Why Nick Cave and Harry Potter don't mix

I want to talk about why a Nick Cave song should never have featured in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1 and why never the twain should have met.

So first things first… How is it that Harry and Hermione are dancing in a barren landscape to ‘O’ Children’ by Nick Cave when:

a.) This section is not even in the book
b.) We know Harry doesn’t love Hermione
c.) We know Hermione doesn’t love Harry
d.) We know Hermione doesn’t feel that anguish that a NC song allows, and if Harry does he is too wussy to acknowledge it out loud
e.) We know that they will be fine?

I grew up listening to Nick Cave. His voice was with me on dark lonely nights, was with me through tales of discovery with friends and his voice filled smoky landscapes of long, dirty nights of headiness and wilfulness and freedom. His voice is an anthem. Cave’s lyrics have defined moments of glory and of heartbreak. Cave’s words have identified the irony of my life with a wickedness that delights.

My son grew up with Harry Potter. Together we rejoiced when a new book landed in the shops. We would argue, as he became older, as to who would read the book first, and then he would overtake me in understanding the layers of Rowling’s work as he re-read the books and watched the movies repeatedly. Harry Potter tales became his comfort, his sanctuary, his escape and because they were his, they also became my relief. We even, for god’s sake, dressed as wizards as we watched the final films at midnight. There is something very pure about the Harry Potter tales. We know, always, that Harry and his mates will survive. It is a fairy tale with the very best mythology at work.

There is no irony in these stories. But not so with our story teller, Mr Cave. With him, we do not know that the decent will win, we do not assume his next move and we surely do not want our angsty adulthood mixed up in the wholesomeness of Rowling’s work simply because a filmmaker decided that we needed some sort of nod to adolescent pain.

The two are not a fair match. They belong in different zones. They do not bring out the best in one another, but rather make each other look odd. It is a waste.


Chris Gordon

Cover image for Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone

Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone

J. K. Rowling

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