Matty's Top 50 Nick Cave and Bad Seeds Songs
The time has finally come, the end of this insane journey. This was a blast to say the least, really honing in on what makes these songs special and what makes Nick and all the Bad Seeds over the years such admirable and interesting artists. To those that have been following along, thank you and for those that contributed to the Sput ranking of Nick Cave songs, I appreciate you. Hope y'all have enjoyed this! |
| 50 |  | Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds
Ghosteen
#50 - Leviathan
A song with beautiful lyrics, lovely ambient sounds and tons of emotional depth. |
| 49 |  | Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds
Abattoir Blues/The Lyre Of Orpheus
#49 - Cannibal's Hymn
A mid-tempo bop with lots of acoustic passages and touch sounding lyrics. |
| 48 |  | Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds
Skeleton Tree
#48 - Jesus Alone
A haunting track lyrically with direct references to his deceased son, very emotional and heartbreaking. |
| 47 |  | Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds
No More Shall We Part
#47 - Fifteen Feet of Pure White Snow
A circular lyrical structure that's fun and addictive with a very interesting story interspersed. |
| 46 |  | Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds
Murder Ballads
#46 - Crow Jane
Dramatic, very slow-building and dark. |
| 45 |  | Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds
Let Love In
#45 - Ain't Gonna Rain Anymore
Love the lyricism and beautiful strings on this track. |
| 44 |  | Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds
The Firstborn Is Dead
#44 - The Carny
A very brooding and haunted story coupled with dark and brooding instrumentals. |
| 43 | | Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds
No More Shall We Part
#43 - The Sorrowful Wife
This has one of my favorite Cave vocal performances, the switch up to a more aggressive side is very awesome as well. |
| 42 |  | Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds
The Good Son
#42 - The Hammer Song
An intense tune that's potent and dynamic. |
| 41 | | Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds
No More Shall We Part
#41 - Love Letter
Lovely piano melodies and string compositions. |
| 40 |  | Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds
The Boatman's Call
#40 - West Country Girl
Nice emotive acoustic guitars that offer dark and haunted backdrops. |
| 39 | | Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds
Ghosteen
#39 - Ghosteen
The first of two massive tracks on this record, this one very bright and lush. |
| 38 |  | Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds
Your Funeral... My Trial
#38 - Long Time Man
Awesome songwriting with great ebbs and flows, nice higher range vocals as well. |
| 37 | | Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds
The Good Son
#37 - Lucy
A big dramatic ballad with tons of emotion. |
| 36 | | Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds
Let Love In
#36 - Loverman
A dynamic tune that's abrasive and layered. |
| 35 |  | Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds
Henry's Dream
#35 - John Finn's Wife
Dark, creepy, shadowed, energetic, really awesome track! |
| 34 | | Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds
The Boatman's Call
#34 - Idiot Prayer
The lyrics really stand out on this one along with light piano melodies. |
| 33 | | Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds
Abattoir Blues/The Lyre Of Orpheus
#33 - The Lyre of Orpheus
Love the melody choices as well as the storytelling on this one. Very intense and brilliant. |
| 32 | | Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds
Ghosteen
#32 - Bright Horses
Soft delicate piano and synth melodies help elevate this song above other ambient instrumentals on this record. |
| 31 | | Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds
The Good Son
#31 - The Good Son
Love the orchestral elements on this song, very fitting and adds a whole new dynamic. |
| 30 |  | Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds
Push The Sky Away
#30 - Water's Edge
Dark and haunting yet very lovely and enchanting. |
| 29 | | Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds
Skeleton Tree
#29 - Skeleton Tree
A perfect ending song to a perfect album. Immaculate, loving, desperate, heartbroken. |
| 28 | | Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds
The Boatman's Call
#28 - There Is a Kingdom
Very much in love with the vocal melodies on this one, lots of beautiful ebbs and flows. |
| 27 | | Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds
No More Shall We Part
#27 - Hallelujah
An insanely beautiful cut on a record with lots of beautiful songs. |
| 26 | | Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds
Abattoir Blues/The Lyre Of Orpheus
#26 - There She Goes, My Beautiful World
Intense, frenetic, energetic yet very loving and dense. |
| 25 | | Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds
The Boatman's Call
#25 - Far From Me
A very lonesome and desolate sounding song, very sad and yet beautiful. |
| 24 | | Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds
