The name of the new project indicated the shift in Cave's role from band member, as in The Birthday Party, to band leader, and coincided with his shift in songwriting style from expressionism to detailed lyrical narrative. The group has been through many personnel changes, with Cave and Harvey remaining the constants until 2009.
While in West Berlin, the band released four albums: The Firstborn Is Dead, Kicking Against the Pricks, Your Funeral... My Trial and Tender Prey. Kicking Against the Pricks was the first album to feature the drumming of Thomas Wydler, now the longest-serving band member alongside Cave and Harvey.
In 1987, The Bad Seeds made an appearance in the Wim Wenders film, Wings of Desire. In 1990, the band collectively eliminated hard drugs from its diet, relocated to Brazil, and released The Good Son, which reflected a less punk approach than their previous works. Their next record, 1992's Henry's Dream, was the first to feature current members Martyn P. Casey and Conway Savage. Following it came 1994's commercially successful Let Love In.
In 1996, Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds released Murder Ballads, their most successful album to date. The album included "Henry Lee", a duet with English rock singer PJ Harvey, with whom Cave had a brief relationship, and arguably the band's most well-known song, "Where the Wild Roses Grow", a duet with Australian pop idol Kylie Minogue. The latter was a mainstream hit in the United Kingdom and in Australia, winning three ARIA Awards including Song Of The Year.
Their next album, 1997's The Boatman's Call, marks a radical shift from archetypal and violent narratives to biographical and confessional songs about Cave's relationships with his ex-wife Vivianne Carneiro and PJ Harvey. It was also the first full-length album centered around Cave's piano playing.
Cave then took a short break to rehabilitate from his 20 years of heroin and alcohol abuse, during which time he married. The band resurfaced with No More Shall We Part in 2001, which followed a similar dynamic to The Boatman's Call, but received a mixed response from fans. After the release of the 2003 album Nocturama, which failed to excite reviewers, Bargeld announced he was leaving The Bad Seeds to devote more time to Einstürzende Neubauten, leaving Mick Harvey as the only original member other than Cave.
The following year, the band released their first double record, the acclaimed two-disc set Abattoir Blues/The Lyre of Orpheus. In 2005, they released B-Sides and Rarities, a three-disc, 56-track collection of B-sides, rarities and unreleased songs.
In October 2007, Cave was inducted into the ARIA Hall of Fame. During his acceptance speech, he cheekily took it upon himself to also induct the Australian members of The Bad Seeds (excluding Hugo Race), plus the members of The Birthday Party (excluding Phill Calvert).
In March 2008, the band released their 14th studio album, Dig, Lazarus, Dig!!!, inspired by the Biblical story of the resurrection of Lazarus. Following a similar style to The Bad Seeds' side project Grinderman, the album was "universally-acclaimed." An exclusive Live Session EP was released through iTunes in April 2008, recorded at the legendary Air Studios on 2 March, 2008 as part of iTunes' Live From London series.
On 22 January 2009, Mick Harvey announced through the band's web page that he was leaving The Bad Seeds to pursue other endeavours. Now the only original member of the band, Cave focused on Grinderman, which includes The Bad Seeds' Martyn P. Casey, Jim Sclavunos and Warren Ellis; as the project includes so many Bad Seeds members it is therefore sometimes referred to as "Mini-Seeds."
