Love Letter (Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds song)

Last updated

"Love Letter"
Love Letter single by Nick Cave cover.jpg
Single by Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds
from the album No More Shall We Part
B-side "Loverman"
Released26 August 2002
Recorded2000
Genre Alternative rock
Length4:08
Label Mute Records
Songwriter(s) Nick Cave
Producer(s) Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds and Tony Cohen
Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds singles chronology
"Fifteen Feet of Pure White Snow"
(2001)
"Love Letter"
(2002)
"Bring It On"
(2003)

"Love Letter" is a song by Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds from their 2001 album, No More Shall We Part . [1] A ballad written by Cave, it features him on vocals and piano with backing vocals by Kate & Anna McGarrigle.

"Love Letter" was first released as one of the songs on Nick Cave's 2000 spoken word album, The Secret Life of the Love Song . [2] Since its release by Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds on their 2001 album, No More Shall We Part , Uncut magazine has placed "Love Letter" at number 14 in its list of Nick Cave's greatest songs. [3] The song was singled out for praise by author Jonathan Lethem, who says the "shattering simplicity" of its lyrics is "worthy of Shakespeare". [3] In AllMusic's review of No More Shall We Part, "Love Letter" is described as a "tenderly daunting, haunted house". [4] Author Robert Mighall described it as "a staggeringly beautiful song of forlorn love and a broken heart." [5] Musician Victor Krummenacher described "Love Letter" as "extraordinary." [6] Muisc blog, Ransom Note, included it in its list of top 6 Nick Cave love songs, also noting the success and simplicity of the lyrics and the 'aching, hopeful string arrangement'. [7]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nick Cave</span> Australian musician (born 1957)

Nicholas Edward Cave is an Australian musician, writer and actor. Known for his baritone voice and for fronting the rock band Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, Cave's music is characterised by emotional intensity, a wide variety of influences and lyrical obsessions with death, religion, love and violence.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds</span> Australian post punk/alternative rock band

Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds are an Australian rock band formed in 1983 by vocalist Nick Cave, multi-instrumentalist Mick Harvey and guitarist-vocalist Blixa Bargeld. The band has featured international personnel throughout its career and presently consists of Cave, violinist and multi-instrumentalist Warren Ellis, bassist Martyn P. Casey, guitarist George Vjestica, keyboardist/percussionist Larry Mullins, also known as Toby Dammit, and drummers Thomas Wydler (Switzerland) and Jim Sclavunos. Described as "one of the most original and celebrated bands of the post-punk and alternative rock eras in the '80s and onward", they have released seventeen studio albums and completed numerous international tours.

<i>Murder Ballads</i> 1996 studio album by Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds

Murder Ballads is the ninth studio album by Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, released in 1996 on Mute Records. As its title suggests, the album consists of new and traditional murder ballads, a genre of songs that relays the details of crimes of passion.

<i>Nocturama</i> (album) 2003 studio album by Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds

Nocturama is the twelfth studio album by Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, released on February 3, 2003 on Mute and ANTI-. Produced by Nick Launay, the album is the last to feature founding member Blixa Bargeld who departed from the band shortly after the album's release.

<i>No More Shall We Part</i> 2001 studio album by Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds

No More Shall We Part is the eleventh studio album by Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, released on 2 April 2001 in the UK. The record, which was well received critically, came after a 4-year gap from recording, following the much acclaimed album The Boatman's Call and subsequent 'Best Of' album.

<i>Let Love In</i> (Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds album) 1994 studio album by Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds

Let Love In is the eighth studio album by Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, released on 18 April 1994 on Mute Records.

<i>The Firstborn Is Dead</i> 1985 studio album by Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds

The Firstborn Is Dead is the second studio album released by the post-punk band Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds. It was first released in 1985. On this record, singer Nick Cave continued his fascination with the American South, with its references to Elvis Presley and bluesmen like Blind Lemon Jefferson. The photography is by Jutta Henglein-Bildau.

<i>Kicking Against the Pricks</i> 1986 studio album by Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds

Kicking Against the Pricks is the third album released by the rock music group Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds. First released in 1986, the album is a collection of Cave's interpretations of songs by other artists. The title is a reference to a biblical quote from the King James version of the Bible, Acts 26, verse 14.

<i>Your Funeral... My Trial</i> 1986 studio album by Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds

Your Funeral... My Trial is the fourth studio album by Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, released on 3 November 1986 by Mute Records. Your Funeral... My Trial was originally released as a double EP. The album was issued on CD with a different running order and the additional track "Scum". During this period in his life, Cave was steeped in heroin addiction, perhaps evidenced by the melancholy, desperate mood of this album. This was the final Bad Seeds album to feature Barry Adamson until he returned for Push the Sky Away (2013).

<i>The Good Son</i> (album) 1990 studio album by Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds

The Good Son is the sixth studio album by Australian rock band Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, released in 1990.

