Ghosteen

{{Use Australian English|date=September 2019}}

{{Use dmy dates|date=September 2019}}

{{Infobox album

| name = Ghosteen

| type = studio

| artist = Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds

| cover = Ghosteen - Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds.jpg

| alt = A painting of a wild forest with various animals, including white horses, lions, lambs, leopards, monkeys, swans, flamingos, parrots and butterflies. Sun rays are visible through the trees and a rainbow is visible on the mountainside. Uppercase white text on top reads "Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds"; larger uppercase white text in the centre reads "Ghosteen".

| released = {{Start date|2019|10|04|df=y}}

| recorded = 2018–2019

| studio = *Woodshed (Malibu)

| genre = *Ambient{{cite web|url=https://consequenceofsound.net/2019/10/album-review-nick-cave-and-the-bad-seeds-ghosteen |title=Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds – Ghosteen | Album Reviews|work=Consequence of Sound|last=Thiessen|first=Christopher|date=8 October 2019|access-date=9 October 2019}}

  • electronic{{cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2019/oct/05/nick-cave-and-the-bad-seeds-ghosteen-review|title=Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds: Ghosteen review – a heavenly haunting|work=The Observer|last=Empire|first=Kitty|author-link=Kitty Empire|date=5 October 2019|access-date=7 October 2019}}

| length = 68:10

| label = *Ghosteen

  • Bad Seed

| producer = *Nick Cave

| prev_title = Distant Sky: Live in Copenhagen

| prev_year = 2018

| next_title = B-Sides & Rarities Part II

| next_year = 2021

| misc =

}}

Ghosteen is the seventeenth studio album by the Australian rock band Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds. It was released on 4 October 2019 on Ghosteen Ltd and on 8 November 2019 on Bad Seed Ltd, both the band's own imprints. Ghosteen is a double album—the band's first since Abattoir Blues / The Lyre of Orpheus (2004)—and the final part of a trilogy of albums that includes Push the Sky Away (2013) and Skeleton Tree (2016).

Produced by Nick Cave and Warren Ellis, Ghosteen was written in the aftermath of the death of Cave's son Arthur in 2015. It was recorded primarily in Malibu and West Hollywood, California in the United States, with further sessions in Germany and England. Cave's lyrics, which continue his deviation from his usual narrative-based writing, explore themes of loss, death and existentialism, as well as empathy, faith and optimism. Like Skeleton Tree, the album features extensive use of synthesizers, loops and ambient elements, particularly the minimal use of drums and percussion.

Upon its release Ghosteen was met with widespread critical acclaim. It received several perfect scores and is the highest-rated album of 2019 and the 2010s decade (tied with Kendrick Lamar's To Pimp a Butterfly) on Metacritic. The album placed in the top 10 album charts in several countries and was included in several publications' year-end and decade-end lists of best albums. Both European and North American tours in support for Ghosteen were cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, with all shows rescheduled to later dates in 2021.

Background

In July 2015, during the recording sessions for Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds' sixteenth studio album Skeleton Tree (2016), Nick Cave{{'}}s 15-year-old son Arthur died after falling from the Ovingdean Gap near Brighton, England.{{cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2015/jul/15/nick-cave-son-arthur-dies-brighton-chalk-cliff-fall|title=Nick Cave's son dies after Brighton chalk cliffs fall | UK news|work=The Guardian|last1=Elgot|last2=Khomami|first1=Jessica|first2=Nadia|date=15 July 2015|access-date=9 October 2019}} Skeleton Tree and the related documentary film One More Time with Feeling were released the following year; Skeleton Tree{{'}}s lyrical themes and its "bleak and disturbing" sound led to misconceptions that the album was entirely about Arthur's death.{{cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2019/oct/04/nick-cave-and-the-bad-seeds-ghosteen-review-the-most-beautiful-songs-he-has-ever-recorded|title=Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds: Ghosteen review – the most beautiful songs he has ever recorded|work=The Guardian|last=Petridis|first=Alexis|author-link=Alexis Petridis|date=4 October 2019|access-date=4 October 2019}} The majority of the songs on the album, however, were written prior to his death, with Cave only improvising and amending subsequent lyrics during the album's final sessions.{{cite web|url=https://www.npr.org/sections/allsongs/2016/09/12/493631808/all-songs-1-a-devastating-new-film-about-nick-cave|title=All Songs +1: A Devastating New Film About Nick Cave|work=All Songs Considered|last=Boilen|first=Bob|author-link=Bob Boilen|date=12 September 2016|access-date=9 October 2019}}

Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds returned to live performances in January 2017 and four months later released the compilation album Lovely Creatures: The Best of Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds (2017), which was originally due for release in 2015.{{cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2017/may/04/nick-cave-death-son-struggle-write-tragedy|title=Nick Cave: 'I have turned a corner and wandered on to a vast landscape'|work=The Guardian|last=Mordue|first=Mark|date=4 May 2017|access-date=24 September 2019}} In April 2018, Cave began a series of initially limited question-and-answer events called Conversations with Nick Cave, in which he explored the relationship with his audience;{{cite web|url=https://www.nickcave.com/news/so-what-do-you-want-to-know|title=So, What Do You Want To Know?|work=Nick Cave|date=8 March 2018|access-date=9 October 2019}} Cave's efforts in engaging directly with his fans continued in September 2018 when he began a blog, The Red Hand Files, with a similar concept where fans send in questions. In the same month, keyboardist Conway Savage—a member of the band since 1990—died of a brain tumor, which he had been diagnosed with a year earlier.{{cite web|url=https://pitchfork.com/news/nick-cave-and-the-bad-seeds-conway-savage-dead-at-58|title=Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds' Conway Savage Dead at 58|work=Pitchfork|last=Blais-Billie|first=Braudie|date=3 September 2018|access-date=9 October 2019}} Ghosteen was ultimately dedicated to Savage; however, Nick Cave discussed that the title of the album and lyrical imagery used is based on metaphysical conversations with Arthur.{{cite AV media notes|title=Ghosteen|others=Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds|year=2019|type=Album notes|publisher=Bad Seed Ltd|id=BS016LP}} In the weeks after his death, the band released the extended play Distant Sky: Live in Copenhagen (2018) and premiered a full-length concert film of the same name.{{cite web|url=https://www.nickcave.com/news/distant-sky-ep-live-copenhagen-now|title=Distant Sky EP – Live in Copenhagen Out Now|work=Nick Cave|date=28 September 2018|access-date=9 October 2019}}{{cite web|url=https://diymag.com/2019/04/11/stream-nick-cave-the-bad-seeds-distant-sky-live-film|title=Stream Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds' 'Distant Sky' live film | News|work=DIY|date=11 April 2018|access-date=9 October 2019}}

Recording

Image:AIR Studios, Lyndhurst Hall.jpg in London, England (pictured in 2014), where Ghosteen{{'}}s orchestration was recorded]]

Ghosteen was recorded in various locations in the United States, England and Germany between early 2018 and early 2019, with Nick Cave and Warren Ellis heading production. Initial "improv" sessions began at Retreat Studios in Brighton, England in spring 2018,{{cite web|url=https://www.theredhandfiles.com/tell-us-everything-about-hollywood|title=Issue #78 – Please tell us everything you can about the song 'Hollywood'. It's one of the most powerful pieces of music I've ever heard, and I want to know everything you can tell me|work=The Red Hand Files|last=Cave|first=Nick|author-link=Nick Cave|date=3 January 2020|access-date=20 March 2020}} with a minimal setup of Cave on piano and Ellis on a Yamaha Reface DX synthesizer "sketch[ing] out pieces of music" together; the sessions lasted approximately a week.{{cite web|url=https://www.uncut.co.uk/news/nick-cave-the-mysteries-of-ghosteen-revealed-122570|title=Nick Cave: the mysteries of Ghosteen revealed in the new Uncut!|work=Uncut|last=Richards|first=Sam|date=12 December 2019|access-date=21 March 2020}}

Ellis selected 20 tracks from the Retreat sessions to continue recording at Woodshed Recording Studios in Malibu and NightBird Recording Studios in West Hollywood, California in the US some months later. The Woodshed sessions—during which most of the album was recorded— were held in a single room "surrounded by an Eden-like garden." Cave and Ellis lodged in the house attached to Woodshed for the duration of the sessions, which was subsequently destroyed by the 2019 California wildfires.