No More Shall We Part
#24 - As I Sat Sadly By Her Side
Very dramatic and heart wrenching, beautiful vocal performance. |
| 23 | | Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds
Your Funeral... My Trial
#23 - Your Funeral...My Trial
A song made up entirely of beautiful melodies and motifs. |
| 22 |  | Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds
B-Sides and Rarities (Part II)
#22 - Vortex
One of his best tracks is a B-side, Yes. Very catchy and addictive chorus melody with lovely instrumentals. |
| 21 | | Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds
Skeleton Tree
#21 - Girl In Amber
Very amazing and lovely song on an album where the songs just flow so nicely and compliment each other. |
| 20 | | Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds
The Boatman's Call
#20 - People Ain't No Good
That song from Shrek 2 that I never knew was Nick Cave. Very dark and lovely, vibey and pessimistic. |
| 19 | | Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds
Henry's Dream
#19 - Christina The Astonishing
A subdued song on a record that's not very subdued and that helps it stand out. Very immaculate lyrics and vocal performances. |
| 18 | | Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds
Let Love In
#18 - Red Right Hand
Just one of those songs that gets the blood-pumping. The production on Let Love In is absolutely insane and this song really showcases that. |
| 17 | | Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds
Murder Ballads
#17 - The Curse of Millhaven
One of my favorite stories in the Cave canon, very energetic and dense. |
| 16 | | Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds
Ghosteen
#16 - Hollywood
A multi-faceted, dynamic monster of a song that's dark and vibey. |
| 15 |  | Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds
Tender Prey
#15 - Up Jumped The Devil
Dark, brooding, tense, very excellent song with addictive melodies and motifs. |
| 14 | | Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds
Skeleton Tree
#14 - I Need You
A deeply sad song with deep, emotional lyrics. |
| 13 | | Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds
Murder Ballads
#13 - Stagger Lee
Abrasive, visceral, intense, suspenseful. An almost terrifying listening experience with one of Cave's most deranged vocal expressions to date. |
| 12 | | Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds
The Good Son
#12 - The Ship Song
Another song where the lyrics and melodies really steal the show, but the instrumental passages are no slouch. |
| 11 | | Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds
Push The Sky Away
#11 - Push The Sky Away
Beautiful, lush, simple, enchanting, all he descriptive words for this one. |
| 10 | | Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds
Ghosteen
#10 - Spinning Song
Drenched with an immaculate soundscape and absolutely devastating lyrics. |
| 9 | | Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds
Push The Sky Away
#9 - Jubilee Street
Beautiful, layered strings, beautiful lyrics, just a beautiful song all around. |
| 8 | | Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds
The Firstborn Is Dead
#8 - Tupelo
An intense, pulsating display of heavy rhythms and passion. Insanely excellent vocal performance by Nick as well. |
| 7 | | Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds
Ghosteen
#7 - Sun Forest
Probably sort of controversial to have this song so high up on this list but I really love the lyrics mixed with the lush, dense soundscape. Truly beautiful. |
| 6 | | Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds
The Boatman's Call
#6 - Into My Arms
One of the quintessential Cave ballads, immensely heartfelt yet simply executed. |
| 5 | | Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds
Abattoir Blues/The Lyre Of Orpheus
#5 - O Children
Having heard this initially in the Harry Potter film it's featured in, I immediately was drawn to the enchanting soundscape and powerful choral vocals. The songs' consistent building keeps things interesting and fascinating for its 7-minute runtime. |
| 4 | | Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds
No More Shall We Part
#4 - Oh My Lord
This song features one of the most amazing build-ups and payoffs or any Cave song, it's incredibly dynamic and epic without needing to be too flashy. |
| 3 | | Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds
Abattoir Blues/The Lyre Of Orpheus
#3 - Easy Money
An idyllic and beautiful showcase of Nick's voice and range. The melodies and build-ups and immaculately composed and executed. |
| 2 | | Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds
Skeleton Tree
#2 - Distant Sky
A masterclass in subtlety and simplicity, the gorgeousness of the light ambient instrumentals with the devastating lyrics and vocals really establishes this as the highlight of Skeleton Tree. |
| 1 | | Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds
The Good Son
#1 - The Weeping Song
This is the one song for me that blows me away with every listen. The beautiful percussion, the insanely emotive lyrics and vocal delivery, the melodies, it's all perfection. |
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