Nick Cave - O Children

In this series of posts, when I introduce a singer or band for the first time, I try to do so with the first song of theirs that I remember, or at least one of the earliest that made an impression on me. Interestingly, I have no idea what the first Nick Cave song I ever listened to was. For years, he was just an awesome singer that I would hear in the background, or even sometimes actively listen to, but I can't remember a particular song. I do, however, remember the first album I bought: Murder Ballads, but that point, I was already familiar with his music. (I'll share songs from Murder Ballads at a later date, in the meantime, you can listen to the whole album with the link above).

What I do remember quite clearly is when and where I was introduced to him. It was in the early 1990s. I was either a student in Toulouse or about to become one, and I was visiting my best friend from childhood. He had two roommates who were pretty cool guys. They were a bit older than me and, sadly, we never became close friends — just friends of friends. Nevertheless, it's interesting how much I owe them for my "cultural education as a young adult", especially with regard to music. I lost touch with them when I left for the US and never saw them again. The one I was closest to crossed the Atlantic shortly afterwards (with Canada as his destination), and as far as I know, he still lives there. I completely lost touch with the other one, who is the one who introduced me to Nick Cave. However, a recent online search told me that he still lives in Toulouse and is the artistic director (and founder?) of a small private theatre in town. Interestingly, while most of my friends and acquaintances from my time in Toulouse have scattered all over France (or even beyond) many of those who stayed work in cultural professions.

Back to Nick Cave. It was during those visits to my friends' apartment that I became familiar with him, and while there have been periods, over the past 30 years or so, when I haven't listened to him much, I always cross paths with him again eventually. I find him enthralling no matter what I listen to, and strangely I don't really have a favorite song or album of his. His latest album, however, is a masterpiece, and some of the songs may be some of his best.

But the song I'm sharing with you today is not from this album either.

Today's song is "O Children." It's from the 2004 double album Abattoir Blues/The Lyre of Orpheus (one of his most acclaimed albums, I believe). Despite the fact that most people who have heard it have no idea who he is, the song could be his most famous in the world. For some reason, it was used in one of the later Harry Potter movies, a series that doesn't usually use pre-existing songs, as far as I know. I remember watching the movie with my kids and being shocked (in a good way) to hear this song.

Admittedly, the choice of this song at that moment in the movie is a bit odd. It's the scene in which Ron has left and Harry and Hermione share a tender dance, making you think it could turn romantic. I really like this moment for many reasons, mainly because such ambiguity of feelings is rarely depicted in kids' movies. However, as I said, the song really feels out of place. Its tone of sadness and despair matches the scene. However, this is not a romantic song at all (nor it is about friendship). It talks about children who are victims of atrocities committed almost casually by adults in many past, present, and future conflicts. While the song doesn't allude to any particular conflict, there are a lot of metaphors that can make you think of the Holocaust. You can find the lyrics on Nick Cave's website.

Okay, that was a very long introduction, so I'm going to stop writing and invite you to listen to this sad, dark, but so beautiful song:

As always, thank you for listening and reading.
If you enjoyed this post, please share it with your loved ones and contacts. If you'd like to hear more songs that I care about, please subscribe.