Murder Ballads

33⅓ Main Series #151

by Santi Elijah Holley

In a bar called The Bucket of Blood, a man shoots the bartender four times in the head. In the small town of Millhaven, a teenage girl secretly and gleefully murders her neighbors. A serial killer travels from home to home, quoting John Milton in his victims' blood.

Murder Ballads , the ninth studio album from Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, is a gruesome, blood-splattered reimagining of English ballads, American folk and blues music, and classic literature. Most of the stories told on Murder Ballads have been interpreted many times, but never before had they been so graphic or profane. Though earning the band their first Parental Advisory warning label, Murder Ballads , released in 1996, brought Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds their biggest critical and commercial success, thanks in part to the award-winning single, “Where the Wild Roses Grow,” an unlikely duet with Australian pop singer, Kylie Minogue.

Closely examining each of the ten songs on the album, Santi Elijah Holley investigates the stories behind the songs, and the numerous ways these ballads have been interpreted through the years. Murder Ballads is a tour through the evolution of folk music, and a journey into the dark secrets of American history.

Genres: Music, Nonfiction

131 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2020

Reviews

[Kevin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Santi Holley takes each song from Nick Cave's infamous Murder Ballads album and delivers fantastic rabbit hole histories of their lineage, characters, and mysteries. I don't think I've seen another book in the 33 1/3 series get so dang detailed and curious. Though sometimes the book feels less about Nick and his band and more about the history of murder ballads, it gave me a deeper understanding of an album I only recently listened to. Citing everything from The Penguin Book of
Folk Ballads of the English-Speaking World to Greil Marcus to true crime to American Psycho, Holley has dug deep and made what was a dark, violent album even more disturbing.

[Robert · Rating 4 out of 5]

Considering that Nick Cave's intention with Murder Ballads was to anger his fanbase means that this album is a failure.

It is probably the finest in his discography.

Santi Elijah Holley sticks to the original 33 1/3 philosophy of focusing on the album only. There's a section about murder ballads and their function in musical history, then there is a detailed track by track analysis of the characters behind Cave's song, general information about serial killers in literature and the songwriting process behind the tracks. Some anecdotal some disturbing.

Unlike most volumes in the series, the author managed to interview Bad Seeds Mick Harvey and Jim Sclavunos plus the person who directed two promo videos, most notably Where the Wild Roses Grow.

Good Clean Fun

[Erik · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm giving this five stars because it completely accomplishes its goal and as a huge Cave fan, it was exceptionally enjoyable to read. It is a researched analysis of the album's lyrics and song origins, with occasional additional information surrounding the band and their writing process. If you are reading this, you've probably analyzed the lyrics to this album nearly as much as the next fan, so you'll probably find it just as enjoyable comparing your own analysis with this author's.

[Ross Maclean · Rating 5 out of 5]

Delivers just precisely what you want from it: short track-by-track digests about the history of each song on the album (both the events that inspired them and the existing balladic pedigree), with sharp analysis and contextualisation about the recording process. Concise, doesn’t mess about and written in punchy, accessible style that never feels bogged down in authorial theorising.

[John · Rating 5 out of 5]

I think I love this book as much as I love the album that inspired it.

[James Witcombe · Rating 5 out of 5]

33 1/3’s are always great and this is no exception. I loved reading the history of the traditional songs that Cave took inspiration from.

[Morvling Bookink · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very factually dense but very interesting to people who are interested (me)

[Stitch O’Donovan · Rating 4 out of 5]

9.0/10

An insightful look into the culture of murder and the culture of ballads (and how the two intersect). Though not always a direct connection to the works and lyrics of the Bad Seeds, these threads check out and seem to possibly subconsciously influence the writing on the record.

[José Liboy]

¿Qué hay de Wordsworth en sus narraciones? Si encuentras algo ahí, sería milagro. Es como Ossian, que ni en las Mesas. Pero no dudo que debe ser un libro interesante. El único por ese lado que me dejaban leer mis amigos, los profesores de inglés, era el de Truman Capote, In cold blood, que a mi tierna edad estudiantil me sorprendió por su frialdad. Pensé, claro, en lo que se puede ver a simple vista en una carnicería- curioso decirte que ya no aquí, en Puerto Rico, se permite ver a los carniceros en su faena cotidiana. Monterroso, cuando no era cuentista, era dependiente de una carnicería y creo que lo puedes encontrar la anécdota en Cuentos Completos, si tienes la fortuna de dar con una edición de Alianza Editorial. Luego, un libro que tengo en agenda- si quieres, mira el listado- es el caso de San Sheppard, médico acusado de maltrato a su cónyuge. También encuentro no tan claras las referencias ya que uno de mis maestros de inglés me ha hecho llegar muchos de ese autor Sheppard con el que incluso compara las plaquettes que he publicado en su casa editorial que también encuentras en tu maravilloso motor, Goodreads.