Further sessions were held at Candy Bomber Studio in Berlin, Germany and at Air Studios in London, England. The Air sessions featured the recording of a string ensemble with orchestrator Ben Foster. By January 2019, Cave said he and the Bad Seeds had "nearly finished a new record".{{cite web|url=https://www.nme.com/news/music/nick-cave-bad-seeds-new-album-2019-amazing-update-2436527|title=Nick Cave shares update on 'amazing' new Bad Seeds album|work=NME|last=Skinner|first=Tom|date=22 January 2019|access-date=23 September 2019}} Ghosteen was subsequently mixed by Cave, Ellis, Lance Powell and Andrew Dominik at Conway Recording Studios in Los Angeles, California and mastered by Chris Gehringer.

Warren Ellis described the album's recording sessions as having a "spiritual" quality to them, noting: "[The Ghosteen recording process] was seemingly otherworldly. The ten days we did in Malibu were like... they were some of the happiest days I've ever lived on this earth. They were days filled with continual wonder and disbelief at what was coming out. It felt like someone, or something, wanted us to make it. It was a truly spiritual experience."{{cite magazine|last=Lynskey |first=Dorian |date= September 2024 |title=Dark Victory: Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds Interview|magazine= Mojo}}

Composition

Ghosteen is a double album—Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds' first since Abattoir Blues / The Lyre of Orpheus (2004)—and contains 11 tracks. The first part of the album features eight songs, which Nick Cave describes as "the children"; the second part of the album contains two longer songs and a spoken-word track, which he describes as "their parents". In summarising Ghosteen, Cave referred to the album both as "a migrating spirit"{{cite web|url=https://www.theredhandfiles.com/when-can-we-expect-a-new-album|title=Issue #62 – When can we expect a new album?|work=The Red Hand Files|last=Cave|first=Nick|author-link=Nick Cave|date=23 September 2019|access-date=23 September 2019}} and the final part of a trilogy of albums the band began with Push the Sky Away (2013), which also includes Skeleton Tree.

=Lyrics=

Cave began writing lyrics for the songs on Ghosteen in February 2017,{{cite web|url=https://www.gq.com/story/the-love-and-terror-of-nick-cave|title=The Love and Terror of Nick Cave|work=GQ|last=Heath|first=Chris|author-link=Chris Heath|date=27 April 2017|access-date=25 September 2019}} when a series of images he visualised while in Oslo, Norway became the basis for a later verse in the song "Hollywood". According to Cave, "within this sudden vision the whole of the album presented itself". Cave, who had "very deliberately" not written since the end of 2015 when amending the lyrics for Skeleton Tree, attributed a "new sort of lyrical confidence" to a subsequent process of "enforced shutdown", where he would "confine [him]self to barracks for a while". The album's lyrics were written at Cave's home in Brighton, a change from his usual "disciplined" routine of writing lyrics in a private office. The change in environment and routine led to Cave "amassing a stockpile of lines and thoughts, images and ideas" instead of writing songs in a more traditional manner.

As with the lyrics on Skeleton Tree, Cave abandoned the narrative-based approach he was known for, as he believed it to be "restrictive". Explaining his new approach to writing, Cave said: "The idea that we live life in a straight line, like a story, seems to me to be increasingly absurd and, more than anything, a kind of intellectual convenience … There is a pure heart, but all around it is chaos." In the first-ever issue of The Red Hand Files, Cave elaborated that he found an authentic "way to write beyond the trauma … that deals with all manner of issues but does not turn its back on the issue of the death of my child". He said this new-found method allowed him to write "beyond the personal into a state of wonder. In doing so the colour came back to things with a renewed intensity and the world seemed clear and bright and new."{{cite web|url=https://www.theredhandfiles.com/writing-challenge-skeleton-tree|title=Issue #1 – I would love to know how you feel about your writing now. Did it get easier after what seemed to be quite a challenge around "Skeleton Tree"? (I think I remember you saying in "One More Time with Feeling" that you kind of lost your grip on lyric writing for a while). Do you feel like you are changing now as a songwriter, perhaps in the light of the strong communion with fans? How is the process now?|work=The Red Hand Files|last=Cave|first=Nick|author-link=Nick Cave|date=14 September 2018|access-date=23 September 2019}}

{{quote box|width=30em|bgcolor=#f0f0f0|"At times Ghosteen may feel unmoored and homeless, but it is pointed firmly toward paradise, the crew is joyous, the world smiles, and the sun bursts over the edge of the earth."|source=—Nick Cave commenting on the mood of Ghosteen, in response to whether it was uplifting or sad{{cite web|url=https://www.theredhandfiles.com/uplifting-jubilant-record|title=Issue #73 – Many people have remarked that Ghosteen is a sad album, but I don't think it is at all. In fact I don't think I've ever heard a more uplifting, jubilant record before. When I listened to it the first time alone, I was brought to tears. And when I listened to it again with my friend, both of us sitting in the car in complete silence, we both felt moved by its brightness and gentle optimism. Why do you think people are reacting so differently to it? I almost feel like I've misinterpreted it|work=The Red Hand Files|last=Cave|first=Nick|author-link=Nick Cave|date=26 November 2019|access-date=20 March 2020}}}}

