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Tupelo 40th birthday video
Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds‘ 1985 track “Tupelo” turns 40 today (7/29), and to celebrate Nick has shared a new AI-generated video that filmmaker Andrew Dominik (Chopper, The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford) put together without Cave’s knowledge for the song. Nick has spoken out harshly against the use of generative AI in creative work in the past, including calling for ChatGPT to “fuck off and leave songwriting alone,” saying that AI “may very well save the world, but it can’t save our souls,” blasting a song generated “in the style of Nick Cave” by ChatGPT and saying that he thinks AI will have a “humiliating effect on the creative industries,” but it appears he’s had a change of heart.
He wrote about the decision on his The Red Hand Files site, saying he found the video to be “an extraordinarily profound interpretation of the song,” and adding, “As I watched Andrew’s surreal little film, I felt my view of AI as an artistic device soften. To some extent, my mind was changed.” Read his full message below.
Nick has solo shows in Europe this summer and fall. See all dates below.
NICK CAVE ON “TUPELO” VIDEO
The reason I have such regard for the song ‘Tupelo’, and why we’ve performed it at nearly every Bad Seeds concert since it was first written so many years ago, is that it continues to maintain its volatile urgency. Even now, to perform it feels like a kind of possession. It is a song built on a distinctive Bad Seeds bass line, predatory and relentless, and on this simple structure, an epic story unfolds. The storm of Tupelo that John Lee Hooker sang about in his song of the same name is merged with the birth of Elvis Presley, who was born in Tupelo as a twin, with his firstborn brother dying at birth. In the song, the flood takes on biblical proportions, descending upon the people as an annihilating force, distorting the natural order – ‘where no birds can fly, no fish can swim’ – as Elvis’s tragic nativity unfolds. In a clapboard shack, ‘with a bundle and a box and a cradle of straw,’ the King is born. Elvis is depicted as the saviour, thrown into a turbulent world to rescue it, to ‘carry the burden of Tupelo.’ Elvis embodies the redeeming Christ, saving not just Tupelo, but the entire world from its sins and subsequent destruction.
I mention all this because ‘Tupelo’ was released forty years ago today. It’s its birthday! A strange idea, as the song still feels as fresh, timely, and vital as ever.
Now, my friend, the filmmaker Andrew Dominik – known for Chopper, The Assassination of Jesse James, One More Time With Feeling, and Blonde, among others – rang me to say he had sent me a gift to celebrate the fortieth anniversary of ‘Tupelo’.
“It’s a film to accompany your song, Tupelo,” he said.
I had no idea he was making such a thing.
“I’ve taken a series of still archival images and brought them to life using AI,” he said.
For anyone reading these files, it will be clear that I have serious reservations about AI, particularly regarding writers using ChatGPT and other language models to do their creative work. I also have concerns about song-generating platforms that reduce music to a mere commodity, by eliminating the artistic process and its attendant struggles entirely. (See #214 and #248)
“Oh, really?” I said.
“Jesus,” said Andrew. “Suspend your fucking prejudices and take a look!”
So, I watched Andrew’s film, then watched it again. I showed it to Susie. To our surprise, we found it to be an extraordinarily profound interpretation of the song – a soulful, moving, and entirely original retelling of ‘Tupelo’, rich in mythos and a touching tribute to the great Elvis Presley, as well as to the song itself. The AI-animated photographs of Elvis had an uncanny quality, as if he had been raised from the dead, and the crucifixion-resurrection images at the end were both shocking and deeply affecting. Susie and I were blown away. As I watched Andrew’s surreal little film, I felt my view of AI as an artistic device soften. To some extent, my mind was changed. “It’s a tool, like any other,” said Andrew.
Foley, I believe that the ability to change one’s mind is the very definition of strength. We pursue the truth wherever it may lead, remaining flexible and humble enough to adjust our views as new evidence emerges, regardless of how uncomfortable that may feel. It is ultimately a form of resilience, not a sign of weakness. Rigidity breaks; flexibility endures.
I’ll be interested to see what you all think of Andrew’s film.
Love, Nick
NICK CAVE: 2025 SOLO TOUR DATES
6.08.2025 Grieghallen, Bergen, Norway
7.08.2025 Grieghallen, Bergen, Norway
8.08.2025 Grieghallen, Bergen, Norway
12.08.2025 Sigulda Castle, Sigulda, Latvia
13.08.2025 Sigulda Castle, Sigulda, Latvia
19.08.2025 Ancient Theatre, Plovdiv, Bulgaria
20.08.2025 Ancient Theatre, Plovdiv, Bulgaria
22.08.2025 Skopje Calling @ ARM Stadium, Skopje, Macedonia
4.09.2025 Festspielhaus, Baden-Baden, Germany
5.09.2025 Festspielhaus, Baden-Baden, Germany
10.09.2025 Philharmonie, Luxembourg
11.09.2025 Philharmonie, Luxembourg
English (US) · 