Julia Jacklin Covers a Rowland S. Howard Classic

Julia Jacklin has covered a Roland S. Howard and Nick Cave song that means a lot to her personally.

Jacklin’s offered a take on “Shivers”, a song by the Boys Next Door, Howard and Cave’s band that would later be known as The Birthday Party.

As Jacklin acknowledged, “Shivers” has “been covered a lot,” but the song is “a special one” for the singer-songwriter.

“It was one of the first songs I ever learnt to play,” Jacklin explained in a statement. “Many Sydney bars, venues and open mic nights have heard me sing this song. Howard wrote it at 16 and I’ve always loved how much the lyrics capture that type of unbridled, dramatic teenage infatuation. The kind that physically hurts but also makes you laugh at yourself.”

Some of the lyrics, truly, could have came from Jacklin’s tender pen: “My heart is really on its knees / But I keep a poker face so well / That even mother couldn’t tell,” she plaintively sings. “That my baby’s so vain / She is almost a mirror / And the sound of her name / Sends a permanent shiver down my spine.”

Jacklin’s cover is part of a tribute compilation to the late Australian producer Tony Cohen, who recorded the original version of “Shivers”. Cohen was instrumental in producing albums by The Birthday Party, The Go-Betweens, Nick Cave and many more Aussie rock greats.

The compilation is timed to accompany Half Deaf, Completely Mad, a posthumous memoir about Cohen’s life pieced together by John Olson.

The late producer’s memoir reflects on his relationship with Cave and provides behind-the-scenes access to recordings by Cold Chisel, Paul Kelly and more.

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