Several publications described Ghosteen{{'}}s lyrics as dealing with themes of loss, death, grief,{{cite web|url=https://www.independent.ie/entertainment/music/music-reviews/nick-cave-the-bad-seeds-ghosteen-album-review-the-atmosphere-of-sadness-is-so-intense-that-it-is-sometimes-difficult-to-listen-to-38565091.html|title=Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds 'Ghosteen' album review: 'The atmosphere of sadness is so intense that it is sometimes difficult to listen to'|work=Irish Independent|last=Egan|first=Barry|date=5 October 2019|access-date=9 October 2019|url-access=subscription}}{{cite web|title=Review: Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds's Ghosteen Is a Haunting Meditation on Grief|url=https://www.slantmagazine.com/music/review-nick-cave-and-the-bad-seeds-ghosteen-is-a-haunting-meditation-on-grief|work=Slant Magazine|last=Richmond|first=Anna|date=7 October 2019|access-date=7 October 2019}} and existentialism,{{cite web|url=https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/nick-cave-and-the-bad-seeds-ghosteen/|title=Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds: Ghosteen Album Review|work=Pitchfork|last=Currin|first=Grayson Haver|date=8 October 2019|access-date=9 October 2019}} but also noted positive themes such as empathy, faith and optimism. Several lyrical motifs and phrases are repeated and referenced throughout different songs, as well as recurring imagery of nature, the elements and Christianity.{{cite web|url=https://www.newstatesman.com/culture/music-theatre/2019/10/nick-cave-s-new-album-ghosteen-has-completely-floored-me-good-way|title=Nick Cave's new album Ghosteen has completely floored me. In a good way|work=New Statesman|last=Thorn|first=Tracey|author-link=Tracey Thorn|date=18 October 2019|access-date=12 November 2019}} In addition to Cave's Christian imagery, the lyrics for the closing track "Hollywood" reference the story of Kisa Gotami, a Buddhist arhat who seeks help from the Buddha after the death of her child and discovers that "no one is untouched by loss." Cave himself later commented on the inclusion of the Kisa story, saying it "had been of great significance and comfort to me for years and at some point I jotted it down in verse form, completely independent of anything else, and with no intention of it being a song."

=Music=

Described by Pitchfork as Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds' "most musically esoteric record", Ghosteen is an ambient and electronic music album. Like Skeleton Tree, it features extensive use of analogue synthesizers, sparse piano,{{cite web|url=https://www.scotsman.com/arts-and-culture/music/album-review-nick-cave-the-bad-seeds-ghosteen-1-5017756|title=Album review: Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds: Ghosteen|work=The Scotsman|last=Shepherd|first=Fiona|date=4 October 2019|access-date=9 October 2019}} choral harmonies and drones.{{cite web|url=https://www.thelineofbestfit.com/reviews/albums/nick-cave-ghosteen-album-review|title=Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds – Ghosteen | Album Review|work=The Line of Best Fit|last=Cartledge|first=Luke|date=4 October 2019|access-date=4 October 2019}} Orchestral strings are also a prominent feature of the album; the strings were arranged by conductor Ben Foster, with assistance from Sam Thompson. A five-piece string ensemble—featuring two violins, viola, cello and double bass—are featured in addition to Warren Ellis' violin. Other instrumentation on the album includes several woodwinds, gamelan chimes, an ondes Martenot and tablas.

Several critics emphasised Ghosteen{{'}}s infrequent use of Thomas Wydler{{'}}s drums and Jim Sclavunos{{'}} percussion in contrast to the band's previous albums.{{cite web|url=https://www.nme.com/reviews/nick-cave-ghosteen-review-2553785|title=Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds – 'Ghosteen' review: a beautiful account of harrowing grief|work=NME|last=Aubrey|first=Elizabeth|date=4 October 2019|access-date=28 November 2019}} Wydler had recorded drum tracks for several songs, but Cave felt "the drums anchored the songs to the ground and didn't allow them to float". Most of Wydler's tracks were subsequently removed from the final mix, a decision that Cave said was "not made lightly or on a whim, rather it was a tough artistic decision determined by the needs of the songs themselves."

{{Listen|filename=Hollywood - Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds.ogg|title="Hollywood"|description=The closing track features Nick Cave's sparse use of piano alongside Warren Ellis{{'}} analogue synthesizer and loops.}}

All of the music on Ghosteen was composed together by Cave and Ellis. Describing their writing process as "something chemical", Andrew Dominik—who co-mixed the album and who was present at the Woodshed sessions in 2018—said that "Nick is more into formal ideas of structure and whether or not a piece of music sounds good. Warren doesn't give a fuck about anything except how a piece of music feels. Nick doesn't really let his control go, but working with somebody like Warren allows him to move … They react to each other." "Hollywood" was based around a loop and "circular synth chords" that were originally composed by Ellis, which Cave further improvised on top of. The original "Hollywood" jam was significantly longer and only the final 15 minutes were edited for use as the album version, as Cave considered the track mostly "unusable" apart from the final "mysterious and compelling" section.

Cave—usually known for his "stiff baritone"—{{cite web|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/music/rockandpopmusic/6654478/Top-ten-great-singers-who-cant-sing.html|title=Top ten great singers who can't sing|work=The Daily Telegraph|last=McCormick|first=Neil|author-link=Neil McCormick|date=26 November 2009|access-date=9 October 2019}} sings on several tracks in a falsetto vocal register, which has been noted for its "quavering, trembling" and "tremulous" quality.{{cite web|url=https://www.gigwise.com/reviews/3361881/album-review-nick-cave-and-the-bad-seeds-ghosteen|title=Album Review: Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds – Ghosteen|work=Gigwise|last=Khandwala|first=Anoushka|date=4 October 2019|access-date=9 October 2019}}

Packaging

Ghosteen{{'}}s title is a combination of the word "ghost" and the Irish-language suffix "ín" (anglicised as "een"), which translates to English as "little", "small" or "benevolent". Cave took the title from a book about Irish tinkers, in which the author believes his crying child has been possessed by a ghost.{{cite web|url=https://thequietus.com/articles/27245-nick-cave-and-the-bad-seeds-ghosteen-meaning-review|title=Features | Wonderland: Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds' 'Ghosteen' Reviewed|work=The Quietus|last=Clarke|first=Patrick|date=7 October 2019|access-date=7 October 2019}} However, the title has often been misinterpreted as a portmanteau of "ghost" and "teen".{{cite web|url=https://www.gq-magazine.co.uk/culture/article/nick-cave-ghosteen|title=Nick Cave's new album is the saddest listen of 2019|work=GQ|last=Dean|first=Jonathan|date=4 October 2019|access-date=5 November 2019}}{{cite web|url=https://music.mxdwn.com/2019/10/21/reviews/nick-cave-and-the-bad-seeds-ghosteen|title=Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds – Ghosteen|work=mxdwn|last=Flores|first=Stefan|date=21 October 2019|access-date=5 November 2019}}

Ghosteen{{'}}s sleeve was designed by Cave and Hingston Studio, an independent creative agency based in London which had designed several previous Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds' releases. The album's front cover art features an edited version of The Breath of Life, a 2001 painting by the artist Tom duBois from his Eden series. It depicts the biblical Garden of Eden, with various wildlife and colourful scenery. Creative Review{{'}}s Rachael Steven commented that "in an era of … record sleeves with dark and dystopian themes, the image stands out for its radiant optimism",{{cite web|url=https://www.creativereview.co.uk/the-best-record-sleeves-of-2019|title=The best record sleeves of 2019|work=Creative Review|last=Steven|first=Rachael|date=10 December 2019|access-date=29 May 2020}} while The Observer{{'}}s Kitty Empire described the artwork as a "kitsch paradise" that signified "a radical change of emotional landscape" for the band. The album's inner sleeve features photographs of Cave and Warren Ellis shot by Matthew Thorne.