The current line-up of the band is:
Nick Cave - vocals, piano, organ, harmonica, percussion, electric guitar, string arrangements (1984-)
Thomas Wydler - drums, percussion, vocals (1987—)
Martyn P. Casey - bass, vocals (1991—)
Conway Savage - piano, organ, vocals (1991—)
Warren Ellis - violin, fender mandocaster, loops, mandolin, tenor guitar, viola, bouzouki, accordion, flute, lute, piano, programming, percussion, string arrangements, vocals (1994—)
Jim Sclavunos - percussion, drums, organ, melodica, vocals (1996—)
James Johnston - organ, electric guitar, acoustic guitar, vocals (2003—)
Past members, guest and touring musicians include:
Mick Harvey - electric guitar, acoustic guitar, bass, drums, organ, percussion, piano, loops, string arrangements, vocals (1984-2009)
Blixa Bargeld - electric guitar, slide guitar, pedal steel guitar, vocals (1984–2003); original member who quit after almost 20 years
Anita Lane - lyrics (1984)
Barry Adamson - bass, electric guitar, drums, organ, piano, percussion, vocals (1984-1986)
Hugo Race - electric guitar, vocals (1984)
Rowland S. Howard (deceased) - electric guitar, organ, vocals
Tracy Pew (deceased) - bass
Kid Congo Powers - electric guitar, slide guitar (1986-1989)
Roland Wolf (deceased) - piano, organ, electric guitar, vocals (1986-1989)
By The Time I Get To Phoenix
Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And she'll find that note that I left hanging on the door
And she'll laugh when she reads the part
That says: "I'm leaving"
'Cause I've left that girl so many times before
And by the time I get to Albuquerque, she'll be working
And she'll take off time just to give me a call
On the wall, yeah oh, that's all
And by the time I make Oklahoma, she'll be sleeping
She'll turn softly in her sleep and call my name out low
And then she'll cry just to think that I'd really leave her, I left her
But time after time after time I tried to tell her so
But she just didn't know that I would really go
That I would really go
The lyrics in Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds' song, By the Time I Get to Phoenix, depict a man's journey to leave his partner, but also reveal his struggle in doing so. As he travels, he imagines the different emotional reactions his partner may have upon discovering his intentions to leave. When he gets to Phoenix, she will find the note he left and laugh at its contents, since he's left her so many times before. While in Albuquerque, she'll take time off work to call him, but he won't answer. By the time he reaches Oklahoma, she'll be asleep and will call out his name in her sleep, before realizing he's left her for good.
The song portrays the conflicted emotions of someone trapped in a difficult relationship, unable to communicate effectively with their partner. The singer's partner is unaware of his true feelings and desire to leave, despite his attempts to communicate this to her. Meanwhile, the singer is haunted by the thought of hurting someone he loves, but ultimately decides to leave for his own well-being.
Line by Line Meaning
By the time I get to Phoenix, she'll be rising
When I arrive in Phoenix, she will wake up and find the note I left on the door.
And she'll find that note that I left hanging on the door
She will discover the note that I left for her as I left the house.
And she'll laugh when she reads the part
She will chuckle when she reads the section
That says: "I'm leaving"
That indicates I am departing
'Cause I've left that girl so many times before
I left her many times before
And by the time I get to Albuquerque, she'll be working
When I reach Albuquerque, she will be at work.
And she'll take off time just to give me a call
She will make time to call me despite her busy schedule.
And she'll hear that phone keep right on ringing and ringing
She will be able to hear the phone ringing continuously.
On the wall, yeah oh, that's all
On the wall, that is all.
And by the time I make Oklahoma, she'll be sleeping
When I reach Oklahoma, she will be asleep.
She'll turn softly in her sleep and call my name out low
She will softly murmur my name in her sleep.
And then she'll cry just to think that I'd really leave her, I left her
Then she will cry, imagining that I have truly abandoned her, which happened before.
But time after time after time I tried to tell her so
Repeatedly, I attempted to explain this to her.
But she just didn't know that I would really go
However, she refused to believe that I would actually leave her.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: JIMMY WEBB
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@Gunsmith2584
basically every song Nick Cave has ever covered automatically became his own song i mean he just takes it to another dimension have you ever heard him singing Something's gotten hold of my heart its a great song enjoy the music mate
@andyj482
I'm liking the Isaac Hayes version the best
@iwaisman
You're completely right.
@Lemonheart69
Nailed it!🎉
@merickz78
Best cover!!! One of the few cover songs that I enjoy more than the original. The only other being NIN’s cover of Dead Souls. There’s a more haunting and heartbreaking element to Nick’s rendition. I can just listen to it over and over
@gloriaevansgalli7902
i adore this song and i absolutely love Nick Cave!
@ccraines
I love you for loving Nick!!!
@AndresAriba
I've been loving this song for 20 years by now and I still consider it a masteroiece
@WDeeGee1
This is such a timeless rendition of the song!
@stuartkelly8280
Rest easy Glen..
Thanks for all the memories