Darker with the Dawn

This book dives into the world of Nick Cave—a complex and often mysterious icon—and looks at his influences, inspirations, and deeper meanings in his most beloved songs throughout his career. Adam Steiner reflects on Cave’s journey from childhood, struggles with drug addiction, reckoning with Christianity, and many other aspects of the artist.

From his early work with The Birthday Party to the future sounds of Ghosteen, Nick Cave has rewritten the language of rock ‘n’ roll.

Darker with the Dawn uncovers the history and deeper meanings behind Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds’ most well-known songs from “Tupelo”, “The Mercy Seat”, “Red Right Hand”, “Stagger Lee”, “Into My Arms”, to “Higgs Boson Blues” and beyond.

The book explores Nick Cave’s life in music drawing upon his inspirations of the Bible, Greek myth, and literature, as well as his enduring passion for gospel, blues, and progressive rock. Steiner reflects upon Cave's journey from his childhood in Australia, struggles with drug addiction, his young fascination with the nightmare landscapes of America's wild west and the southern gothic towards a reckoning with his own sense of Christian spirituality. In a career spanning four decades Cave's songwriting has moved from the saints and sinners of the traditional murder ballad to piano-based heartbreak songs, deconstructed garage rock and ambient fever dreams delivered through minimalist electronica. Adam Steiner dives into the world of a complex songwriter who, in his universal expressions of love and death, continues to speak to us of the light and shade of humanity.

PRELUDE (TO A NEW DAY)

BOOK I -DUSK-

1 - LET THE LIGHT IN

2 - ROCK & ROLL SAVIOR

3 - IS THIS DESIRE

4 - BAD BLOOD

5 - LAUGHTER IN THE DARK

BOOK II -MIDNIGHT-

6 - ONE EYE ON DEATH

7 - BROKEN TONGUES

8 - A TEAR IN TIME [COSMIC HEX JUNK FRANCHISE]

9 - HERE COMETH THE MAN

BOOK III -DAWN-

10 - ROCK AND ROLL SUICIDE

11 - PRAYERS ON FIRE

12 - IN BLOOM

13 - FIRE IN THE LIGHT

EPILOGUE

Bibliography

About the Author