Red Right Hand

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"Red Right Hand" is a 1994 song by Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds. It first appeared on the album Let Love In, where it ran at over six minutes. A condensed version was later released as a single.

A dark, ominous alternative rock track, it has become one of Cave's signature songs, being performed at most of his concerts; only "The Mercy Seat" has appeared in more of his live sets since 1984. It has been covered by Arctic Monkeys, PJ Harvey, Iggy Pop and Jarvis Cocker, among others.

The title comes from John Milton's epic poem Paradise Lost, in which it refers to the vengeful hand of God.

Video Red Right Hand

Song title

The liner notes for Murder Ballads point out that the phrase "red right hand" is from a line in John Milton's epic poem Paradise Lost that refers to divine vengeance. The opening song on the album, "Song of Joy," states of a murderer: "It seems he has done many, many more, / quotes John Milton on the walls in the victim's blood. / The police are investigating at tremendous cost. / In my house he wrote 'his red right hand'. / That, I'm told, is from Paradise Lost."

The aforementioned appearance in Paradise Lost (Book II, 170-174) is: "What if the breath that kindled those grim fires, / Awaked, should blow them into sevenfold rage, / And plunge us in the flames; or from above / Should intermitted vengeance arm again / His red right hand to plague us?".

The term itself appears to be Milton's translation of the term "rubente dextera" in Horace's Ode i.2,2-3

Advertising

• The song was used in the South Australian Tourism Board's Barossa Valley television commercial campaign, Barossa, Be Consumed, directed by Jeffrey Darling.
• The song was used by New York design firm GrandArmy in a promotional clip for the Mexican tequila company El Jimador.

Films and soundtracks

• Dumb and Dumber (1994 film)
• Songs in the Key of X: Music from and Inspired by the X-Files (1996)
• Box of Moonlight (1996)
• Scream (1996)
• Hellboy (2004), the song appears on the soundtrack in a cover version by Pete Yorn
• Cirque Du Freak: The Vampire's Assistant (2009)
• Peaky Blinders (2013-present), title track of the show - the album version and several cover versions have been played

Scream franchise

• The song has been used in the first three films in the Scream franchise. The original version appeared on the soundtrack album for the first film in 1996, while a remixed version by DJ Spooky appears on the Scream 2 (1997) album.
• Nick Cave recorded another version, sometimes referred to as "Red Right Hand 2", for Scream 3 (2000) and released it on his B-Sides & Rarities (2005) album.

Television

• The song was used in the 1994 The X-Files episode "Ascension", playing during Duane Barry's car ride, with Dana Scully in the trunk. In the liner notes for the compilation album, Songs in the Key of X: Music from and Inspired by the X-Files (1996) The X-Files producer Chris Carter explained that the song was the direct inspiration for the anthology.
• The song was used in promos for the UK television show Hollyoaks, during "Fire Week" in 2010.
• It was used as the main theme for the BBC television show Peaky Blinders. A version by popular British rock band Arctic Monkeys appeared in episode 3 of series 2, a version by US punk rock band Fidlar in the opening episode of series 4, and a cover by British folk singer Laura Marling in the season 4 finale.
• The song was the main theme song for ABC ( Australian ) television program Jack Irish, starring Guy Pearce.

Maps Red Right Hand

Covers

• English indie rock band Arctic Monkeys performed a cover of "Red Right Hand" during their tour of Australia in early 2009, their performance in the Reading and Leeds Festival in August 2009, as well as in their North American tour in December 2009. A recorded version of the song appears on the Japanese version of their third album, Humbug (2009) and as a b-side on the single "Crying Lightning" (2009).
• Australian jazz musician Frank Bennett recorded a lounge version of the song for his album, Five O'Clock Shadow (1996)
• Giant Sand covered the song on their album Cover Magazine (2002).
• Ernst Molden covered the song in Austrian German on his album Weida Foan.
• Various artists have covered the track for the television series Peaky Blinders, including PJ Harvey, Laura Marling, and Iggy Pop and Jarvis Cocker.

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Track listing

• Euro 3 Track CD Single

1. "Red Right Hand"
2. "That's What Jazz Is to Me"
3. "Where the Action Is"

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Charts

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See also

• Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds discography

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References

Source of the article : Wikipedia