Nick Cave releases new spoken word song, 'Shyness'

Nick Cave has released a new spoken word track called ‘Shyness’, based around a letter he received on his Red Hand Files website.

The spoken word piece is inspired by two letters the musician got from fans Daniel and Vera back in October 2019. The former asked, “What is shyness?”; the latter asked, “What was your first date with your wife like?”

At that time, Cave responded: “Shyness is the tentative sound of the orchestra tuning up before the symphony begins. It is a beautiful, fractured piece of music in itself. It is the orchestra attempting to find its shared intent and is over all too quickly if you ask me.”

Cave added: “My wife, Susie, has a hummingbird shyness. In social situations she displays herself for a magical, weightless moment then darts away. It is as if she is so acutely tuned into the inherent discomfort of others, whether they display it or not, that the situation becomes overwhelming. She is a rare thing, an exhibitionist that hates to be seen.”

It’s not the first time Cave has used a Red Hand Files letter for inspiration: ‘Letter To Cynthia’ dropped earlier this year, appearing as a 7″ single, and was inspired by a question posed by a fan called, you guessed it, Cynthia.

In his reply to that question, Cave discussed the death of his son Arthur, whose death is set to be the subject of Cave’s upcoming memoir, Faith, Hope and Carnage (scheduled to be released next year via Canongate).

Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds also shared ‘Earthlings’ last week, a cut from their forthcoming B-Sides & Rarities Part II album.