Release

Ghosteen was released on 4 October 2019 on streaming services and as a digital download on Ghosteen Ltd.{{cite web|url=https://music.apple.com/gb/album/1479214340|title=Ghosteen by Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds|work=Apple Music|access-date=24 September 2019}} Double CD and LP editions were released a month later on 8 November{{cite web|url=https://www.nickcave.com/news/ghosteen-the-new-album|title=Ghosteen – The New Album|work=Nick Cave|date=24 September 2019|access-date=24 September 2019}} on Bad Seed Ltd; both Ghosteen and Bad Seed are the band's own imprints.{{cite web|url=https://www.roughtrade.com/gb/nick-cave-and-the-bad-seeds/ghosteen/lp-x2|title=Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds – Ghosteen – LP×2|work=Rough Trade|access-date=24 September 2019}} The album was announced by Nick Cave in response to a fan question on The Red Hand Files, on 23 September. The title, track listing and brief descriptions of the album's songs were revealed; a second follow-up post the same day included the album's cover art.{{cite web|url=https://www.theredhandfiles.com/when-can-we-expect-a-new-album-2|title=Issue #63 – When we can we expect a new album?|work=The Red Hand Files|last=Cave|first=Nick|author-link=Nick Cave|date=23 September 2019|access-date=23 September 2019}} The lyrics to "Fireflies", Ghosteen{{'}}s penultimate track, had previously been published in the first-ever issue of The Red Hand Files a year prior.

Several album-listening events were held in 33 cities in Australia, Europe and the US on 3 October, alongside a worldwide YouTube stream featuring an animated lyric film directed by Tom Hingston.{{cite web|url=https://www.spin.com/2019/10/nick-cave-bad-seeds-ghosteen|title=Listen to Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds' New Album Ghosteen|work=Spin|last=Burks|first=Tosten|date=3 October 2019|access-date=4 October 2019}} The film, which was later released as separate parts per song, features "a kaleidoscopic backdrop that shift[s] in colour and texture as the viewer passe[s] through the sequence – each vista making subtle reference to the theme behind the individual song."{{cite web|url=https://www.hingston.net/work/nick-cave-the-bad-seeds|title=Ghosteen Campaign|work=Hingston Studio|access-date=21 March 2020}}

In support of Ghosteen, Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds announced a 33-date European and UK tour, due to begin on 19 April 2020 in Lisbon, Portugal and conclude on 17 June in Tel Aviv, Israel.{{cite web|url=https://www.nickcave.com/news/european-and-uk-tour-2020|title=Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds European and UK Tour 2020|work=Nick Cave|date=18 October 2019|access-date=12 November 2019}} An 18-date North American tour, beginning on 16 September in Minneapolis, Minnesota, US and concluding on 17 October in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, was also later announced.{{cite web|url=https://www.spin.com/2020/02/nick-cave-the-bad-seeds-announce-north-american-tour-dates|title=Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds Announce Fall Tour Dates|work=Spin|last=Kohn|first=Daniel|date=18 February 2020|access-date=21 March 2020}} A month prior to its commencement, it was announced that the European and UK tour was cancelled in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, with all shows rescheduled to later dates in 2021;{{cite web|url=https://www.nme.com/news/music/coronavirus-nick-cave-the-bad-seeds-cancel-european-and-uk-tour-2630050|title=Coronavirus: Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds cancel European and UK tour|work=NME|last=Reilly|first=Nick|date=19 March 2020|access-date=19 March 2020}} three months later the North American tour was also cancelled.{{cite web|url=https://exclaim.ca/music/article/nick_cave_and_the_bad_seeds_cancel_north_american_tour|title=Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds Cancel North American Tour|work=Exclaim!|last=Gregory|first=Allie|date=9 June 2020|access-date=10 June 2020}} In lieu of the cancelled shows, Cave recorded a solo performance that June at Alexandra Palace{{'}}s West Hall in London, which featured songs from Ghosteen. The full performance was streamed globally as a concert film, Idiot Prayer: Nick Cave Alone at Alexandra Palace, on 23 July.{{cite magazine|url=https://www.billboard.com/articles/news/9413083/nick-cave-idiot-prayer-virtual-concert-alexandra-palace|title=Nick Cave's 'Idiot Prayer' Virtual Concert Will Feature 'Rare Tracks'|magazine=Billboard|last=Brandle|first=Lars|date=3 July 2020|access-date=8 July 2020}} An extended version of the film, featuring four songs omitted from the original stream, was released in cinemas worldwide on 5 November, followed by double CD and LP, download and streaming releases on 22 November.{{cite web|url=https://www.nickcave.com/news/idiot-prayer-album-and-cinema-release|title=Idiot Prayer – album and cinema release|work=Nick Cave|date=3 September 2020|access-date=12 September 2020}} Songs from Ghosteen were first performed by Cave and Ellis with singers and a string quartet in the documentary film This Much I Know to Be True, directed by Andrew Dominik and released in 2022. The documentary was filmed in spring 2021 before Cave and Ellis's UK tour.{{Cite web|author=Uncommon Creative Studio|date=19 January 2022|title=Nick Cave and Warren Ellis to Star in Feature Documentary 'This Much I Know To Be True'|url=https://www.lbbonline.com/news/nick-cave-and-warren-ellis-to-star-in-feature-documentary-this-much-i-know-to-be-true|access-date=9 May 2022|website=www.lbbonline.com}}

Reception

=Critical response=

{{Album ratings

| ADM = 9.0/10{{cite web|url=http://www.anydecentmusic.com/review/10104/Nick-Cave-And-The-Bad-Seeds-Ghosteen.aspx|title=Ghosteen by Nick Cave And The Bad Seeds reviews|work=AnyDecentMusic?|access-date=11 October 2019}}

| MC = 96/100{{cite web|url=https://www.metacritic.com/music/ghosteen/nick-cave-the-bad-seeds|title=Ghosteen by Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds Reviews and Tracks|work=Metacritic|access-date=28 November 2019}}

| rev1 = AllMusic

| rev1score = {{Rating|4.5|5}}{{cite web|url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/ghosteen-mw0003321217|title=Ghosteen – Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds / Nick Cave|work=AllMusic|last=Deming|first=Mark|access-date=22 April 2020}}

| rev2 = The A.V. Club

| rev2score = A{{cite web|url=https://www.avclub.com/on-ghosteen-nick-cave-invites-us-into-his-bright-abyss-1838846105|title=On Ghosteen, Nick Cave invites us into his bright abyss|work=The A.V. Club|last=Garner|first=Marty Sartini|date=7 October 2019|access-date=7 October 2019|archive-date=7 October 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191007183052/https://music.avclub.com/on-ghosteen-nick-cave-invites-us-into-his-bright-abyss-1838846105|url-status=live}}

| rev3 = The Daily Telegraph

| rev3score = {{Rating|5|5}}{{cite web|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/music/what-to-listen-to/nick-cave-bad-seeds-ghosteen-review-haunting-study-grief-not|title=Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, Ghosteen review: this haunting study of grief is not for the faint-hearted|work=The Daily Telegraph|last=McCormick|first=Neil|author-link=Neil McCormick|date=4 October 2019|access-date=4 October 2019|url-access=subscription}}

| rev4 = The Guardian

| rev4score = {{Rating|5|5}}

| rev5 = The Independent

| rev5score = {{Rating|5|5}}{{cite web|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/music/reviews/nick-cave-and-the-bad-seeds-review-ghosteen-album-tracklist-grief-son-tour-a9142876.html|title=Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds review, Ghosteen: Cave sounds buoyed, not weakened, by exposing his wounds on this astonishing album|work=The Independent|last=Brown|first=Helen|date=4 October 2019|access-date=4 October 2019}}

| rev6 = NME

| rev6score = {{Rating|5|5}}

| rev7 = The Observer

| rev7score = {{Rating|5|5}}

| rev8 = Pitchfork

| rev8score = 8.8/10

| rev9 = Rolling Stone

| rev9score = {{Rating|4.5|5}}{{cite magazine|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-album-reviews/nick-cave-ghosteen-album-review-896760|title=Nick Cave Looks for Peace and Finds Hope on 'Ghosteen'|magazine=Rolling Stone|last=Grow|first=Kory|date=10 October 2019|access-date=11 October 2019}}

| rev10 = The Times

| rev10score = {{Rating|5|5}}{{cite web|url=https://www.thetimes.com/article/nick-cave-and-the-bad-seeds-ghosteen-review-from-the-deepest-grief-to-fantastical-splendour-6lxccf77c|title=Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds: Ghosteen review — from the deepest grief to fantastical splendour|work=The Times|last=Hodgkinson|first=Will|author-link=Will Hodgkinson|date=4 October 2019|access-date=4 October 2019|url-access=subscription}}

