Song · Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds
“Red Right Hand” by Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds
From the album Let Love In (1994)
“Red Right Hand” by Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds appears on 12 radio countdowns from 8 stations between 1998 and 2026. It was first released in 1994 on the album Let Love In. Its best result is #96 on the Triple J Hottest 100 of All-Time (1998). In the combined RockLists rankings it is #3,968 alternative song of all time.
Watch
Video from YouTube (Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds). Pressing play loads YouTube's player. Watch on YouTube
"Red Right Hand" came off Let Love In, Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds' eighth album, and went out as a single on Mute in October 1994, trimmed down from the longer album cut. Cave took the title from Milton's Paradise Lost, where the phrase stands for God's hand raised in vengeance, and wrote the music with Mick Harvey and Thomas Wydler.
It's a slow, creeping menace of a song: Cave's organ and Harvey's tolling bell and shakers, Wydler's drums and timpani rumbling, Blixa Bargeld's guitar and Martyn P. Casey's bass prowling around the edges, with Tony Cohen producing and mixing alongside the band. Cave plays it at most of his shows, the Scream films and Peaky Blinders, which used it as its theme, gave it a whole second life, and PJ Harvey, Iggy Pop and Snoop Dogg are among those who have covered it.
Written with AI assistance from RockLists chart data, MusicBrainz and Wikipedia.
RockLists rankings
Alternative & Modern Rock
Indie & Adult Alternative
All Rock Formats
All-time and decade countdowns
| Year | # | Station | Countdown | of |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1998 | 96 | Triple J | Triple J Hottest 100 of All-Time (1998) | 100 |
| 1999 | 865 | Q101 | Q101 Top 1,011 Songs of All-Time (December 1999) | 1017 |
| 2002 | 1420 | Fred (XM 44) | Fred XM Top 2002 Songs of All-Time (July 2002) | 2002 |
| 2003 | 796 | Fred (XM 44) | Fred XM Top 2044 Songs of All-Time (July 2003) | 2044 |
| 2019 | 163 | KEXP | KEXP Listeners' Favorite Songs of All Time | 627 |
| 2021 | 869 | 90.9 The Bridge | 90.9 The Bridge Top 909 Songs of the '90s | 908 |
| 2022 | 572 | The Colorado Sound | The Colorado Sound Top 900 Songs of the '90s | 900 |
| 2023 | 336 | The Current | The Current's 893 Essential Songs of the '90s | 893 |
| 2023 | 321 | 90.9 The Bridge | 90.9 The Bridge Top 909 Songs of All Time | 909 |
| 2024 | 1027 | WYEP | WYEP Best Songs of the Past 50 Years | 1049 |
| 2025 | 98 | Triple J | Triple J Hottest 100 of Australian Songs (2025) | 100 |
| 2026 | 631 | WYEP | WYEP Greatest Songs of All Time | 1180 |
Comments
Log in or create a free account to join the conversation about "Red Right Hand" by Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds.
No comments yet. Be the first to share your thoughts.