[Bridie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nick Cave is one of those artists who I'm constantly coming back to. One of my favourite things about Cave's music is the expansive catalaogue – between his solo work, The Birthday Party, Grinderman, and of course The Bad Seeds, it's difficult to run low on Cave, and I often feel like I'm discovering or rediscovering a new favourite within his body of work. And although Murder Ballads is one of my most frequently listened-to albums (even outside of Cave's work!), Holley's analysis gave me that same sense of discovery which I find so delightful. The interpretation and cataloguing of intertextual and historical references was so fascinating, and it opened up so many new perspectives on an album I've listened to hundreds of times... I didn't think it was possible to love Murder Ballads any more than I already did! I'm enjoying the 33 1/3 series so much – I've finished all the ones on my bookshelf, now, and I can't wait to get my hands on more!

[Rickee1368 · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another stellar volume from the 33 1/3 series of books about seminal music albums, Murder Ballads lays bare the inspirations and contexts of the songs on the album by Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds. Having taught British literature for over two decades, I always included some of the historically relevant murder ballads in my lessons, so I remember eagerly anticipating this album’s release in 1996. It was quite revelatory to learn that some of the songs on the album are steeped in literary and folkloric tradition. Great read!

[Nathan · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you're looking for a book about the actual album and its music, well, this is not that book. But, it's a book written by a storyteller about storytelling, which is what all murder ballads tend to be. You get historical information on where or perhaps what inspired Nick Cave in the lyrical creation, plus you get little tidbits about other musicians associated with similar songs and ballads. It's more of a history book about the murder ballads on the album Murder Ballads, and while not so much about the music, it was an intriguing read nonetheless.

[Jonathan Walker · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars.

This is less a detailed consideration of the album (in particular, it doesn't have much to say about the music) than an essay on the relationship of each song to the larger cultural tradition of the murder ballad. In fact, most of the songs on here have some connection to a specific traditional song or group of songs, which Holley draws out. That's an excellent idea for focussing the discussion, but while I enjoyed reading this and learned plenty of interesting things, it ultimately felt a little shallow.

[Matthew · Rating 5 out of 5]

Exactly what I hoped it would be. Holley devotes a chapter to each of the album’s 10 songs and explores the lyrical connections to traditional ballads, blues songs, folk songs, literary sources, Biblical verses, etc. The analysis and contextualization is just right — informative without becoming exhaustive or overly theoretical. There’s room for a far deeper academic dive into Nick Cave’s lyrics (particularly from a feminist perspective) but that’s not what this book aims to do.

[Paul · Rating 4 out of 5]

The misogyny of the songs and the entire genre seems so obvious to me now, but I had completely overlooked it until reading this excellent book. Of course, there’s more to the book/album than misogyny and Holley does a great job bringing those other elements to the surface. I’ve listened to Murder Ballads many times over the years, but I doubt I’ll ever listen to it the same way again—and that’s a good thing.

[Rich · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love murder ballads, or as i refer to them, Country Death Songs. (Arlene, I’m sorry for what i done.) Despite one of my best friends loving Nick Cave, somehow I’d never listened to this record before. But now, after finding out that PJ Harvey and Kylie Minogue sing on some of the songs, well, my fate is sealed. These are now songs to learn and sing…

[Ben Molina · Rating 4 out of 5]

Incredibly well researched look into the origins of murder ballads, balladry in general, the psyche of Nick Cave's writing and much more. The journalist writing this is incredibly well read and draws many useful and valuable parallels to literature art and music, going back to the 16th century at times. An album for the ages. Helped me annotate and analyse my lyrics of Nick Cave book a lot.

[AJRXII · Rating 2 out of 5]

Fucking awful book. Bar a few interesting facts which is why it got a 2 🌟 So much unnecessary waffle about irrelevant stuff. Took me a couple of weeks to get through this it annoyed me so much. Then I realised to just skip the shit that's nothing to do with the album. BORING.

[James Hill · Rating 3 out of 5]

I've tried to be a Nick Cave fan, but it's never took. Still, I enjoyed Holley's forensic work tracing the roots of each the songs on Murder Ballads. It's a quick read and worth the effort if you're interested in folk music and/or the Bad Seeds.

[Robbie Shepherd · Rating 5 out of 5]

Not only a great book on the album, but on Murder ballads in general. Incredibly informative, with a lot of depth for being a quick read.

[Chillier · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this detailed analysis of one of my favourite Nick Cave albums. Brilliantly written and insightful throughout.

[Stephen · Rating 4 out of 5]

More about murder ballads in general than Nick Cave. And I’m cool with that. I like the 33-1/3 books that expand beyond the limitations of the record and delve into another dimension.