Nick Cave has shared the meaning behind a Wild God song which led him to take “the rest of the day off” work.
The Bad Seeds’ frontman was so pleased with his efforts on O Wow O Wow, a tribute to the late Anita Lane, that he finished working early, and has since explained why he feels “the need to defend” the song.
In his latest post to The Red Hand Files, Cave, 67, commented on the line “she rises in advance of her panties,” which he says was described as “the worst line Nick Cave has ever written” by an unnamed publication. The songwriter behind Into My Arms, O Children, and The Mercy Seat, has since said the song has a deeper meaning, and that his wife, Susie, found the song to be a “tender beauty”.
In response to questions from Neil and Merel, Cave wrote: “You may be encouraged to know that several other people have written to The Red Hand Files expressing similar discomfort at the first line of ‘O Wow O Wow’.
“But as its creator I feel the need to defend it – not just out of some paternal urge, but because I have always thought the line was rather good. Truthfully, when I wrote the first verse of ‘O Wow O Wow‘, I was so pleased, that I took the rest of the day off!”
He went on to explain his thoughts behind the song and its lyrics, adding: “The vocal delivery echoes the clumsy first line, which is out of time and rhythm with the track, giving the verse its sweet, goofy naivety.
“For me, it recalls a time when innocent love could be such. The discomfort of the “panties” line is, in a way, the point – it represents a kind of freedom or unburdening, a way to exist outside the constraints of good writing or good taste or good behaviour and become something emergent and disorderly.
“All this happiness, punctuated by Warren’s untroubled vocoder, leads to the final verse, where we see that Anita has passed away. She is watched over by her friends, who are spirits too, braiding violets through her hair and all agreeing, ‘How wonderful she was.’
“As I played the song on the piano at home, Susie commented on its tender beauty. I told her it was for Anita, and Susie smiled, not scantily, because she loved Anita just as Anita loved her. And so, Merel, the song is not just an honouring of Anita by The Bad Seeds but also by Susie, who sat by my side as I wrote it. Susie understands that many of my lyrics are attempts to keep those who have passed away at the vanguard of our being, not just as vague and shadowy ghosts but as fully embodied incantations of our love.
“When The Bad Seeds play ‘O Wow O Wow‘ live, I can see on the faces of the audience a communal conjuring of Anita’s spirit – and through her, all our various departed, placing them at the forefront of our collective adulation. Understanding Anita, as I do, I know she loves this song and is happy to be occasionally awakened and called back to us. The dead are glad to be remembered. As for the contentious first line, Neil, I think she likes it a lot.”
Cave and The Bad Seeds frequently played the song on their UK tour late last year. You can listen to the Wild God track below.
Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds’ Wild God featured as Cult Following’s seventh-best album of 2024.
