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.
Breathless
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Little white clouds like gambolling lambs
And I am breathless over you
And the red-breasted robin beats his wings
His throat it trembles when he sings
For he is helpless before you
The happy hooded bluebells bow
And bend their heads all a-down
At the whispering stream, at the bubbling brook
The fishes leap up to take a look
For they are breathless over you
Still your hands
And still your heart
For still your face comes shining through
And all the morning glows anew
Still your mind
Still your soul
For still, the fire of love is true
And I am breathless without you
The wind circles among the trees
And it bangs about the new-made leaves
For it is breathless without you
The fox chases the rabbit around
The rabbit hides beneath the ground
For he is defenceless without you
The sky of daytime dies away
And all the earthly things they stop to play
For we are all breathless without you
I listen to my juddering bones
And the blood in my veins, the wind in my lungs
And I am breathless without you
Still your hands
And still your heart
For still your face comes shining through
And all the morning glows anew
Still your soul
Still your mind
Still, the fire of love is true
And I am breathless without you
The lyrics to Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds's song "Breathless" paint a vivid picture of a world that is in awe of the love interest of the singer. The first two verses describe the beauty of nature, with little clouds, robins, bluebells, and fishes all existing in a state of admiration for the lover. The singer is also breathless over the lover, as their beauty is overwhelming. The third verse paints a picture of a world that is in chaos without the lover. The wind bangs around the trees, the fox chases the rabbit, and the daytime sky dies away without the lover. The singer's own body even shakes without the lover. The chorus, "Still your hands and still your heart / For still your face comes shining through / And all the morning glows anew / Still your soul and still your mind / For still, the fire of love is true / And I am breathless without you," underscores the importance of the lover and the need to hold on to that love, as it is everything to the singer.
Line by Line Meaning
It's up in the morning and on the downs
The day starts and I'm surrounded by the beauty of nature.
Little white clouds like gambolling lambs
The fluffy clouds look like playful little lambs.
And I am breathless over you
I am completely in awe of you.
And the red-breasted robin beats his wings
The robin flaps his wings with excitement.
His throat it trembles when he sings
He sings with such passion that his throat trembles.
For he is helpless before you
He is powerless in your presence.
The happy hooded bluebells bow
The bluebells are filled with joy and bow their heads.
And bend their heads all a-down
They humbly lower their heads.
Heavied by the early morning dew
They are weighed down by the dew of the morning.
At the whispering stream, at the bubbling brook
The stream and brook create a soothing, peaceful atmosphere.
The fishes leap up to take a look
The fish are also mesmerized by you and jump towards you.
For they are breathless over you
Just like me, they are speechless and in awe of you.
Still your hands
Be calm and steady.
And still your heart
Be still and centered.
For still your face comes shining through
Your face still shines bright and beautiful.
And all the morning glows anew
The morning feels fresh and renewed because of you.
Still your mind
Calm your thoughts and emotions.
Still your soul
Calm your inner being and spirit.
For still, the fire of love is true
The passion and love for you is still burning strong.
And I am breathless without you
I can't catch my breath when you're not around.
The wind circles among the trees
The wind is dancing and twirling among the trees.
And it bangs about the new-made leaves
It makes the newly formed leaves rustle and shake.
For it is breathless without you
Even the wind is amazed by your presence.
The fox chases the rabbit around
The fox and rabbits play around and chase each other.
The rabbit hides beneath the ground
The rabbit tries to hide from the fox.
For he is defenceless without you
Just like the rabbit, I feel helpless and unprotected without you.
The sky of daytime dies away
The day slowly comes to an end.
And all the earthly things they stop to play
Everything settles down as night approach.
For we are all breathless without you
I'm not the only one who feels this way.
I listen to my juddering bones
I feel my bones shaking with anticipation.
And the blood in my veins, the wind in my lungs
I feel the blood pumping through my veins and the wind filling my lungs.
And I am breathless without you
Once again, I am left breathless without you.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: Nicholas Cave
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@anastasiabarbi5596
It's up in the morning and on the downs
Little white clouds like gambolling lambs
And I am breathless over you
And the red-breasted robin beats his wings
His throat it trembles when he sings
For he is helpless before you
The happy hooded bluebells bow
And bend their heads all a-down
Heavied by the early morning dew
At the whispering stream, at the bubbling brook
The fishes leap up to take a look
For they are breathless over you
Still your hands
And still your heart
For still your face comes shining through
And all the morning glows anew
Still your mind
Still your soul
For still, the fare of love is true
And I am breathless without you
The wind circles among the trees
And it bangs about the new-made leaves
For it is breathless without you
The fox chases the rabbit round
The rabbit hides beneath the ground
For he is defenceless without you
The sky of daytime dies away
And all the earthly things they stop to play
For we are all breathless without you
I listen to my juddering bones
The blood in my veins and the wind in my lungs
And I am breathless without you
Still your hands
And still your heart
For still your face comes shining through
And all the morning glows anew
Still your soul
Still your mind
Still, the fire of love is true
And I am breathless without you
@madrugada1007
Still your hands
And still your heart
For still your face comes shining through
And all the morning glows anew
Still your soul
Still your mind
Still, the fire of love is true
And I am breathless without you..
I love this song, and I love Nick Cave, he's genius..!!!❤️
@rppavlek
always feel like Nick Cave wrote this as a challenge. someone was like: 'all you can do are dark songs about killers'n'sh*t' and Cave was like 'hold my wine for a moment'
@joeg7843
❤️
@jackthetripper666
Lovely theory
I'm having it ❤
@heatherbrestle2053
Lol
@AugustinePM
Best consideration EVER.
@Pelired66
😂😂😂
@user-th5rk8et8q
My beautiful husband had just died, this was our wedding song and it will be played at his funeral, i am breathless with out you.
@low7542
❤
@user-th5rk8et8q
Exactly my story too.
@waltharris2527
What a beautiful choice. My aches for you.