BORN ON THIS DAY - NICK CAVE SANG INTO MY ARMS AT MICHAEL HUTCHENCE'S TELEVISED FUNERAL BUT KEPT HIS PERFORMANCE OFF CAMERA

BORN ON THIS DAY — NICK CAVE SANG “INTO MY ARMS” AT MICHAEL HUTCHENCE’S TELEVISED FUNERAL, BUT KEPT HIS PERFORMANCE OFF CAMERA 🎂

Born on September 22, 1957, in Warracknabeal, Victoria, Nick Cave built a career around music that could be confrontational, tender, violent and deeply intimate—sometimes within the same body of work.

His path led from The Boys Next Door and the post-punk force of The Birthday Party to Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds. By 1997, Cave had reached a quieter turn with The Boatman’s Call, an album opened by the spare piano ballad “Into My Arms.” 🎹

That same year, Australia lost another singular frontman. INXS singer Michael Hutchence died in Sydney on November 22, 1997. Five days later, his funeral was held at St Andrew’s Cathedral before family, friends and fellow musicians. 🕯️

The service was broadcast live and watched by millions. Its official order placed Cave’s performance of “Into My Arms” after the eulogy and before tributes from those closest to Hutchence.

But when Cave’s moment arrived, television viewers did not see it. He refused to allow his segment to be televised, removing his performance from a ceremony otherwise opened to a vast public audience. 📺

Inside the cathedral, however, Cave sang the ballad for his friend. A song released earlier that year—and destined to become one of his best known—was heard there not as a music video, promotional appearance or concert piece, but as part of a farewell. 🎶

The world watched Michael Hutchence’s funeral, yet one of its defining musical moments belonged only to those inside the room.

Sometimes the most powerful performance is the one an artist chooses not to share. 🖤

#NickCave #IntoMyArms #MichaelHutchence #INXS #TheBadSeeds #MusicHistory #BornOnThisDay #musicOnOff