McCartney Times

As one of the titans of rock music, Nick Cave has lent his murderous and dulcet tones to some of the finest songs by some of the world’s best artists. One particularly perfect performance sees Cave take on the shining ‘Here Comes The Sun’ by The Beatles.

Back in 2001, the Australian singer took on two of the Fab Four’s songs as part of a soundtrack for the film Sean Penn and Michelle Pfeiffer I Am Sam. The film’s soundtrack comprised of entirely Beatles songs saw some notable acts taking on some big tracks.

Artists such as The Vines, Rufus Wainwright, and Eddie Vedder were part of an all-star list of artists covering some of the band’s best work. While Nick Cave delivered a stunning and nuanced cover of ‘Let It Be’ on the regular tracklisting it was the added bonus on the European release which showed Cave’s artistry.

That bonus track was Cave’s cover of the George Harrison-penned track ‘Here Comes The Sun’ which arrived with the 1969 release of Abbey Road. While there are certainly central pillars that hold up Cave’s track to the original, in truth, the Bad Seeds singer takes the song and makes it his own.

If there’s one thing to signify the brilliance of The Beatles’ original version of the track it would be the intro. A delicate morning riff awakens with the sunrise of Harrison’s vision and has become synonymous with lazy days in bed. Cave sees this as superfluous and instead subverts the lead line and with it, completely changes the make-up of everything we know about ‘Here Comes The Sun’.

The next big move Cave makes is his vocal. Far removed from the gentle and nurturing sound of Harrison’s singing, Cave adds whiskey-soaked gravel and a heavy dose of gravity. He adds a double-shot of barfly braggadocio, a couple of cubist arrangements, and swirls it all around to transform ‘Here Comes The Sun’ from a morning tea into a perfect nightcap.

Source: Listen: Nick Cave covers The Beatles’ ‘Here Comes The Sun’