Red Right Hand

For the film, seeRed Right Hand (film).

"Red Right Hand"
SinglebyNick Cave and the Bad Seeds
from the albumLet Love In
B-side	"That's What Jazz Is to Me" "Where the Action Is"
Released	24 October 1994(1994-10-24)
Recorded	September – December 1993
Genre	Southern gothic blues gothic folk gothic rock
Length	6:10(album version) 4:46 (single edit)
Label	Mute
Songwriter(s)	Nick Cave Mick Harvey Thomas Wydler
Producer(s)	Tony Cohen
Nick Cave and the Bad Seedssingles chronology
"Loverman" (1994) "Red Right Hand" (1994) "Where the Wild Roses Grow" (1995)
Let Love Intrack listing
"Do You Love Me?" "Nobody's Baby Now" "Loverman" "Jangling Jack" "Red Right Hand" "I Let Love In" "Thirsty Dog" "Ain't Gonna Rain Anymore" "Lay Me Low" "Do You Love Me? Pt 2"

"Red Right Hand"is a song by AustralianrockbandNick Cave and the Bad Seeds.It was released as a single from their eighth studio album,Let Love In(1994), on 24 October 1994. A condensed version was included in the single, while the longer version was included with the album. The title comes fromJohn Milton's epic poemParadise Lost(1667), in which it refers to the vengeful hand of God.

The song has become one ofNick Cave'ssignature songs,being performed at most of his concerts; only "The Mercy Seat"has appeared in more of his live sets since 1984.It has since become best known for its use in theScreamfilm seriesand later as the theme song to the British period crime drama TV seriesPeaky Blinders,which resulted in the song receiving a re-release single in 2014. It has been covered byArctic Monkeys,PJ Harvey,Iggy Pop,Jarvis CockerandSnoop Dogg,among others.

In 2005, Cave was a guest performer on his former girlfriendAnita Lane's cover of the song.

Background

The town described in the song is loosely based on Cave's hometown ofWangaratta.(Pictured:Wangaratta railway station,1954).

The liner notes forMurder Balladsstate that the phrase "red right hand" is from a line in John Milton's epic poemParadise Lostthat refers to divine vengeance. The opening song on the album, "Song of Joy," states of a murderer: "It seems he has done many, many more, / quotes John Milton on the walls in the victim's blood. / The police are investigating at tremendous cost. / In my house he wrote 'his red right hand'. / That, I'm told, is fromParadise Lost."

The aforementioned appearance inParadise Lost(Book II, 170-174) is: "What if the breath that kindled those grim fires, / Awaked, should blow them into sevenfold rage, / And plunge us in the flames; or from above / Should intermitted vengeance arm again / His red right hand to plague us?". The term itself appears to be Milton's translation of the term "rubente dextera" inHorace'sOde I.2,2-3.

Co-writerMick Harveyrecalled that the song originated during the songwriting process for the band's 1994 albumLet Love In.The lyrics describe "a shadowy, alluring, and manipulative figure, stalking the land and striking a combination of fear and awe everywhere he goes" who is "seemingly part deity, part demon".While writing the lyrics, Cave "filled an entire notebook" with descriptions of the town the song is set in, "including maps and sketches of prominent buildings, virtually none of which made it into the lyrics."Cave later said that the town and landscape depicted in the song is a "reconstructed" version ofWangaratta,his hometown. Biographer Mark Mordue notes that it is "still somewhere real enough for those lyrics to serve as a map that could guide you from one point to another with an eerie familiarity."

In 2004, researcher Kim Beissel claimed that "Red Right Hand" was loosely based on the 1987Tom Waitssong "Way Down in the Hole".

Critical reception

"Red Right Hand" is widely regarded as one of Cave's best songs. In 2020,Far Outranked the song number five on their list of the 20 greatest Nick Cave songs,and in 2023,Mojoranked the song number six on their list of the 30 greatest Nick Cave songs.

