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.
Night of the Lotus Eaters
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I lie upon the stones and I swoon
The darling little dandelions have done their thing
And they changed from suns into moons
The dragons roam the shopping malls
I hear they're gonna eat our guts
If I had the strength, I might pick up my sword
And make some attempt to resist
Get ready to shield yourself
Grab your sap and your heater
Get ready to shield yourself
On the night of the lotus eaters
Mmmmm, don't you love my baby
Mmmmm, and don't you love my baby anymore
They gilded my scales, they fish-bowled me
And they toured me round the old aquariums
They come in their hordes to tap at the glass
The philistines and the barbarians
I like floating here, it's nice
They've hung seaweed around my hips
And I do the hula for the hungry ones
And the lames all throw me tips
Get ready to shield yourself
Grab your sap and your heater
Get ready to shield yourself
On the night of the lotus eaters
Mmmmm, don't you love my baby
Mmmmm, and don't you love me my baby anymore
Get ready to shield yourself
From our catastrophic leaders
Get ready to shield yourself
Grab your sap and your heaters
On the night of the lotus eaters
Night of the lotus eaters
Now hit the streets
Now hit the streets
The lyrics of Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds's song Night of the Lotus Eaters are filled with vivid and surreal imagery that seems to describe an otherworldly state of mind. The first stanza describes a state of exhaustion and helplessness, with the singer lying on the ground, sapped and stupid. The mention of dandelions that change from suns into moons adds to the dreamlike quality of the imagery. The mention of dragons roaming shopping malls and threatening to eat our guts adds to the surrealism and hints at a dystopian future. The singer feels powerless to resist but still considers picking up a sword.
The second stanza switches to a different perspective, with the singer taking on the role of a creature on display in an aquarium. The creature is described as gilded and fish-bowled, and the philistines and barbarians who come to tap at the glass suggest a lack of respect and empathy from the humans observing it. The creature seems to enjoy its situation, however, feeling free to float and dance for the hungry ones who throw tips. The chorus repeats the refrain to shield oneself from catastrophic leaders and prepare for the night of the lotus eaters.
Overall, the lyrics of Night of the Lotus Eaters seem to describe a state of apathy and resignation in the face of a dark and uncertain future. The surreal and fantastical imagery suggests a desire to escape from reality, but the repeated call to shield oneself from danger and prepare for what's to come suggests a recognition that there is still some agency and responsibility in the present moment.
Line by Line Meaning
Sapped and stupid
I'm exhausted and can't think straight
I lie upon the stones and I swoon
I'm lying on the ground, feeling faint and dizzy
The darling little dandelions have done their thing
The small flowers have had their effect on me
And they changed from suns into moons
The flowers transformed from bright and sunny to dark and mysterious
The dragons roam the shopping malls
The mythical creatures are wandering around public spaces
I hear they're gonna eat our guts
I've heard they plan on attacking and causing harm to us
If I had the strength, I might pick up my sword
If I had enough energy, I would defend myself with a weapon
And make some attempt to resist
I would fight back against the danger
Get ready to shield yourself
Prepare to defend yourself
Grab your sap and your heater
Take your weapons
On the night of the lotus eaters
During the time when danger and temptation loom
Mmmmm, don't you love my baby
Expressing affection for someone close
Mmmmm, and don't you love my baby anymore
Expressing doubt about someone's feelings for oneself and/or another person
They gilded my scales, they fish-bowled me
They decorated me and confined me to a small environment
And they toured me round the old aquariums
They showed me off like a strange specimen in a public place
They come in their hordes to tap at the glass
They visit in large crowds and make contact with my enclosure
The philistines and the barbarians
The uncultured and uncivilized people
I like floating here, it's nice
I don't mind being in this place
They've hung seaweed around my hips
They've dressed me up with seaweed
And I do the hula for the hungry ones
I perform a dance to entertain those who are waiting to see me
And the lames all throw me tips
The uncool people give me money for my performance
From our catastrophic leaders
Our rulers who are disastrous and causing harm
On the night of the lotus eaters
During the period of time when danger and temptation are present
Now hit the streets
Go outside and act
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Mute Song Limited
Written by: Nicholas Cave, Warren Ellis
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Costas Giannakenas
"Night Of The Lotus Eaters"
Sapped and stupid I lie upon the stones and I swoons
The darlig little dandelions have done their thing and changed from suns into moons
The dragons roam the shopping malls, I hear they're gonna eat our guts
If I had the strength I might pick up my sword and make some attempt to resist
Get ready to shield yourself
Grab your sap and your heaters
Get ready to shield yourself
On the night of the lotus eaters
Mmm, don't you love my baby
Mmm, and don't you love my baby anymore
They gilded my scales, they fish-bowled me and they toured me round the old aquariums
They come in their hordes to tap at the glass, the philistines and barbarians
I like floating here, it's nice, they've hung seaweed around my hips
And I do the hula for the hungry ones and the lames all throw me tips
Get ready to shield yourself
Grab your sap and your heaters
Get ready to shield yourself
On the night of the lotus eaters
Mmm, don't you love my baby
Mmm, and don't you love my baby anymore
Get ready to shield yourself
From our catastrophic leaders
Get ready to shield yourself
Grab your sap and your heaters
On the night of the lotus eaters
Now hit the streets!
Now hit the streets!
Jhony Uriel - Oficial
NICK CAVE é bom demais.. uma inspiração pra mim, certamente !! :D
annie christian
the whole album is fuckin brilliant - every song , deadly !!
09nob
Agreed.
Kevin Francis
annie christian bought the record when it came out ...excellent ...had been sitting in a box of music for five years ...then played it on Friday and heard this incredible song ✨👽🎵
09nob
The bass is an entirely different beast in the video, I love the album version but the soundscape on this is fucking amazing.
Rupert Proudhorse III
Everything about this track is brilliant. I love atmospheric music, this is just stunning.
scrambles brambles
Listening on my new Xmas headphones - this is too good 😌
MARCOS A M S
That is what I always wanted to listen! amazing!
preserver7777
This songs (& album) helped in a dark time... Cheers Cave & co
headsbullet
this song is fantastic, killer atmosphere