Nick Cave defends himself against criticism of the song “O Wow O Wow”

Last year, Nick Cave and his Bad Seeds they released their 18th album “Wild God” (read the review here), whose penultimate song, “O Wow O Wow (How Wonderful She Is)”start with the verse “She rises in ahead of her panties”. A verse, but above all the word ‘panties’, which left some fans stunned and embittered and pushed Neil and Merel – a British admirer and a Dutch admirer – to express their disappointment by sending a message to the Australian musician to so that he learned of their (but not only their) opposition. Cave responded by providing his own point of view with a message published on his blog ‘Red Hand Files’.

Cave responded of ‘panties’ that “as its creator I feel the need to defend it, not just out of a paternal impulse, but because I’ve always thought the line was pretty good. Actually, when I wrote the first verse of “O Wow O Wow”, I was so happy I took the rest of the day off!”.

In another passage of his answer
Nick Cave
reported: “The opening verse is, of course, a memory of my youthful days with Anita: in this case, she gets up naked from our bed”, a
reference to ex-girlfriend and collaborator, Anita Lane
who died in 2021.

Cave further writes: “This simple, silly and cheerful verse brings Anita’s playful nature to the fore. The vocals echo the first clunky verse, which is out of time and rhythm with the track, giving the verse its sweet, silly naivety. For me, it’s reminiscent of a time when innocent love could be innocent. The discomfort of the “panties” line is, in a sense, the point: it represents a kind of freedom or unburdening, a way of existing outside the constraints of good writing, good taste, or good behavior and becoming something urgent and messy.”

He finally adds: “While I was playing the song on the piano at home, Susie (Cave’s wife, ed.) commented on its tender beauty. I told her it was for Anita and Susie smiled, because she loved Anita as much as Anita loved her. And so, Merel, the song is not only a tribute to Anita from the Bad Seeds, but also from Susie, who sat beside me while I wrote it. Susie understands that many of my lyrics are attempts to keep those who have passed away in our being, not just as vague, dark ghosts, but as fully embodied spells of our love. When the Bad Seeds play “O Wow O Wow” live, I can see on the faces of the audience a collective evocation of the spirit of Anita and, through her, of 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 happy to be remembered. As for the controversial first line, Neil, I think you really like it.”