The Tale Of Nick Cave And PJ Harvey: Love, Longing And Lyrics

On love, longing and music.

Zehra Akyel

4 Sep, 20243 min read

Out of sorrow entire worlds have been built

Out of longing great wonders have been willed

They’re only little tears, darling, let them spill

And lay your head upon my shoulder

Outside my window the world has gone to war

Are you the one that I’ve been waiting for?

The passionate couple of 90's music, PJ Harvey and Nick Cave's romance was one of the brief but intensely raw relationships that hold a lasting impact even after the years of loss, and longing.

'We were like two lost matching suitcases, on a carousel going nowhere.'

Though short-lived, they were deeply moved by each other's company. Their connection was marked by an intensity of raw emotions, compassion, and pure inspiration; which was visible in their work but especially in the album 'The Boatman's Call.' Written after their abrupt, painful break-up, PJ Harvey was the wellspring of those songs written purely from the heart.

'The Boatman’s Call cured me of Polly Harvey. It also changed the way I made music.' Cave delivers. The whole album was a combination of the thoughts, feelings, and pain of a heartbroken man who had the most genuine and romantic relationship with a passionate soul who was a source of pain but turned into a source of inspiration. PJ Harvey's emotional impact on Cave was a muse for this album. Through songs such as West Country Girl, Green Eyes, (Are You) The One That I've Been Waiting For, Nick Cave revealed his sorrow through these songs of love and longing.

There is no need to know what exactly caused them to separate or what happened between the two. What matters is how their music have always moved people deeply, and profoundly. And personally, I was truly captivated by both PJ Harvey and Nick Cave when I first discovered them years ago, and I am still just as amazed by them today.

I would love to finish with Nick Cave's tenderly written letter to PJ Harvey. There is not much to comment on this except to let the words of an unguarded soul speak to you themselves.

"Polly Jean, I love you. I love the texture of your skin, the taste of your saliva, the softness of your ears. I love every inch and every part of your entire body. From your toes and the beautifully curved arches of your feet, to the exceptional shade and warmth of your dark hair. I need you in my life, I hope you need me too."