"Murder Ballads" is the ninth studio album by Australian alternative rock band Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds. It was released on 5 February 1996 on Mute Records. As its title suggests, the album consists of new and traditional murder ballads, a genre of songs that relays the details and often consequences of crimes of passion.
"Where the Wild Roses Grow", a duet with Kylie Minogue, was a hit single and won the ARIA Awards for "Song of the Year" and "Single of the Year". Other prominent guest musicians on the album include P.J. Harvey who performed a duet with Cave on "Henry Lee".
The album also proved to be the band's most commercially successful to date. While it wasn't critically acclaimed upon its initial release, it has since been recognized as one of the band's standout works.
The album's material was gathered from various sources, and Cave noted that he had been collecting murder ballads "with a view that one day some of them might find their way onto an album". Several adaptations of traditional songs, as well as original work, are included on the album. Its music is a mixture of the band's signature brooding style, mixing folk, blues, and rock influences.
Cave used these murder ballads to explore the concept of violence and its attraction, showing it raw and unfiltered, instead of glorifying it. This approach brought new life to a centuries-old song form, while also commenting on contemporary issues. Despite the grim subject matter, the album often has a playful, dark humor about it.
