hit from their mega album, Sonic Temple, came to be. “Sounds crazy, but it’s a total blank!” he admits.

What he does remember is that producer Bob Rock – who’d go on to work with Metallica, Bon Jovi, Blue Murder and Mötley Crüe – told him he’d make him a guitar hero through the track.