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.
Moonland
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds Lyrics
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The city was gone
The sky's full of lights
The snow provides a silent cover
In Moonland, under the stars
Under the snow and I followed this car
And I followed that car, through the sand
I listen to the DJ, and it must feel nice (it must feel nice)
It must feel nice to know, that somebody needs you
And everything moves slow
Under the stars, under the ash, through the sand
And the night drifts in, the snow provides a silent cover
And I'm not your favorite lover, I turn on the radio
And it must feel nice (it must feel nice)
Oh very very nice to know, that somebody needs you
And the chilly winds blow
Under the snow, under the stars
The whispering DJ on the radio
The whispering DJ on the radio
I'm not your favorite lover
I'm not your favorite lover
And it must feel nice (it must feel nice)
To leave no trace (no trace at all)
But somebody needs you, and that somebody is me baby
Under the stars, under the snow
Your eyes were closed
You were playing with the buttons on your coat
In the back of that car
In Moonland, under the stars
In Moonland, and I followed that car
The lyrics of Nick Cave's "Moonland" describe the feelings of a lonely person wandering through a deserted city, in search of love and companionship. As the song opens, the singer emerges from a meat-locker and discovers that the city he once knew has disappeared, replaced by a snow-covered landscape illuminated by stars and distant city lights. He follows cars on the snow-covered roads, turning on the radio to listen to the whispers of a DJ. The DJ's voice, coupled with the snowy and quiet surroundings, makes the singer yearn for the feeling of being needed by someone.
The chorus repeats the idea that it "must feel nice" to be needed by someone, as the singer craves affection and begins to believe that he has found it in the car he is following. However, he soon realizes that he is not the other person's favorite lover and that he is merely someone to pass the time with on the snow-covered roads. In spite of this, he feels a strong desire to be needed by this person.
Overall, "Moonland" is a powerful commentary on loneliness and the need for love and companionship. The song shows how even the most desperate and lonely people can find hope in the simple fact that they are needed by someone else. It also provides a poignant reminder of the fragility and impermanence of human relationships, reminding us that sometimes we are not the only ones in someone's life.
Line by Line Meaning
When I came up from out of the meat-locker
Emerging from a cold and dark place
The city was gone
The familiar surroundings were lost or no longer present
The sky's full of lights
Looking up and seeing the bright city skyline
The snow provides a silent cover
The snowfall created a muted and insulated atmosphere
In Moonland, under the stars
In an unknown, mystical place under the night sky
Under the snow and I followed this car
Moving through the snow-covered landscape while tailing a vehicle
And I followed that car, through the sand
Continuing to track the car through a different terrain
Through the snow, I turn on the radio
Driving through the snow-filled environment while listening to radio music
I listen to the DJ, and it must feel nice (it must feel nice)
Appreciating the feeling of being listened to by an audience while broadcasting over the airwaves
It must feel nice to know, that somebody needs you
The DJ feels pleased and valued to have listeners who depend on their radio show
And everything moves slow
The listener perceives time as moving slowly while being absorbed in the music and lyrics of the radio show
Under the stars, under the ash, through the sand
Moving through different terrain and surroundings during the journey
And the night drifts in, the snow provides a silent cover
As darkness falls, the snow creates a quiet and peaceful atmosphere
And I'm not your favorite lover, I turn on the radio
Fishing for a connection and listening to music on the radio, since the romantic relationship is not fulfilling
Oh very very nice to know, that somebody needs you
Finding comfort in the thought of being needed by others
And the chilly winds blow
Feeling the cold wind and the physical discomfort it brings
Your eyes were closed
Observing the other person's appearance and behavior
You were playing with the buttons on your coat
Noticing the other person's restlessness or nervousness, as shown by fidgeting with clothing
And it must feel nice (it must feel nice)
Reflecting on the emotional state of being wanted and appreciated
To leave no trace (no trace at all)
Desiring to remain anonymous or unnoticed
But somebody needs you, and that somebody is me baby
Feeling lonely and wanting to be with the other person
In Moonland, under the stars
In a mysterious and exotic location beneath the night sky
In Moonland, and I followed that car
Pursuing adventure and excitement by following the car to an unknown destination
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Mute Song Limited
Written by: Jim Sclavunos, Martyn Casey, Nicholas Cave, Warren Ellis
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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