The band has featured international personnel throughout its career and presently consists of Cave, violinist and multi-instrumentalist Warren Ellis, bassist Martyn P. Casey (all from Australia), guitarist George Vjestica (United Kingdom), keyboardist/percussionist Toby Dammit (United States) and drummers Thomas Wydler (Switzerland) and Jim Sclavunos (United States). The band has released sixteen studio albums and completed numerous international tours, and has been considered "one of the most original and celebrated bands of the post-punk and alternative rock eras in the '80s and onward".
The band was founded in 1983 following the demise of Cave and Harvey's former group the Birthday Party, the members of which met at a boarding school in Victoria. By the release of their fifth studio album Tender Prey in 1988, they shifted from post-punk towards an experimental alternative rock sound, later incorporating various influences throughout their career. For example, the 2008 album Dig, Lazarus, Dig!!! and the side-project Grinderman were strongly influenced by garage rock. Synthesizers and minimal guitar work feature prominently on Push the Sky Away (2013), recorded after Harvey's departure from the band in 2009.
The project that would later evolve into Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds began following the demise of The Birthday Party in August 1983. Both Cave and Harvey were members of the Birthday Party, along with guitarist Rowland S. Howard and bassist Tracy Pew. During the recording sessions of the Birthday Party's scheduled EPs Mutiny/The Bad Seed, internal disputes developed in the band. The difference in Cave and Howard's approach to songwriting was a major factor, as Cave explained in an interview with On The Street: "the main reason why The Birthday Party broke up was that the sort of songs that I was writing and the sort of songs that Rowland was writing were just totally at odds with each other." Following the departure of Harvey, they officially disbanded. Cave also said that "it probably would have gone on longer, but Mick has the ability to judge things much more clearly than the rest of us."[8]
Cave and guitarist Kid Congo Powers during the band's 1986 tour.
An embryonic version of what would later become Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds was formed in the Birthday Party's then-home of London in September 1983, with Cave, Harvey (acting primarily as drummer), Einstürzende Neubauten guitarist Bargeld, Magazine bassist Barry Adamson, and Jim G. Thirlwell. The band was initially formed as a backing band for Cave's intended solo project Man Or Myth?, which had been approved by the record label Mute Records. During September and October 1983, they recorded material with producer Flood,[9] although the sessions were cut short due to Cave's touring with the Immaculate Consumptive, another project formed with Thirlwell, Lydia Lunch and Marc Almond.[10] In December 1983 Cave returned to Melbourne, Australia, where he formed a temporary line-up of his backing band, due to Bargeld's absence, that included Pew and guitarist Hugo Race. The band performed their first live show at Seaview in St. Kilda on 31 December 1983.
Following a short Australian tour, and during a period when they were without management, Cave and his band returned to London. Cave, Harvey, Bargeld, Race and Adamson formed the project's first consistent line-up, while Cave's longtime girlfriend Anita Lane was credited as a lyricist on the band's debut album.[citation needed] The group, which up to this time had been nameless, adopted the moniker Nick Cave and the Cavemen, which they used for the first six months of their career. However, they were later renamed Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds in May 1984, in reference to the final Birthday Party EP The Bad Seed.[citation needed] They began recording sessions for their debut album in March 1984 at London's Trident Studios and these sessions, together with the abandoned Man Or Myth? sessions from September–October 1983 that were recorded at The Garden studios, formed the album From Her to Eternity, released on Mute Records in 1984.
As I Sat Sadly By Her Side
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
At the window, through the glass
She stroked a kitten in her lap
And we watched the world as it fell past
Softly she spoke these words to me
And with brand new eyes, open wide
We pressed our faces to the glass
As I sat sadly by her side
She said, "Father, mother, sister, brother
Uncle, aunt, nephew, niece
Soldier, sailor, physician, labourer
Actor, scientist, mechanic, priest
Earth and moon and sun and stars
Planets and comets with tails blazing
All are there forever falling
Falling lovely and amazing"
Then she smiled and turned to me
And waited for me to reply
Her hair was falling down her shoulders
As I sat sadly by her side
As I sat sadly by her side
The kitten she did gently pass
Over to me and again we pressed
Our indifferent faces to the glass
"That may be very well", I said
"But watch the one falling in the street
See him gesture to his neighbours
See him trampled beneath their feet
All outward motion connects to nothing
For each is concerned with their immediate need
Witness the man reaching up from the gutter
See the other one stumbling on who can not see"
With trembling hand I turned toward her
And pushed the hair out of her eyes
The kitten jumped back to her lap
As I sat sadly by her side
Then she drew the curtains down
And said, "When will you ever learn
That what happens there beyond the glass
Is simply none of your concern?
God has given you but one heart
You are not a home for the hearts of your brothers
And God don't care for your benevolence
Anymore than he cares for the lack of it in others
Nor does he care for you to sit
At windows in judgement of the world He created
While sorrows pile up around you
Ugly, useless and over-inflated"
At which she turned her head away
Great tears leaping from her eyes
I could not wipe the smile from my face
As I sat sadly by her side
As I sat sadly by her side
As I sat sadly by her side
As I sat sadly by her side
The lyrics of "As I Sat Sadly By Her Side" by Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds tell a conversation between two people looking out the window as the world goes by. The singer, sitting next to a woman, is sad and mournful, while the woman is seemingly calm and tranquil, stroking a kitten in her lap. As they watch the world through the glass, the woman begins to speak softly and dramatically about the people and things that make up the world. She mentions everyone from family members to scientists, stars, and planets, emphasizing the beauty and wonder of everything around them 'falling lovely and amazing.'
The singer, however, responds with a critique of what he sees outside, pointing to a man in the street who is being trampled by others, highlighting the harsh realities of the world. The woman, in turn, chastises the singer's judgmental attitude and lack of empathy for others. She suggests that people should look within themselves and try to be more compassionate, rather than sitting in judgment of the world. The conversation ends with the woman in tears and the singer still sitting sadly by her side.
The lyrics of this song are open to interpretation, but it seems to be a reflection on the nature of the world and our place in it. It could be seen as a critique of those who are quick to judge and criticize, without taking the time to understand the complexities of the world and its inhabitants. It could also be seen as a call to be more mindful and compassionate, even in the face of sorrow and tragedy.
Line by Line Meaning
As I sat sadly by her side
The singer sits next to someone and is feeling sad.
At the window, through the glass
They are looking out the window.
She stroked a kitten in her lap
The other person is stroking a kitten.
And we watched the world as it fell past
They're watching the world outside the window move by.
Softly she spoke these words to me
The other person speaks softly to the artist.
And with brand new eyes, open wide
They're looking at the world with new eyes.
We pressed our faces to the glass
They put their faces against the window.
As I sat sadly by her side
The artist is still feeling sad.
She said, "Father, mother, sister, brother
The other person starts listing family members and occupations.
Uncle, aunt, nephew, niece
They continue with more family members.
Soldier, sailor, physician, labourer
They list different professions.
Actor, scientist, mechanic, priest
They keep listing professions.
Earth and moon and sun and stars
They list celestial objects.
Planets and comets with tails blazing
They continue listing celestial objects.
All are there forever falling
They're all falling by the window.
Falling lovely and amazing"
They fall in a lovely and amazing way.
Then she smiled and turned to me
The other person smiles and turns to the artist.
And waited for me to reply
They want the singer to respond.
Her hair was falling down her shoulders
The other person's hair falls down their shoulders.
As I sat sadly by her side
The artist is still feeling sad.
The kitten she did gently pass
The other person hands the kitten to the artist.
Over to me and again we pressed
They put their faces against the window again with the kitten.
Our indifferent faces to the glass
They have indifferent expressions while watching what's outside.
"That may be very well", I said
The artist responds with skepticism.
"But watch the one falling in the street
The singer points out someone falling outside.
See him gesture to his neighbours
The person outside is trying to get help.
See him trampled beneath their feet
The person outside gets trampled by others.
All outward motion connects to nothing
The artist feels like the outside world has no purpose.
For each is concerned with their immediate need
Everyone is only concerned with their own needs.
Witness the man reaching up from the gutter
The singer sees a man trying to get out of the gutter.
See the other one stumbling on who can not see"
The singer sees someone else who is struggling.
With trembling hand I turned toward her
The artist is now emotional and turns to the other person.
And pushed the hair out of her eyes
They push the other person's hair away from their face.
The kitten jumped back to her lap
The kitten jumps back to the other person's lap.
As I sat sadly by her side
The singer is still feeling sad.
Then she drew the curtains down
The other person closes the curtains.
And said, "When will you ever learn
They ask the singer when they'll learn.
That what happens there beyond the glass
They're referring to everything happening outside the window.
Is simply none of your concern?
It's none of the singer's business.
God has given you but one heart
The other person cites God as the reason for having only one heart.
You are not a home for the hearts of your brothers
The artist isn't responsible for others' emotions.
And God don't care for your benevolence
God doesn't care about the singer's kindness.
Anymore than he cares for the lack of it in others
God doesn't care that others aren't kind either.
Nor does he care for you to sit
God doesn't care for the artist sitting and judging.
At windows in judgement of the world He created
The artist is judging the world that God created.
While sorrows pile up around you
While the artist judges, sorrows continue to pile up.
Ugly, useless and over-inflated"
The singer's judgment is ugly and useless and just serves to inflate their ego.
At which she turned her head away
The other person turns their head away from the artist.
Great tears leaping from her eyes
The other person is crying heavily.
I could not wipe the smile from my face
Despite everything, the singer keeps smiling.
As I sat sadly by her side
The singer is still feeling sad.
As I sat sadly by her side
The artist is still feeling sad.
As I sat sadly by her side
The artist is still feeling sad.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: Nicholas Cave
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@DerBratznack
Thanks for this playlist. A man with heart and intelligence sings. This has become so rare in our times.
@bajramramadani7046
Absolute masterpiece...and the piano parts...are just a killer...Nick Cave is one of the last greatest musicians today..
@deanmartin7924
And,you are absolutely right. ;-)
@nicolehofarttattoo4336
Amen, from the Heathen Child 🙏🖤 !
@franckgerard3773
Una favolosa di Nick ..
@tanjabatinic145
🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍
@toperic02
This is true.
@sabrina27ize
This whole song is pure lyrical genius.
@tanjabatinic145
So trueeeee....
@SergSil
this particular song makes you understand how music can be such a powerfull force in the life of a person... Nick cave is himself, indeed, an amazing force...