Red Right Hand
Encyclopedia
"Red Right Hand" is a 1994 song and single from Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds
.
It first appeared on the album Let Love In, where it ran at 6:10. It was later released as a single at the condensed length of 4:48. It has since become one of Cave's signature tunes, performed at most of his concerts.
say that "red right hand" is a phrase from John Milton
's Paradise Lost
which refers to the vengeful hand of God. The opening song on the album, "Song of Joy", states of a murderer: "It seems he has done many, many more, / quotes John Milton on the walls in the victim's blood. / The police are investigating at tremendous cost. / In my house he wrote 'his red right hand'. / That, I'm told, is from Paradise Lost."
The original line in Paradise Lost (Book II, 170-174) is: "What if the breath that kindled those grim fires, / Awaked, should blow them into sevenfold rage, / And plunge us in the flames; or from above / Should intermitted vengeance arm again / His red right hand to plague us?"
, Cirque Du Freak: The Vampire's Assistant and The X-Files
television series, whose producer Chris Carter
explained in the liner notes for the compilation album Songs in the Key of X
that the song was the direct inspiration for the anthology. The song is also the main theme of the Russian art film "Boginya: Kak Ya Polyubila" ("The Goddess: How I Fell in Love").
It has also been used in the first three films in the Scream trilogy
. The original version is featured on the soundtrack album for the first film while a remixed version by DJ Spooky
appears on the Scream 2
album, and has since been accepted by many fans as the official theme song to the Scream series .
Another version, sometimes referred to as "Red Right Hand 2", was recorded by Nick Cave for Scream 3
and released on Cave's B-Sides & Rarities album; composer Marco Beltrami
also incorporates elements from the song into a track in his score for the third film. The song also appears on the soundtrack for the film Hellboy
in a cover version by Pete Yorn
.
"His Red Right Hand" is the title of a second-season episode of The Mentalist
.
The song was also used in promos for UK TV show Hollyoaks during Fire Week in 2010 featuring some of the main cast in a restaurant which sets on fire.
Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds
Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds are an Australian alternative rock band, formed in Melbourne in 1983. The band is fronted by Nick Cave and has featured international personnel throughout their career.-Formation and early releases :...
.
It first appeared on the album Let Love In, where it ran at 6:10. It was later released as a single at the condensed length of 4:48. It has since become one of Cave's signature tunes, performed at most of his concerts.
Song title
The liner notes for Murder BalladsMurder Ballads
Murder Ballads is the ninth studio album by Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, released in 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 of crimes of passion."Where the Wild Roses Grow," a duet featuring...
say that "red right hand" is a phrase from John Milton
John Milton
John Milton was an English poet, polemicist, a scholarly man of letters, and a civil servant for the Commonwealth of England under Oliver Cromwell...
's Paradise Lost
Paradise Lost
Paradise Lost is an epic poem in blank verse by the 17th-century English poet John Milton. It was originally published in 1667 in ten books, with a total of over ten thousand individual lines of verse...
which refers to the vengeful hand of God. The opening song on the album, "Song of Joy", states of a murderer: "It seems he has done many, many more, / quotes John Milton on the walls in the victim's blood. / The police are investigating at tremendous cost. / In my house he wrote 'his red right hand'. / That, I'm told, is from Paradise Lost."
The original line in Paradise Lost (Book II, 170-174) is: "What if the breath that kindled those grim fires, / Awaked, should blow them into sevenfold rage, / And plunge us in the flames; or from above / Should intermitted vengeance arm again / His red right hand to plague us?"
In popular culture
The song has appeared in several films and TV shows, such as Dumb and Dumber, HellboyHellboy (film)
Hellboy is a 2004 supernatural superhero film, starring Ron Perlman, John Hurt and Selma Blair, directed by Guillermo del Toro. The film is based on the Dark Horse Comics work Hellboy: Seed of Destruction by Mike Mignola. It was produced by Revolution Studios, and distributed by Columbia Pictures...