}}

Ghosteen received widespread acclaim from critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a weighted average rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream publications, it received an average score of 96, based on 28 reviews, making it the highest-scoring album of 2019.{{cite web|url=https://www.metacritic.com/browse/albums/score/metascore/year/filtered?sort=desc&year_selected=2019|title=Best Music and Albums for 2019|work=Metacritic|access-date=30 January 2020}} Writing for The Guardian, Alexis Petridis summarised that Ghosteen featured "the most beautiful songs [Cave] has ever recorded" and awarded it a full five-out-of-five-star rating. Petridis considered the album to be "an infinitely warmer, sweeter sibling" to Skeleton Tree, noting that "it continues and extends the weightless, drifting style of its two predecessors." In another five-star review for NME, Elizabeth Aubrey said "if Skeleton Tree gave a glimpse into grief in its immediate aftermath, Ghosteen is a grief considered", drawing comparisons between Cave's lyrics and C. S. Lewis{{'}} A Grief Observed (1960), in that the album "feels like the trying-to-make-sense stage of grief, even when there's often no sense to be found." Aubrey praised Ghosteen as "a work of extraordinary, unsettling scope", calling it the Bad Seeds' most beautiful album "and also one of the most singularly devastating."

The Independent reviewer Helen Brown called Ghosteen "astonishing" in a five-out-of-five-star review, praising in particular Cave's vocals and lyrics and Warren Ellis' use of analogue synthesizers, which she described as "a warm cloud of ambient solace". Clash reviewer Josh Gray awarded Ghosteen a nine-out-of-ten rating, calling the album "another chapter in Cave's captivating quest for meaningful connection in a world where we so often feel disconnected", and surmising that Ghosteen is "not a blissful or comfortable album, but it is a hopeful one … another open letter straight from artist to audience that cuts right to the core of what means to have loved, lost and loved again."{{cite web|url=https://www.clashmusic.com/reviews/nick-cave-and-the-bad-seeds-ghosteen|title=Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds – Ghosteen | Reviews|work=Clash|last=Gray|first=Josh|date=4 October 2019|access-date=4 October 2019}} The A.V. Club{{'}}s Marty Sartini Garner gave the album an A rating, praising its instrumentation, the otherworldly and spiritual quality of Cave's lyrics and its surprising accessibility.

In a full five-star review for The Observer, Kitty Empire praised the "subtle evolutions in mood and instrumentation" in the band's sound on Ghosteen, which she said "come to peaks that are made all the more stunning by their scarcity." Empire drew comparisons to "the gravitas" of Leonard Cohen and the "hoarse, harsh beauty" of Scott Walker{{'}}s final releases. Pitchfork rated the album 8.8 out of 10, with reviewer Grayson Haver Currin calling it "sublime" and saying it "may be the most poignant album of [Cave's] storied career." Currin further praised Ghosteen{{'}}s lyrical balance between abstract fantasies and the reality of grief, concluding that "you don’t need to be an expert in Cave's wider cosmology to be swept inside of Ghosteen … You only need the ability to suffer and the desire to survive." Writing in Hot Press, Pat Carty stated that Ghosteen features "an artist laying himself bare" and called it "art as bleak as it is beautiful, and one can only hope it offers some sort of catharsis – some modicum of relief – to its creator."{{cite web|url=https://www.hotpress.com/music/album-review-nick-cave-bad-seeds-ghosteen-22792461|title=Album Review: Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds, Ghosteen|work=Hot Press|last=Carty|first=Pat|date=23 October 2019|access-date=31 October 2019}}

In a year-end essay for Slate, Ann Powers cited Ghosteen as one of her favorite albums from 2019 and proof that the format is not dead but rather undergoing a "metamorphosis". She added that concept albums had reemerged through the culturally relevant autobiographical narratives of artists such as Cave, who "offered a grand tour of his own haunted house of mourning four years after the accidental death of his son".{{cite magazine|url=https://slate.com/culture/2019/12/music-club-2019-concept-albums-not-dead.html|title=The album is evolving.|magazine=Slate|last=Powers|first=Ann|author-link=Ann Powers|date=17 December 2019|access-date=15 September 2020}}

=Commercial performance=

Ghosteen placed in the top ten of several international album charts, including Australia, Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, Germany, Hungary, Ireland,{{cite web|url=http://www.irma.ie/index.cfm?page=irish-charts&chart=Albums|title=Irish Albums Chart: 15 November 2019|work=Irish Recorded Music Association|access-date=16 November 2019}} Italy, Poland, Scotland, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and the United Kingdom. It peaked at number one in Belgium on Flanders{{'}} Ultratop albums chart, in Portugal on the Associação Fonográfica Portuguesa (AFP) albums chart, as well as multiple UK charts, including the Independent Albums and Vinyl Albums charts.{{cite web|url=https://www.officialcharts.com/charts/vinyl-albums-chart/20191115/9|title=Official Vinyl Albums Chart Top 40|work=Official Charts Company|access-date=19 November 2019}}

Ghosteen was the best-selling LP in the UK in its first week of physical release,{{cite web|url=https://www.officialcharts.com/chart-news/the-script-edge-ahead-of-snow-patrol-and-michael-ball-alfie-boe-in-the-race-for-this-week-s-number-1-album__27711|title=The Script have midweek Albums Chart lead over Snow Patrol and Ball & Boe|work=Official Charts Company|last1=White|first=Jack|date=11 November 2019|access-date=12 November 2019}} with 15,135 copies sold.{{cite web|url=https://www.musicweek.com/analysis/read/charts-analysis-the-script-score-fifth-no-1-album/078097|title=Charts analysis: The Script score fifth No.1 album|work=Music Week|last=Jones|first=Alan|date=15 November 2019|access-date=19 November 2019|url-access=subscription}} It previously sold 6,396 copies in the UK its first week of digital-only release.{{cite web|url=https://www.musicweek.com/analysis/read/charts-analysis-tones-and-i-strengthens-position-at-no-1/077720|title=Charts analysis: Tones and I strengthens position at No.1|work=Music Week|last=Jones|first=Alan|date=11 October 2019|access-date=19 November 2019|url-access=subscription}} By the end of 2019, Ghosteen had sold 30,929 copies overall in the UK—with streams accounting for 12.5 per cent of sales—and was the twenty-sixth best-selling LP of the year.{{cite web|url=https://www.musicweek.com/talent/read/probably-our-biggest-album-of-the-year-proper-music-talks-q4-nick-cave-campaign/078329|title='Probably our biggest album of the year': Proper Music talks Q4 Nick Cave campaign | Talent|work=Music Week|last=Paine|first=Andre|date=9 December 2019|access-date=21 March 2020}}{{cite web|url=https://www.officialcharts.com/chart-news/the-official-top-40-biggest-vinyl-albums-and-singles-of-2019__28075|title=The Official Top 40 biggest vinyl albums and singles of 2019|work=Official Charts Company|last=White|first=Jack|date=2 January 2020|access-date=21 March 2020}} In January 2020 Ghosteen was certified Gold in Belgium, with 15,000 copies sold.

