A collaboration between two music legends could have taken place, though Nick Cave has shared why he turned down the chance to work with Morrissey.
The Bad Seeds frontman shared the collaboration was pitched to him by The Smiths’ former frontman last year. In a post to the Red Hand Files, Cave’s continuing email chain where he answers questions and submissions from fans, The Mercy Seat songwriter confirmed he had been interested in working on the song. Morrissey was dubbed “the best lyricist of his generation” by Cave, though a song pitched to him by the Suedehead singer was turned down. An “entirely irrelevant” instrumental section appears to have been the breaking point for Cave, who noted the “silly anti-woke screed” he was asked to perform was “unnecesarily provocative”.
In his post to the Red Hand Files, Cave shared: “…Morrissey is probably the best lyricist of his generation – certainly the strangest, funniest, most sophisticated, and most subtle. We had a few pleasant email exchanges last year in which Morrissey asked if I’d sing on a new song he had written.
“I would have been happy to do so, however, while the song he sent was quite lovely, it began with a lengthy and entirely irrelevant Greek bouzouki intro. It also seemed that he didn’t want me to actually sing on the song, but deliver, over the top of the bouzouki, an unnecessarily provocative and slightly silly anti-woke screed he had written.
“Although I suppose I agreed with the sentiment on some level, it just wasn’t my thing. I try to keep politics, cultural or otherwise, out of the music I am involved with. I find that it has a diminishing effect and is antithetical to whatever it is I am trying to achieve. So, I politely declined. I said no.”
Even though the collaboration never came to be, Cave was full of praise for Morrissey’s work. Later in his post, Cave shared: “Certain music has the ability, at least temporarily, to fill that void, making us feel whole and less abandoned.
“We feel complete when we listen to music we love, while being guided towards the goodness of things. I find that Morrissey’s music, regardless of how jaundiced and disaffected the songs may sometimes seem, does precisely that – ushers us toward what is true.”
It comes as Morrissey completed a brief tour of the UK, performing shows in Glasgow and Manchester earlier this month. A full setlist for his second show in Manchester, dated June 7, can be found below.
- All You Need is Me
- You’re the One for Me, Fatty
- How Soon Is Now?
- I Wish You Lonely
- Rebels Without Applause
- Sure Enough, the Telephone Rings
- One Day Goodbye Will Be Farewell
- Black Cloud
- I Ex-Love You
- Bonfire of Teenagers
- Everyday Is Like Sunday
- I Know It’s Over
- Life is a Pigsty
- Speedway
- The Loop
- Scandinavia
- Shoplifters of the World Unite
- Jack the Ripper
- I Will See You in Far-Off Places
- Last Night I Dreamt That Somebody Loved Me
- Irish Blood, English Heart