, Cirque Du Freak: The Vampire's Assistant and The X-Files
The X-Files
The X-Files is an American science fiction television series and a part of The X-Files franchise, created by screenwriter Chris Carter. The program originally aired from to . The show was a hit for the Fox network, and its characters and slogans became popular culture touchstones in the 1990s...
television series, whose producer Chris Carter
Chris Carter (screenwriter)
Christopher Carl Carter is an American screenwriter, film director and producer. He is the creator of The X-Files and Millennium.- Ten Thirteen Productions :...
explained in the liner notes for the compilation album Songs in the Key of X
Songs in the Key of X
Songs in the Key of X: Music from and Inspired by The X-Files is a 1996 compilation album released in association with the American science fiction television series The X-Files. The album contained a mixture of songs that were either featured in the series, or shared thematic elements with it....
that the song was the direct inspiration for the anthology. The song is also the main theme of the Russian art film "Boginya: Kak Ya Polyubila" ("The Goddess: How I Fell in Love").
It has also been used in the first three films in the Scream trilogy
Scream (film)
Scream is a 1996 American slasher film written by Kevin Williamson and directed by Wes Craven. The film stars Neve Campbell, Courteney Cox, Drew Barrymore, and David Arquette...
. The original version is featured on the soundtrack album for the first film while a remixed version by DJ Spooky
DJ Spooky
Paul D. Miller , known by his stage name DJ Spooky, That Subliminal Kid, is a Washington DC-born electronic and experimental hip hop musician whose work is often called by critics or his fans as "illbient" or "trip hop". He is a turntablist, a producer, a philosopher, and an author...
appears on the Scream 2
Scream 2
Scream 2 is a 1997 American slasher film created and written by Kevin Williamson and directed by Wes Craven, starring Neve Campbell, Courteney Cox, David Arquette, Jamie Kennedy and Liev Schreiber, released on December 12, 1997 as the second installment in the Scream film series...
album, and has since been accepted by many fans as the official theme song to the Scream series .
Another version, sometimes referred to as "Red Right Hand 2", was recorded by Nick Cave for Scream 3
Scream 3
Scream 3 is a 2000 American slasher film created by Kevin Williamson, directed by Wes Craven and written by Ehren Kruger, starring Neve Campbell, Courteney Cox Arquette and David Arquette, released on February 4, 2000 as the third, and originally, concluding installment in the Scream film series...
and released on Cave's B-Sides & Rarities album; composer Marco Beltrami
Marco Beltrami
Marco Beltrami is an American film composer.-Life and career:Beltrami was born in Long Island, New York of Italian and Greek descent...
also incorporates elements from the song into a track in his score for the third film. The song also appears on the soundtrack for the film Hellboy
Hellboy (film)
Hellboy is a 2004 supernatural superhero film, starring Ron Perlman, John Hurt and Selma Blair, directed by Guillermo del Toro. The film is based on the Dark Horse Comics work Hellboy: Seed of Destruction by Mike Mignola. It was produced by Revolution Studios, and distributed by Columbia Pictures...
in a cover version by Pete Yorn
Pete Yorn
Peter Joseph Yorn is an American singer-songwriter and guitarist who first gained international recognition after his debut record, Musicforthemorningafter, was released to critical acclaim in 2001.-Early history:Yorn's father is a dentist and his mother is a former concert pianist who worked as a...
.
"His Red Right Hand" is the title of a second-season episode of The Mentalist
The Mentalist
The Mentalist is an American police procedural television series which debuted on September 23, 2008, on CBS. The show was created by Bruno Heller, who is also the show's executive producer...
.
- In The Dark TowerThe Dark Tower (series)The Dark Tower is a series of books written by American author Stephen King, which incorporates themes from multiple genres, including fantasy, science fantasy, horror and western. It describes a "Gunslinger" and his quest toward a tower, the nature of which is both physical and metaphorical. King...
series by Stephen KingStephen KingStephen Edwin King is an American author of contemporary horror, suspense, science fiction and fantasy fiction. His books have sold more than 350 million copies and have been adapted into a number of feature films, television movies and comic books...
, when asked who he is by the main protagonist, Roland DeschainRoland DeschainRoland Deschain of Gilead is a fictional character, the protagonist and antihero of Stephen King's The Dark Tower series. He is the son of Steven and Gabrielle Deschain and is descended from a long line of "gunslingers", peacekeepers and diplomats of Roland's society...
, the sorcerer Randall FlaggRandall FlaggRandall Flagg is a fictional character created by Stephen King. Flagg has appeared in seven novels by King, sometimes as the main antagonist and others in a brief cameo. He often appears under different names; most are abbreviated by the initials R.F. There are exceptions to this rule; in The Dark...
answers "I am the furthest minion of HeCrimson KingThe Crimson King, also commonly known as Los', is a fictional character created by Stephen King. He is the antagonist in the novel Insomnia the main villain due to a plot twist in Black House and one of the main villains in the latter half of Stephen King's Dark Tower series.-Fictional...
who now rules the Dark Tower, and Earth has been given into that king's red hand."