Accolades

At Metacritic, Ghosteen is the highest-rated album of 2019,{{cite web|url=https://www.metacritic.com/browse/albums/score/metascore/year/filtered?sort=desc&year_selected=2019|title=Best Music and Albums for 2019|work=Metacritic|access-date=5 November 2019}} the second highest-rated album of 2010s overall and the sixth highest-rated album of all time.{{cite web|url=https://www.metacritic.com/feature/best-albums-of-the-decade-2010s?ref=hp|title=Best Albums of the Decade (2010-19)|work=Metacritic|access-date=6 November 2019|archive-date=8 November 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191108203605/https://www.metacritic.com/feature/best-albums-of-the-decade-2010s?ref=hp|url-status=dead}}{{cite web|url=https://www.metacritic.com/browse/albums/score/metascore/all/filtered|title=Best Music and Albums of All Time|work=Metacritic|access-date=29 May 2020}} It was ranked as the best album of 2019 by Far Out,{{cite web|url=https://faroutmagazine.co.uk/the-50-best-albums-of-2019|title=The 50 best albums of 2019|work=Far Out|last1=Wu|last2=Waines|last3=Cochran|last4=Thomas-Mason|last5=Whatley|last6=Prenger|first1=Carly|first2=Philip|first3=Chloe|first4=Lee|first5=Jack|first6=Harry|date=24 December 2019|access-date=21 March 2020}} Louder Than War,{{cite web|url=https://louderthanwar.com/albums-of-the-year-2019-the-top-50|title=Albums of the Year 2019 – The Top 50|work=Louder Than War|last=Babey|first=Ged|date=14 December 2019|access-date=21 March 2020}} Mojo,{{cite magazine|title=The Best of 2019: 75 Best Albums of the Year|magazine=Mojo|publisher=Bauer Media Group|issue=January 2020|volume=314}} musicOMH,{{cite web|url=https://www.musicomh.com/features/lists/musicomhs-top-50-albums-of-2019|title=musicOMH's Top 50 Albums of 2019 | Lists|work=musicOMH|last=Hubbard|first=Michael|date=21 December 2019|access-date=21 March 2020}} The Observer,{{cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2019/dec/30/kitty-empire-best-rock-pop-2019|title=Kitty Empire's best pop and rock of 2019 | Music|work=The Observer|last=Empire|first=Kitty|author-link=Kitty Empire|date=30 December 2019|access-date=21 March 2020}} The Skinny and The Times.{{cite web|url=https://www.theskinny.co.uk/music/opinion/albums-of-the-year/the-skinnys-albums-of-2019|title=The Skinny's Top Ten Albums of 2019|work=The Skinny|date=26 November 2019|access-date=21 March 2020}}{{cite web|url=https://www.thetimes.com/culture/music/article/the-100-best-records-of-the-year-from-nick-caves-ghosteen-to-igor-levits-beethoven-piano-sonatas-we-pick-the-best-pop-classical-jazz-and-world-albums-of-2019-c0flkl5x7|title=The 100 best records of the year: from Nick Cave's Ghosteen to Igor Levit's Beethoven piano sonatas, we pick the best pop, classical, jazz and world albums of 2019|work=The Times|last1=Cairns|last2=Cairns|last3=Canning|last4=Davis|last5=Dean|last6=Driver|last7=Edwards|last8=Verrico|first1=Dan|first2=David|first3=Hugh|first4=Clive|first5=Jonathan|first6=Paul |first7=Mark|first8=Lisa|date=1 December 2019|access-date=24 March 2020|url-access=subscription}} Ghosteen was further featured in the top ten of various publications' year-end lists, placing at number two in The Line of Best Fit,{{cite web|url=https://www.thelineofbestfit.com/features/articles/the-best-albums-of-2019-ranked|title=The Best Albums of 2019 Ranked|work=The Line of Best Fit|last=Cartledge|first=Luke|date=20 December 2019|access-date=21 March 2020}} Treble and Uncut;{{cite web|url=https://www.treblezine.com/top-50-best-albums-of-2019|title=The Top 50 Albums of 2019|work=Treble|last=Hickman|first=Langdon|date=3 December 2019|access-date=21 March 2020}}{{cite magazine|title=The Ultimate 2019 Review: 75 Best Albums|magazine=Uncut|publisher=BandLab Technologies|issue=January 2020}} number three in the Chicago Tribune,{{cite web|url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/entertainment/music/greg-kot/ct-ent-top-recordings-pop-rock-rap-20191203-mi4lcsiovraxfhtna6orzb4g4m-story.html|title=Best rock-pop-rap albums of 2019: Fierceness from Jamila Woods, blast furnace sounds from Sturgill Simpson|work=Chicago Tribune|last=Kot|first=Greg|author-link=Greg Kot|date=3 December 2019|access-date=21 March 2020}} Slant Magazine and Under the Radar;{{cite web|url=https://www.slantmagazine.com/features/the-25-best-albums-of-2019/5|title=The 25 Best Albums of 2019|work=Slant Magazine|last=Richmond|first=Anna|date=12 December 2019|access-date=21 March 2020}}{{cite web|url=http://www.undertheradarmag.com/lists/under_the_radars_top_100_albums_of_2019|title=Under the Radar's Top 100 Albums of 2019 (Part 1)|work=Under the Radar|last=Mayne|first=Stephen|date=31 December 2019|access-date=21 March 2020}} number five in Q;{{cite magazine|title=The 50 Albums of the Year 2019|magazine=Q|publisher=Bauer Media Group|issue=February 2020}} number seven in The A.V. Club,{{cite web|url=https://www.avclub.com/the-20-best-albums-of-2019-1840367171|title=The 20 best albums of 2019|work=The A.V. Club|last=Rife|first=Katie|date=19 December 2019|access-date=21 March 2020|archive-date=23 December 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191223082523/https://music.avclub.com/the-20-best-albums-of-2019-1840367171|url-status=live}} BrooklynVegan,{{cite web|url=https://www.brooklynvegan.com/brooklynvegans-top-50-albums-of-2019|title=BrooklynVegan's Top 50 Albums of 2019|work=BrooklynVegan|last=Nifras|first=Jeremy|date=23 December 2019|access-date=21 March 2020}} The Independent,{{cite web|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/music/features/albums-of-the-year-2019-lana-del-rey-tyler-the-creator-taylor-swift-a9250921.html|title=The 50 best albums of 2019 – from Tyler, the Creator's IGOR to Weyes Blood's Titanic Rising|work=The Independent|last=Brown|first=Helen|date=20 December 2019|access-date=21 March 2020}} PopMatters and Stereogum;{{cite web|url=https://www.popmatters.com/best-albums-of-2019-2641547956.html|title=The 70 Best Albums of 2019|work=PopMatters|last=Waterman|first=Cole|date=9 December 2019|access-date=21 March 2020}}{{cite web|url=https://www.stereogum.com/featured/best-albums-2019|title=The 50 Best Albums of 2019|work=Stereogum|last=Breihan|first=Tom|date=3 December 2019|access-date=21 March 2020}} number eight in GQ and The Guardian;{{cite web|url=https://www.gq-magazine.co.uk/culture/article/best-albums-2019|title=The albums that made 2019 great again|work=GQ|last=Barrie|first=Thomas|date=27 December 2019|access-date=21 March 2020}}{{cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2019/dec/03/50-best-albums-of-2019|title=The 50 best albums of 2019: the full list | Music|work=The Guardian|last=Bromwich|first=Kathyrn|date=20 December 2019|access-date=21 March 2020}} and number ten by BBC 6 Music.{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/2kl6bfwYK6HSN32PYh2T6cT/6-music-recommends-albums-of-the-year-2019|title=6 Music Recommends Albums of the Year 2019|work=BBC 6 Music|date=1 January 2020|access-date=29 May 2020}} In addition, Ghosteen was included in several publications' decade-end lists of best albums of the 2010s. The album was ranked at number 17 by The Independent,{{cite web|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/music/features/best-albums-decade-2010s-frank-ocean-adele-taylor-swift-kanye-west-ranked-a9204121.html|title=The 50 best albums of the decade, from Frank Ocean's 'Blond' to Adele's '21'|work=The Independent|last1=Pollard|first=Alexandra|last2=O'Connor|first2=Roisin|last3=Monroe|first3=Jazz|last4=Smith|first4=Patrick|date=18 November 2019|access-date=18 November 2019}} number 28 by Slant Magazine,{{cite web|url=https://www.slantmagazine.com/music/the-100-best-albums-of-the-2010s/4|title=The 100 Best Albums of the 2010s|work=Slant Magazine|last=Richmond|first=Anna|date=20 December 2019|access-date=21 March 2020}} number 50 by BrooklynVegan,{{cite web|url=https://www.brooklynvegan.com/141-best-albums-of-the-2010s|title=141 Best Albums of the 2010s|work=BrooklynVegan|last=NiFras|first=Jeremy|date=31 December 2019|access-date=21 March 2020}} number 65 by Treble,{{cite web|url=https://www.treblezine.com/top-150-albums-of-the-2010s/|title=The Top 150 Albums of the 2010s|work=Treble|last=Dunston|first=Tyler|date=7 January 2020|access-date=21 March 2020}} number 72 by Stereogum and number 87 by Rolling Stone.{{cite web|url=https://www.stereogum.com/featured/best-albums-of-the-2010s-list|title=The 100 Best Albums of the 2010s|work=Stereogum|last=Lyas|first=Ryan|date=4 November 2019|access-date=21 March 2020}}{{cite magazine|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-lists/best-albums-2010s-ranked-913997/|title=The 100 Best Albums of the 2010s|magazine=Rolling Stone|last=Grow|first=Kory|date=3 December 2019|access-date=21 March 2020}}