<i>Henrys Dream</i> 1992 studio album by Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds

Henry's Dream is the seventh album released by Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, in April 1992.

<i>The Boatmans Call</i> 1997 studio album by Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds

The Boatman's Call is the tenth studio album by Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, released in 1997. The album is entirely piano-based, alternately somber and romantic in mood, making it a marked departure from the bulk of the band's post-punk catalogue up to that point. The Boatman's Call remains one of the most critically acclaimed releases of Nick Cave's career.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Grinderman</span> Australian-American rock band

Grinderman was an Australian-American rock band that formed in London, England, in 2006. The band included Nick Cave, Warren Ellis, Martyn P. Casey and Jim Sclavunos.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Red Right Hand</span> 1994 single by Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds

"Red Right Hand" is a song by Australian rock band Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds. It was released as a single from their eighth studio album, Let Love In (1994), on 24 October 1994. A condensed version was included in the single, while the longer version was included with the album. The title comes from John Milton's epic poem Paradise Lost (1667), in which it refers to the vengeful hand of God.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Conway Savage</span> Australian musician (1960–2018)

Conway Victor Savage was an Australian rock musician. He was a member of Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds, providing piano, organ & backing vocals from 1990 to 2017.

<i>Dig, Lazarus, Dig!!!</i> 2008 studio album by Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds

Dig, Lazarus, Dig!!! is the fourteenth studio album by Australian rock band Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds. The album was recorded in June and July 2007 at The State of the Ark Studios in Richmond, London and mixed by Nick Launay at British Grove Studios in Chiswick, and was released on 3 March 2008.

<i>Live at the Royal Albert Hall</i> (Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds album) 2008 live album by Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds

Live at the Royal Albert Hall is a live album by Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds, released on 24 November 2008. It was recorded on 19 and 20 May 1997 during the tour for The Boatman's Call and eight of these tracks were originally released as a nine-track bonus disc for The Best of Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds. It features a version of "Where the Wild Roses Grow" with vocals by Blixa Bargeld, which is delivered in a way that is similar to the demo version that can also be found on the B-Sides & Rarities three-disc set. These live recordings display the more mellow sound and performances that the group had been showcasing at that period, and would continue to deliver in the later No More Shall We Part.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">We No Who U R</span> 2012 single by Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds

"We No Who U R" is a song by the Australian alternative rock band Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds. Produced by Nick Launay, it is the opening track and lead single from the band's fifteenth studio album Push the Sky Away, and was released on 3 December 2012 on Bad Seed Ltd.—the band's own record label.

<i>Skeleton Tree</i> 2016 studio album by Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds

Skeleton Tree is the sixteenth studio album by Australian rock band Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds. It was released on 9 September 2016 on Bad Seed Ltd. A follow-up to the band's critically acclaimed album Push the Sky Away (2013), Skeleton Tree was recorded over 18 months at Retreat Recording Studios in Brighton, La Frette Studios in La Frette-sur-Seine and Air Studios in London. It was produced by Nick Cave, Warren Ellis and Nick Launay. During the sessions, Cave's 15-year-old son, Arthur, died from an accidental fall. Most of the album had been written at the time of Cave's son's death, but several lyrics were amended by Cave during subsequent recording sessions and feature themes of death, loss, and personal grief.

<i>Ghosteen</i> 2019 studio album by Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds

Ghosteen is the seventeenth studio album by the Australian rock band Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds. It was released on 4 October 2019 on Ghosteen Ltd and on 8 November 2019 on Bad Seed Ltd, both the band's own imprints. Ghosteen is a double album—the band's first since Abattoir Blues / The Lyre of Orpheus (2004)—and the final part of a trilogy of albums that includes Push the Sky Away (2013) and Skeleton Tree (2016).

References

  1. Cave, Nick (2013). The Complete Lyrics: 1978-2013. UK: Penguin. ISBN   9780141912080 . Retrieved 19 July 2014.
  2. "Record Briefs". CMJ New Music Report. 62 (661). 10 April 2000. Retrieved 19 July 2014.
  3. 1 2 "Nick Cave's 30 Greatest Songs". Uncut . IPC Media . Retrieved 19 July 2014.
  4. Jurek, Thom. "No More Shall We Part". allmusic.com. AllMusic . Retrieved 19 July 2014.
  5. Mighall, Robert (2008). Sunshine: One Man's Search for Happiness. John Murray. p. 150. ISBN   9780719595103 . Retrieved 19 July 2014.
  6. Sforzini, Hank (12 February 2013). "14 Musicians Discuss Love Songs". pastemagazine.com. Paste Media Group. Retrieved 8 May 2016.
  7. "Six of the Best: Nick Cave's Long Songs". theransomnote.com. Retrieved 24 September 2023.