- In the first book of the Skulduggery PleasantSkulduggery PleasantSkulduggery Pleasant is the debut novel of Irish playwright Derek Landy, published in 2007. It is the first of the Skulduggery Pleasant novels...
series, the arch-villain, Nefarian Serpine has a red right hand which when pointed at a person sends them into unbearable agony, ultimately killing them.
- In the "Last Stand of the Silver Samurai" story in Wolverine Vol. 3, the Silver SamuraiSilver SamuraiThe Silver Samurai is a fictional character in Marvel Comics' universe, occasionally a superhero and more often a supervillain. His first appearance was in Daredevil #111...
is attacked and killed by samurai-armor clad demons who claim to be soldiers of the Red Right Hand who seek vengeance in their name.
- In Batman and RobinBatman and Robin (comic book)Batman and Robin is an American comic book ongoing series, created by Grant Morrison and featuring Batman and Robin. The debut of the series followed the events of "Batman R.I.P.", Final Crisis, and "Battle for the Cowl" in which the original Batman, Bruce Wayne, apparently died at the hands of DC...
, Jason ToddJason ToddJason Peter Todd is a fictional character that appears in comic books published by DC Comics. Jason first appeared in Batman #357 and became the second Robin, sidekick to the superhero Batman, when the previous Robin went on to star in The New Teen Titans under the moniker of Nightwing.Though...
, as the Red Hood, leaves behind red calling cards bearing a passage more directly derived from Paradise Lost ("Vengeance arms again his red right hand") and decorated with a handprint at the bodies of his victims.
The song was also used in promos for UK TV show Hollyoaks during Fire Week in 2010 featuring some of the main cast in a restaurant which sets on fire.
Covers
- EnglishEnglandEngland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
alternative rock band Arctic MonkeysArctic MonkeysArctic Monkeys are an English indie rock band. Formed in 2002 in High Green, a suburb of Sheffield, the band currently consists of Alex Turner , Jamie Cook , Nick O'Malley and Matt Helders...
performed a cover of "Red Right Hand" during their tour of Australia in early 2009, and during their performance in the Reading and Leeds Festival in August 2009, as well as in their North American tour in December 2009. A recorded version of the song appears on the Japanese version of their third album, HumbugHumbug (album)Humbug has received major critical acclaim, with many praising the band's newfound maturity. Billboard stated that the band "justif[ies] the hype by shifting its best qualities into different, equally dazzling shapes," while The Record Review noted that with Humbug, the Arctic Monkeys proved...
and as a b-side on the single "Crying LightningCrying Lightning-Charts:...
". - Pegasus Award-winning filk duo Vixy & Tony recorded a cover of "Red Right Hand" on their album, "Thirteen."
- American singer-songwriter Pete YornPete YornPeter Joseph Yorn is an American singer-songwriter and guitarist who first gained international recognition after his debut record, Musicforthemorningafter, was released to critical acclaim in 2001.-Early history:Yorn's father is a dentist and his mother is a former concert pianist who worked as a...
covered the song for the HellboyHellboy (film)Hellboy is a 2004 supernatural superhero film, starring Ron Perlman, John Hurt and Selma Blair, directed by Guillermo del Toro. The film is based on the Dark Horse Comics work Hellboy: Seed of Destruction by Mike Mignola. It was produced by Revolution Studios, and distributed by Columbia Pictures...
soundtrack. - Giant SandGiant SandGiant Sand is an American rock band, based in Tucson, Arizona, USA. The name is shortened from the original Giant Sandworms, a reference to the creatures in the Dune books. Overseen by singer-songwriter Howe Gelb, its membership has shifted over the years—at times with each album...
covered the song on their 2002 album Cover MagazineCover MagazineCover Magazine is an album released by the American band Giant Sand on Thrill Jockey Records in 2001. The title references that 11 of the songs are cover versions.-Track listing:#"El Paso / Out on the Weekend"...
.
Track listing
- Euro 3 Track CD Single
- Red Right Hand
- That's What Jazz Is To Me
- Where The Action Is
Charts
| Chart (1995) | Peak Position |
|---|---|
| Australian ARIA Singles Chart | 62 |
| UK Singles Chart | 68 |