Ghosteen was nominated for Best Australian Album at the 2020 NME Awards,{{cite magazine|url=https://www.billboard.com/articles/news/awards/8550933/nme-awards-2020-winners-list|title=2020 NME Awards Winners: The Complete List|magazine=Billboard|last=Rowley|first=Glenn|date=13 February 2020|access-date=24 March 2020}} Best Independent Album at the 2020 Association of Independent Music (Aim) Independent Music Awards,{{cite web|url=https://www.aimawards.co.uk/2020/06/17/digga-d-and-moses-boyd-lead-aim-awards-nominations-as-ceremony-goes-virtual-for-2020|title=Digga D and Moses Boyd lead AIM Awards nominations as ceremony goes virtual for 2020|work=Aim Independent Music Awards|publisher=Association of Independent Music|date=17 June 2020|access-date=27 June 2020}} Best Album at the 2020 Ivor Novello Awards,{{cite web|url=https://ivorsacademy.com/awards/the-ivors|title=The Ivors 2020|work=The Ivors Academy|date=20 July 2020|access-date=12 September 2020}} Best Independent Rock Album or EP at the 2020 Australian Independent Record Labels Association (Air) Awards and was shortlisted for the fifteenth annual Australian Music Prize.{{cite web|url=https://themusicnetwork.com/2020-air-awards-nominees|title=AIR Awards and Indie-Con 2020 Confirmed, nominees revealed|work=The Music Network|date=7 July 2020|access-date=3 October 2020}}{{cite web|url=https://themusicnetwork.com/15th-australian-music-prize|title=15th Australian Music Prize finalists announced|work=The Music Network|date=5 February 2020|access-date=24 March 2020}}

Track listing

{{Track listing

| headline = Part 1: The Children

| all_lyrics = Nick Cave

| all_music = Cave and Warren Ellis

| total_length = 38:25

| title1 = Spinning Song

| length1 = 4:43

| title2 = Bright Horses

| length2 = 4:52

| title3 = Waiting for You

| length3 = 3:54

| title4 = Night Raid

| length4 = 5:07

| title5 = Sun Forest

| length5 = 6:46

| title6 = Galleon Ship

| length6 = 4:14

| title7 = Ghosteen Speaks

| length7 = 4:02

| title8 = Leviathan

| length8 = 4:47

}}

{{Track listing

| headline = Part 2: The Parents

| total_length = 29:45

| title1 = Ghosteen

| length1 = 12:10

| title2 = Fireflies

| length2 = 3:23

| title3 = Hollywood

| length3 = 14:12

}}

Personnel

All personnel credits sourced from Ghosteen{{'}}s album notes.

{{col-begin}}

{{col-2}}

Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds

Additional performers

Orchestral performers

  • Ben Foster – string arrangement, conducting
  • Sam Thompson – string arrangement assistance
  • Tom Pigott-Smith – leading
  • Steve Morris – leading of seconds
  • Bruce White – first viola
  • Nick Cooper – first cello
  • Mary Scully – first double bass

{{col-2}}

Technical personnel

  • Nick Cave – production, mixing
  • Warren Ellis – production, mixing
  • Lance Powell – recording, mixing
  • Kevin Paul – recording
  • Ben Thackeray – recording
  • Jake Jackson – recording
  • Alex Csak – recording assistance
  • Kaushlesh "Garry" Purohit – recording assistance
  • Richard Biethan – recording assistance
  • Ingo Krauss – recording assistance
  • Oliver Klemp – recording assistance
  • John Prestage – recording assistance
  • Andrew Dominik – mixing
  • John Armstrong – mixing assistance
  • Chris Gehringer – mastering, lacquer cutting

Design personnel

  • Tom duBois – cover art
  • Matthew Thorne – photography
  • Nick Cave – sleeve design
  • Hingston Studio – sleeve design

{{col-end}}

Charts

{{col-begin}}

{{col-2}}

=Weekly charts=

class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center"
scope="col"| Chart (2019)