Film and television

Advertising

• The song was used in the South Australian Tourism Board'sBarossa Valleytelevision commercial campaign,Barossa, Be Consumed,directed by Jeffrey Darling.
• The song was used by New York design firm GrandArmy in a promotional clip for the Mexican tequila company El Jimador.

Films and soundtracks

• Dumb and Dumber(1994 film)
• Songs in the Key of X: Music from and Inspired by the X-Files(1996)
• Scream(1996 film)
• Box of Moonlight(1996)
• Hellboy(2004), the song appears on the soundtrack in a cover version byPete Yorn
• Cirque du Freak: The Vampire's Assistant(2009)
• Jack Irish: Bad Debts(2012)
• Peaky Blinders(2013–2022), title track of the show – the album version and several cover versions have been played
• Wentworth(2019–2021)
• The Lost City(2022)

Screamfranchise

• The song was used in the first three films in theScreamfranchiseand in the fifth installment of the series, also namedScream,as well as thesixth installment.Scream 4stands as the only film in the franchise not to feature the song. The original version appeared on the soundtrack album for thefirst film in 1996,while a remixed version byDJ Spookyappears on theScream 2(1997) album.
• Nick Cave recorded another version, sometimes referred to as "Red Right Hand 2", forScream 3(2000) and released it on his 3CD compilation album,B-Sides & Rarities(2005).

Television

• The song was used in the 1994The X-Filesepisode "Ascension",playing during Duane Barry's car ride, withDana Scullyin the trunk. In the liner notes for the compilation album,Songs in the Key of X: Music from and Inspired by the X-Files(1996)The X-FilesproducerChris Carterexplained that the song was the direct inspiration for the anthology.
• The song was used in promos for the UK television showHollyoaks,during "Fire Week" in 2010.
• It was used as the main theme for theBBCtelevision showPeaky Blinders.A version by popular English rock bandArctic Monkeysappeared inepisode 3 of series 2,a version by USpunkandgarage rockbandFidlarin theopening episode of series 4,and a cover by British folk singerLaura Marlingin theseason 4 finale.
• The song was the main theme song forABCtelevision programJack Irish,starringGuy Pearce.
• The song was used in theApple TV+television sports comedy-drama showTed Lassoepisode"International Break",playing during Roy Kent's walk into his office wearing a red, orange, and yellow T-shirt gifted by his niece, Phoebe.

Covers

• Englishindie rock bandArctic Monkeysperformed a cover version of "Red Right Hand" during their tour of Australia in early 2009, their performance in theReading and Leeds Festivalin August 2009, as well as in their North American tour in December 2009. A recorded version of the song appears on the Japanese version of their third studio album,Humbug(2009) and as a B-side on the single "Crying Lightning"(2009).
• Australian jazz musicianFrank Bennettrecorded a lounge version of the song for his album,Five O'Clock Shadow(1996).
• Giant Sandcovered the song on their albumCover Magazine(2002).
• Ernst Moldencovered the song inAustrian Germanon his albumWeida Foan.
• Various artists have covered the track for the television seriesPeaky Blinders,includingAnna Calvi,PJ Harvey,Laura Marling,Iggy Pop,Jarvis CockerandSnoop Dogg.

Track listing

• Euro three-track CD single

1. "Red Right Hand"
2. "That's What Jazz Is to Me"
3. "Where the Action Is"

Personnel

• Nick Cave– vocals,organ,oscillator
• Blixa Bargeld– guitar
• Martyn P. Casey– bass guitar
• Mick Harvey– guitar, bells,shaker
• Thomas Wydler– drums,timpani,temple block(fish)

Charts

1994 chart performance for "Red Right Hand"

Chart (1994)	Peak position
UK Indie(OCC)	16

2022 chart performance for "Red Right Hand"

Chart (2022)	Peak position
Hungary (Single Top 40)	26

Certifications

Certifications for "Red Right Hand"

Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
United Kingdom (BPI)	Silver	200,000‡
‡Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

External links

• "Red Right Hand"atDiscogs(list of releases)