Good Good Day (2001) – Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds

Nothing like an uplifting Nick Cave song to commence the week. Good Good Day was released as the B-side to As I Sat Sadly By Her Side, a single from their 2001 album No More Shall We Part and later included on both the 2005 compilation B-Sides & Rarities. The song is notable as a marked departure from the darker themes of the rest of Cave’s output during this period.

I like the looseness, almost improvisational quality of the lyrics in Good Good Day. Cave’s sunny disposition radiates warmth as he reflects on seeing Mary – revelling in her beauty. She embodies a sense of serenity and delight. Mary is more than a muse; she represents a respite, a celebration of simple pleasures and whom lights up an ordinary day.
To me the spirit and ambience of Good Good Day draws parallels to Bruce Springsteen’s Girls in Their Summer Clothes (2007). Both songs hinge on characters and observations that brighten their narrators’ worlds, whether it’s Mary or the carefree girls strolling past in their summer clothes.

No More Shall We Part is the eleventh studio album by Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds. The record, which was well received critically, came after a 4-year gap from recording. Nick Cave had to overcome heavy heroin and alcohol addictions in 1999–2000 before starting work on the album.

[Verse 1]
See the little cloud up in the sky
It’s a good good day today
See the little cloud pass on by
It’s a good good day today
Mary comes now, let Mary be
Can you see her down on the street?
Mary’s laughing ’cause Mary sees
That she’s a-wearin’ that dress for me

[Verse 2]
There can be times
Yeah… When all things come together
Yeah… Under a clear sky and you can believe
Yeah… You hold your breath for this moment
Yeah… But do not breathe for this day I know
Is a good day, yes I know
It’s a good day, yeah I know
Today…
Hear her feet skipping up the stairs
It’s a good good day today
She is the answer to all of my prayers
It’s a good good day today
Mary comes now, she don’t knock
‘Cause she’s runnin’ on her own little clock
Mary’s laughing ’cause Mary knows
That this day was made for us
And any fool knows… yeah
And any fool sees
That the future… yeah
Is a-down on its knees
But let ’em all cry, let ’em weep
Let those tears roll down their cheeks

[Verse 3]
‘Cause I can believe in the one
That is standing in front of me
Oh this day, don’t you know
Is a good day, yes I know
It’s a good day, I told you so
Today…
See her breasts how they rise and fall
It’s a good good day today
And she knows I’ve used that line before
It’s a good good day today
Mary’s laughing, she don’t mind
‘Cause she knows she’s one of a kind
Mary’s happy just to be
Standing next to me
And any fool knows
Yeah…
That the wind always blows
Something to someone
Yeah…
Once in a while, so let it rain, let it fall
Let the wind howl through your door
‘Cause right now for this moment
I’ll forever be
Standing next to her
On this day, which I know
Is a good day, yeah I know
Oh, it’s a good day, I told you so
Today…

References:
1. No More Shall We Part – Wikipedia