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.
Do You Love Me
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Do you love me?
Do you love me?
I found her on a night of fire and noise
Wild bells rang in a wild sky
That I'd love her till the day that I died
And I kissed away a thousand tears
My lady of the various sorrows
Some begged, some borrowed, some stolen
Some kept safe for tomorrow
On and endless night, silver star spangled
The bells from the chapel went jingle-jangle
Do you love me? Do you love me?
Do you love me? Do you love me?
Do you love me? Do you love me?
Do you love me like I love you?
She was given to me to put things right
And I stacked all my accomplishments beside her
Yet I seemed so obsolete and small
I found god and all his devils inside her
In my bed she cast the blizzard out
A mock sun blazed upon her head
So completely filled with light she was
Her shadow fanged and hairy and mad
Our love-lines grew hopelessly tangled
And the bells from the chapel went jingle-jangle
Do you love me? Do you love me?
Do you love me? Do you love me?
Do you love me? Do you love me?
Do you love me like I love you?
She had a heart full of love and devotion
She had a mind full of tyranny and terror
Well, I try, I do, I really try
But I just err, baby, I do, I error
So come find me, my darling one
I'm down to the grounds, the very dregs
Ah, here she comes, blocking the sun
Blood running down the inside of her legs
The moon in the sky is battered and mangled
And the bells from the chapel go jingle-jangle
Jingle-jangle, jingle-jangle, jingle-jangle
Do you love me? Do you love me?
Do you love me?
Do you love me?
Do you love me like I love you?
All things move toward their end
I knew before I met her that I would lose her
I swear I made every effort to be good to her
I made every effort not to abuse her
Crazy bracelets on her wrists and her ankles
And the bells from the chapel go jingle-jangle
Do you love me? Do you love me?
Do you love me? Do you love me?
Do you love me? Do you love me?
Do you love me like I love you?
Do you love me?
Do you love me?
Do you love me?
Do you love me like I love you?
Do you love me?
Do you love me?
Do you love me?
Do you love me?
The song "Do You Love Me?" by Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds portrays a tumultuous and obsessive love story, exploring the complexities and contradictions of human emotion. The lyrics depict the singer's intense love for a woman who embodies both light and darkness, as well as his own sense of inadequacy and fear of losing her. The first verse sets the scene of the initial encounter, where the singer knows from the start that he will love her until death. The second verse shows the singer's sense of inferiority and his realization that he has found both love and evil within her. The third and final verse sees the relationship's demise, with the singer acknowledging that despite his best efforts, he could not save their love.
The repetition of the question "Do you love me?" throughout the song emphasizes the singer's insecurity and need for reassurance, while the imagery of bells and blizzards adds a touch of surrealism to the lyrics. The use of contrast between light and darkness, love and evil, and success and inadequacy gives the song a multi-layered meaning, inviting listeners to explore the complexity of human emotions.
Line by Line Meaning
Do you love me?
The singer is questioning if the object of his affection loves him.
I found her on a night of fire and noise
The singer met the woman he loves during a chaotic, thrilling experience.
Wild bells rang in a wild sky
The singer heard bells ringing during the intense moment he met his love.
I knew from that moment on, That I'd love her till the day that I died
The artist felt an instant connection and knew he would love the woman for the rest of his life.
And I kissed away a thousand tears
The artist comforted his love through many hardships.
My lady of the various sorrows, Some begged, some borrowed, some stolen, Some kept safe for tomorrow
The woman has experienced many kinds of sorrows in her life, some of which she has had to borrow or steal.
On and endless night, silver star spangled
The night during which the singer and his love met was magical and beautiful.
The bells from the chapel went jingle-jangle
The artist heard bells from a church during the night he met his love, which added to the chaos and excitement of the moment.
She was given to me to put things right
The artist feels that he was meant to be with this woman to help fix things in his life.
And I stacked all my accomplishments beside her
The artist feels inadequate compared to his love, despite his many accomplishments.
Yet I seemed so obsolete and small
The singer feels insignificant next to his love.
I found god and all his devils inside her
The woman has both good and evil qualities within her.
In my bed she cast the blizzard out
The woman brought warmth and comfort to the singer's life, even in difficult times.
A mock sun blazed upon her head, So completely filled with light she was, Her shadow fanged and hairy and mad
The woman has a radiant, almost divine quality to her, but also has a dark side.
Our love-lines grew hopelessly tangled
The relationship between the singer and his love became complicated and confusing.
She had a heart full of love and devotion, She had a mind full of tyranny and terror
The woman is both loving and caring, but also has a frightening and controlling side.
Well, I try, I do, I really try, But I just err, baby, I do, I error
The artist is trying his best to make the relationship work, but he sometimes makes mistakes.
So come find me, my darling one, I'm down to the grounds, the very dregs
The singer is asking his love to come find him, even though he feels low and unworthy.
Ah, here she comes, blocking the sun, Blood running down the inside of her legs
The woman is described in a dramatic and violent way, suggesting trouble and pain.
The moon in the sky is battered and mangled, And the bells from the chapel go jingle-jangle
The world around the artist is tumultuous and chaotic, with even the moon appearing damaged.
All things move toward their end, I knew before I met her that I would lose her
The artist knows that all things, including his relationship with his love, will eventually come to an end.
I swear I made every effort to be good to her, I made every effort not to abuse her
The artist promises that he did his best to be good to his love and to not mistreat her.
Crazy bracelets on her wrists and her ankles, And the bells from the chapel go jingle-jangle
The woman is now restrained and beset by difficulties, and the bells from the church continue to sound.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: Martin Casey, Nick Cave
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@turk914
I do admire the way he says "Do you love me?" like he's trying to get someone to admit to a crime. Just classic.
@lauraroach3512
“LIKE I LOVE YOU.” Ominously, almost as though the singer is trying to manipulate reciprocal love by proclaiming love, though based on the lyrics, I would determine that one of them (perhaps both) are profoundly disturbed, perhaps mentally ill?- “our lady of the various sorrows, some saved some borrowed some stolen , some kept, safe for tomorrow”, whereas the singer speaks as though he has a disturbing and ultimately fatalistic god-complex, coupled with a seemingly contradictory inferiority - (“I was sent to her to put things right.... so I stacked all my accomplishments beside her...still I seemed so obsolete and small.... I found GOD: now his devil’s inside Her”. From the first person narrative, it’s nearly impossible to know which one is crazier, if the “beloved” is a projection of the singers interpretation... and far from reality...etc.— gahhhh it doesn’t matter, it’s poetry -
Forgive me , I’m the daughter of an English prof and analysis is practically par for discourse
but I hate it when I dissect the most essential thing about a poem/lyric right out of the songthe vague, mysterious enchanting muddied water, or the questions that want to remain unanswered- dwelling in infinite possibilities@lauraroach3512
https://youtu.be/P51IVqf28Hs
@rexmundi3108
You said it.
@biancads393
Pois é
@klaarbeckers2496
I was thinking the same
@caroldecampo7190
He can't do anything wrong with that voice and talent.
THE PREACHER MAN ❤
@karlmorris-xz6iq
if you like this you might like my brother’s music. his name is Stu Morris and 'Daisy' is a good song by him.
@caroldecampo7190
@@karlmorris-xz6iq I will have a listen
@ASMRconKiki
I absolutely adore Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds. Pure poetry in music form.