Straight to You

"Straight to You" is a song by Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds appearing on their 1992 album Henry's Dream. It was released as a single in 1992 by Mute Records. It charted at no. 68 in the UK and no. 96 in Australia. It gained both contemporary and retrospective critical acclaim.

"Straight to You"
Single by Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds
from the album Henry's Dream
B-side	"Jack the Ripper"
Released	30 March 1992 (1992-03-30)
Recorded	November – December 1991 (1991-12) at Sound City Studios, Van Nuys, CA
Genre	Post-punk, punk blues
Length	4:34
Label	Mute
Songwriter(s)	Nick Cave
Producer(s)	David Briggs
Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds singles chronology
"The Weeping Song" (1990) "Straight to You" (1992) "I Had a Dream, Joe" (1992)

Critical reception

Upon its release, Simon Price of Melody Maker picked "Straight to You" as the magazine's "single of the week". He described the song as "a deliverance hymn" and "a desperate plea for refuge in the face of global catastrophe". He added, "Cave 'oversings' every word (of course), transcending the thin line between stylised Las Vegas camp and absolute sincerity, while The Bad Seeds use C&W mannerisms to create a mood that is pure Gospel."^[1]

Accolades

Year	Publication	Country	Accolade	Rank
1992	NME	United Kingdom	Singles of the Year[2]	12
	Select		Singles of the Year[3]	47
2014	NME		500 Greatest Songs of All Time[4]	218

Formats and track listing

All songs written by Nick Cave.

UK 7" single (MUTE 140)

1. "Straight to You" – 4:34
2. "Jack the Ripper" – 2:47

UK CD single (CD MUTE 140), 12" single (12 MUTE 140)

1. "Straight to You" – 4:34
2. "Jack the Ripper" – 3:44
3. "Blue Bird" – 2:46

Personnel

Adapted from the Straight to You liner notes.^[5]

Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds Blixa Bargeld – guitar, backing vocals Martyn P. Casey – bass guitar, backing vocals Nick Cave – lead vocals, mixing Mick Harvey – guitar, piano, organ, drums, mixing Thomas Wydler – percussion

Production and additional personnel David Briggs – production Tony Cohen – engineering, mixing Anton Corbijn – photography, art direction Chuck Johnson – engineering

Charts

Chart (1992)	Peak position
UK Singles Chart[6]	68
Australian Singles Chart[7]	96

Release history

Region	Date	Label	Format	Catalog
United Kingdom	1992	Mute	CD, 7", 12"	(CD/12) MUTE 140