Stagger Lee - Nick Cave - MP3 instrumental karaoke

Australian rock band Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds released their seminal ninth studio album Murder Ballads in 1996, pushing the band to a higher level of commercial success than they had ever enjoyed. As the album title implies, it is made up of “murder ballads”; a genre of music that narrates the stories behind grisly murders. It includes both cover versions of traditional songs and new originals written by Nick Cave and the band. The album’s second track, “Stagger Lee,” is based on the traditional American legend of a murderer by the same in the early 20th century. It tells the story of the murder of Billy Lyons by “Stag” Lee Shelton in St. Louis, Missouri. Musically, the song is a dark and twisted take on the original, updating it to a nightmarish lounge style that effectively creates a sense of foreboding menace. Murder Ballads was certified Gold in the United Kingdom for sales of over 100,000 copies. It also managed to chart at Number 8 on the UK Albums chart.