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The Weeping Song

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"The Weeping Song"
Single by Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds
from the album The Good Son
B-side"Cocks 'n' Asses"
Released17 September 1990
RecordedOctober 1989 (1989-10)
StudioCardan Studios (São Paulo, Brazil)
GenreGothic rock
Length4:21
LabelMute
Songwriter(s)Nick Cave
Producer(s)The Bad Seeds
Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds singles chronology
"The Ship Song"
(1990) 		"The Weeping Song"
(1990) 		"Straight to You"
(1992)
Music video
"The Weeping Song" on YouTube

"The Weeping Song" is a song by the Australian rock band Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds. It was released as a single from their sixth studio album, The Good Son (1990), on 17 September 1990 by Mute Records.

The lyrics take the form of a dialogue between father and son, who alternate lines during the verses while singing together on the choruses. The father's part is sung by Blixa Bargeld, while Cave performs the son's part. Cave recalled the song "came out of nowhere with very little thought", one day while he lived in Brazil and walked from his home to a nearby bar he frequented.[1]

Accolades

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Year Publication Country Accolade Rank
1990 Sounds United Kingdom Singles of the Year[2] 47
2007 NME United Kingdom Classic Singles[3] *
2013 Rolling Stone Germany Anniversary Special: 222 Songs[4] *

(*) designates unordered lists.

Formats and track listing

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All songs written by Nick Cave, except where noted.

UK 7" single (MUTE 118)

  1. "The Weeping Song" – 4:20
  2. "Cocks 'n' Asses" (Nick Cave, Victor Van Vugt) – 5:45

UK CD single (CD MUTE 118)

  1. "The Weeping Song" – 4:19
  2. "Cocks 'n' Asses" (Nick Cave, Victor Van Vugt) – 5:46
  3. "Helpless" (Neil Young) – 4:30

US CD single (9 66605-2)

  1. "The Weeping Song" – 4:19
  2. "The Train Song" – 4:46
  3. "The B-Side Song" (Nick Cave, Victor Van Vugt) – 5:46 ("Cocks 'n' Asses" retitled for the US market)
  4. "Helpless" (Neil Young) – 4:30

Personnel

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Adapted from The Weeping Song liner notes.[5]

Charts

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Chart performance for "The Weeping Song"
Chart (1990) Peak
position
Australia (ARIA)[6] 172

Release history

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Region Date Label Format Catalog
United Kingdom 1990 Mute
MUTE 118
United States Elektra CD 9 66605-2

References

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  1. ^ Sanderson, Dominic (2024). Nick Cave And The Bad Seeds: Every Album, Every Song. Sonicbond Publishing, ISBN 9781789520262
  2. ^ "Sounds End of Year Lists: Singles". Sounds. Archived from the original on 16 February 2006. Retrieved 29 September 2015.
  3. ^ "NME Classic Albums & Singles". NME. Archived from the original on 6 January 2006. Retrieved 29 September 2015.
  4. ^ "Anniversary Special: 222 Songs (2013)". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 29 September 2015.
  5. ^ The Weeping Song (booklet). Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds. London, England: Mute Records. 1990.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  6. ^ "Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds ARIA chart history (singles) 1989-2025". ARIA. Retrieved 18 May 2025 – via Imgur.com. N.B. The High Point number in the NAT column represents the release's peak on the national chart.
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