! scope="col"| Peak
position

{{album chart|Australia|2|artist=Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds|album=Ghosteen|rowheader=true|access-date=16 November 2019|refname=au}}
{{album chart|Austria|3|artist=Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds|album=Ghosteen|rowheader=true|access-date=21 November 2019|refname=at}}
{{album chart|Flanders|1|artist=Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds|album=Ghosteen|rowheader=true|access-date=11 October 2019|refname=bel1}}
{{album chart|Wallonia|10|artist=Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds|album=Ghosteen|rowheader=true|access-date=11 October 2019|refname=bel2}}
{{album chart|BillboardCanada|93|artist=Nick Cave the Bad Seeds|rowheader=true|access-date=20 November 2019}}
{{album chart|Czech|47|date=201941|rowheader=true|access-date=15 October 2019}}
{{album chart|Denmark|5|artist=Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds|album=Ghosteen|rowheader=true|access-date=20 November 2019|refname=dk}}
{{album chart|Netherlands|12|artist=Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds|album=Ghosteen|rowheader=true|access-date=12 October 2019}}
{{album chart|Finland|7|artist=Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds|album=Ghosteen|rowheader=true|access-date=18 November 2019|refname=fi}}
scope="row"| French Albums (SNEP){{cite web|url=http://snepmusique.com/les-tops/le-top-de-la-semaine/top-albums/?semaine=46?&annee=2019&categorie=Top%20Albums|title=Top Albums (Week 46, 2019)|publisher=Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique|language=fr|access-date=19 November 2019}}

| 22

{{album chart|Germany4|6|id=392868|artist=Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds|album=Ghosteen|rowheader=true|access-date=15 November 2019|refname=de}}
{{album chart|Hungary|6|year=2019|week=46|rowheader=true|access-date=21 November 2019|refname=hu}}
{{album chart|Ireland2|5|artist=Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds|rowheader=true|access-date=30 November 2019}}
scope="row"| Italian Albums (FIMI){{cite web|url=https://www.fimi.it/top-of-the-music/classifiche.kl#/charts/1/2019/46|title=Album – Classifica settimanale WK 46 (dal 08.11.2019 al 14.11.2019)|publisher=Federazione Industria Musicale Italiana|language=it|access-date=16 November 2019}}

| 5

scope="row"| Lithuanian Albums (AGATA){{cite web|url=https://www.agata.lt/lt/naujienos/savaites-klausomiausi-w41/|title=Savaitės klausomiausi (TOP 100)|language=lt|publisher=AGATA|date=14 October 2019|access-date=29 November 2019}}

| 29

{{album chart|New Zealand|11|artist=Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds|album=Ghosteen|rowheader=true|access-date=16 November 2019}}
{{album chart|Norway|16|artist=Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds|album=Ghosteen|rowheader=true|access-date=12 October 2019}}
{{album chart|Poland|4|id=1257|rowheader=true|access-date=21 November 2019|refname=pl}}
{{album chart|Portugal|1|artist=Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds|album=Ghosteen|rowheader=true|access-date=22 November 2019|refname=por}}
{{album chart|Scotland|4|date=20191115|rowheader=true|access-date=16 November 2019|refname=uks}}
scope="row"| Slovak Albums (ČNS IFPI){{cite web|url=https://ifpicr.cz/hitparada/36?weekId=2606|title=Top 100 Slovak Albums|publisher=International Federation of the Phonographic Industry|access-date=September 10, 2024}}

| 38

{{album chart|Spain|9|artist=Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds|album=Ghosteen|rowheader=true|access-date=22 November 2019|refname=es}}
{{album chart|Sweden|7|artist=Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds|album=Ghosteen|rowheader=true|access-date=16 November 2019|refname=sw}}
{{album chart|Switzerland|2|artist=Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds|album=Ghosteen|rowheader=true|access-date=20 November 2019|refname=ch}}
{{album chart|UK2|4|date=20191115|rowheader=true|access-date=16 November 2019|refname=uka}}
{{album chart|UKIndependent|1|date=20191115|rowheader=true|access-date=18 November 2019|refname=uki}}
{{album chart|Billboard200|108|artist=Nick Cave the Bad Seeds|rowheader=true|access-date=19 November 2019}}
{{album chart|BillboardRock|12|artist=Nick Cave the Bad Seeds|rowheader=true|access-date=29 August 2020}}

{{col-2}}

=Year-end charts=

class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center"
scope="col"| Chart (2019)

! scope="col"| Position

scope="row"| Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders){{cite web|url=https://www.ultratop.be/nl/annual.asp?year=2019&cat=a|title=Jaaroverzichten 2019|publisher=Ultratop|access-date=20 December 2019}}

| 18

scope="row"| Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia){{cite web|url=https://www.ultratop.be/fr/annual.asp?year=2019&cat=a|title=Rapports Annuels 2019|publisher=Ultratop|access-date=20 December 2019}}

| 191

scope="row"| Dutch Albums (Album Top 100){{cite web|url=https://dutchcharts.nl/jaaroverzichten.asp?year=2019&cat=a|title=Jaaroverzichten – Album 2019|website=dutchcharts.nl|access-date=5 January 2020}}

| 98

scope="row"| Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade){{cite web|url=https://hitparade.ch/charts/jahreshitparade/2019|title=Schweizer Jahreshitparade 2019|website=hitparade.ch|access-date=31 December 2019}}

| 98

class="wikitable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center"
scope="col"| Chart (2020)

! scope="col"| Position

scope="row"| Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders){{cite web|url=https://www.ultratop.be/nl/annual.asp?year=2020&cat=a|title=Jaaroverzichten 2020|publisher=Ultratop|access-date=18 December 2020}}

| 51

{{col-end}}

Certifications

{{Certification Table Top}}

{{Certification Table Entry|type=album|region=Belgium|artist=Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds|title=Ghosteen|award=Gold|certyear=2020|relyear=2019|access-date=19 January 2020|refname=bel-cert}}

{{Certification Table Entry|type=album|region=United Kingdom|artist=Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds|title=Ghosteen|award=Silver|certyear=2023|relyear=2019|id=18773-2123-2|access-date=3 March 2023}}

{{Certification Table Bottom|nosales=true | noshipments=true|streaming=true}}

Release history

class="wikitable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:left"

! scope="col"| Region

! scope="col"| Date

! scope="col"| Format(s)

! scope="col"| Label

! scope="col"| Catalogue

scope="row" rowspan="3"| Various

| 4 October 2019

| Digital download · streaming

| Ghosteen Ltd

| BS016DD{{cite web|url=https://cdn.aria.com.au/pdfs/DE0030DF2504F64729505869BDB2BCB9695EFCE95539893B158D91B9AC56FBEF/ARIA%20Albums%20Chart.pdf?seq=26|title=ARIA Albums Chart: Week commencing 16 December, 2019|work=ARIA Charts|publisher=Australian Recording Industry Association|date=16 December 2019|access-date=12 September 2020}}

rowspan="2"| 8 November 2019{{cite web|url=https://www.roughtrade.com/gb/nick-cave-and-the-bad-seeds/ghosteen/cd-x2|title=Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds – Ghosteen – CD×2|work=Rough Trade|access-date=4 October 2019}}

| 2×CD

| rowspan="2"| Bad Seed Ltd

| BS016CD

2×LP

| BS016LP

References

{{Reflist}}