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.
Jacks Shadow
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
From the hole
And the bulb that burned above him
Did shine both day and night
And his shadow learned to love his
Little darks and greater light
And the sun it shined
And the sun it shined
A little longer
(A little stronger)
Jack wept and kissed his shadow "Goodbye"
Spat from their dirty dungeons
Into a fully different din
Shat from their institutions
Into a truly different din
And his shadow soon became a wife
And children plagued his latter life
Until one night he took a skinning knife
And stole into the town
And Jack tracked his shadow down
Said the shadow to Jack Henry
"What's wrong?"
Jack said "Our home is not a hole"
"And shadow, you're just a gallow that I hang my body from"
"Oh Shadow, you're a shackle from which my time is never done"
Then he peeled his shadow off in strips
He peeled his shadow off in strips
Then he kneeled his shadow on some steps
And cried "What have I done?"
Yeah, and the sun it shined
Oh, the sun it shined
I say "Love is blind"
"And is it any wonder?"
"Is it any wonder?"
Jack and his damned shadow
Is gone
And though each one of us are want to duly mourn
Yes, and though each one of us are want to duly mourn
'Tis done in brighter corners now
'Tis done in brighter corners now
It's done in the brighter corners now
That Jack's black shadow is gone
Yeah, Jack's black shadow is gone
Yeah, and the sun it shines
I said sun it shines
Yeah and the sun it shined
(A little stronger) is it any wonder?
Is it wonder that? (Is it any wonder?)
Love is blind
I said "Love is blind"
I said "Love is blind"
And a little stronger
A little stronger
It's done in brighter corners now
'Tis done in brighter corners now
'Tis done in brighter corners now
Now that Jack's black shadow's gone
Yeah, Jack's black shadow's gone
And I swear love is blind
Yeah, love is blind
Yeah, love is blind
And who can blame our bloody blunders
Yeah, yeah, yeah
Oh, the sun it shines
Oh, the sun it shined
The sun it shined
But when I can't remember
(I can't remember)
But it's done in brighter corners now
It's done in the brighter corners now
Yeah, done in the brighter corners now
Done in the brighter corners now
Done in the brighter corners now
Now that Jack's black shadow's gone
That Jack's black shadow's gone
That Jack's black shadow's gone
That Jack's black shadow's gone
That Jack's black shadow's gone
"Jack's Shadow" by Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds is a song that tells the story of a man named Jack who is both haunted by and loyal to his shadow. The lyrics are very poetic and full of vivid imagery that convey a sense of darkness, longing, and eventual liberation. The song hints at themes of identity, freedom, and love, as well as the consequences of obsession and attachment to something that is inherently fleeting.
The first verse describes how Jack and his shadow were pulled out of a hole by someone, and how the light that shone on them created a strong bond between them. The second verse indicates that Jack eventually became resentful of his shadow, realizing that it was nothing more than a burden that kept him tied down. He eventually removes his shadow, but then feels regret and confusion, leading him to cry out "What have I done?" The final verses suggest that Jack's absence has created a sense of brightness, hope, and possibility, with the sun shining more strongly now that his shadow is gone.
Overall, "Jack's Shadow" is a powerful and enigmatic song that leaves open the possibility of multiple interpretations. It is a testament to the skill and depth of Nick Cave's songwriting.
Line by Line Meaning
They dragged Jack and his shadow
From the hole
And the bulb that burned above him
Did shine both day and night
And his shadow learned to love his
Little darks and greater light
And the sun it shined
And the sun it shined
And the sun it shined
A little longer
(A little stronger)
Jack and his shadow were rescued from the dungeon where they both stayed, and a bulb that burned constantly was the only source of light. His shadow learned to love his different aspects, and as time passes, more light shone upon them with the rising sun.
Jack wept and kissed his shadow "Goodbye"
Spat from their dirty dungeons
Into a fully different din
Shat from their institutions
Into a truly different din
And his shadow soon became a wife
And children plagued his latter life
Until one night he took a skinning knife
And stole into the town
And Jack tracked his shadow down
After they were freed, Jack and his shadow split paths; the shadow got married and had children, yet Jack became enraged and decided to find him. Eventually, Jack found his shadow and killed him in the town.
Said the shadow to Jack Henry
"What's wrong?"
Jack said "Our home is not a hole"
"And shadow, you're just a gallow that I hang my body from"
"Oh Shadow, you're a shackle from which my time is never done"
Then he peeled his shadow off in strips
He peeled his shadow off in strips
Then he kneeled his shadow on some steps
And cried "What have I done?"
During their encounter, the shadow asks what's wrong, and Jack expresses his dissatisfaction with his life, blaming his shadow for being the one to keep him held down. He proceeds to peel off his shadow in strips and cries in regret for what he has done.
Yeah, and the sun it shined
Oh, the sun it shined
I say "Love is blind"
"And is it any wonder?"
"Is it any wonder?"
The rising sun shines bright once more as the song repeats the chorus. Love is the bookend theme to this traumatic ordeal, and it makes one wonder whether love is responsible for any mistakes made in life.
Jack and his damned shadow
Is gone
And though each one of us is want to duly mourn
Yes, and though each one of us is want to duly mourn
'Tis done in brighter corners now
'Tis done in brighter corners now
It's done in the brighter corners now
That Jack's black shadow is gone
Yeah, Jack's black shadow is gone
After Jack's killing of his shadow, they have both disappeared from this world, and the song implies that it's common human nature to feel some sense of melancholy over another's passing. However, the song ends on a hopeful note with the idea that with Jack's black shadow's disappearance, a brighter corner has opened up in the world.
And I swear love is blind
Yeah, love is blind
Yeah, love is blind
And who can blame our bloody blunders
Yeah, yeah, yeah
Love might make people blind to the mistakes they make; however, anyone is at fault for their actions, but a lot of these actions can be considered blunders in hindsight.
Oh, the sun it shines
Oh, the sun it shined
The sun it shined
But when I can't remember
(I can't remember)
But it's done in brighter corners now
It's done in the brighter corners now
Yeah, done in the brighter corners now
Done in the brighter corners now
Done in the brighter corners now
Now that Jack's black shadow's gone
That Jack's black shadow's gone
That Jack's black shadow's gone
That Jack's black shadow's gone
That Jack's black shadow's gone
The song ends with a repetition of previous lines and the idea that one day, when people cannot remember all of the details of this story, change will gradually occur, but the world will be brighter than before, now that Jack's black shadow is gone.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Mute Song Limited
Written by: Michael Harvey, Nicholas Cave
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind