Bring It On starts out like a typical melancholy Nick Cave ballad: lovely low-key bass intro, some atmospheric violin from Warren Ellis and the soulful voice going on about the garden he has built for his love. We could be back in No More Shall We Part territory. But with the first chorus the Bad Seeds swing into action and a very different song builds.
Chris Bailey of Australian punk band the Saints duets with Cave, there are additional backing vocals by the Blockheads and it all rocks along very happily indeed.
The video that comes on the CD version is similarly deceptive, dark and serious to start with and erupting into mad disco lights with girls in gold hot pants shaking their booty. Almost as much fun as the video for Stagger Lee - and a terrific tongue in cheek comment on current values in the music business.
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