Cattle and Cane
"Cattle and Cane" is a song by the Australian alternative rock band The Go-Betweens, released as the first single from their second album Before Hollywood. It was released as a single in the United Kingdom by Rough Trade Records in February 1983 and reached No. 4 on the UK Independent Chart. The single and album were both released in Australia on Stunn, a small label allied with EMI. The Stunn pressings were of poor quality and their distribution limited.
| "Cattle and Cane" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
7" single cover | ||||
| Single by The Go-Betweens | ||||
| from the album Before Hollywood | ||||
| B-side | "Heaven Says" | |||
| Released | February 1983 | |||
| Recorded | October 1982 I.C.C. Studios – Eastbourne, England | |||
| Genre | Alternative rock | |||
| Length | 4:12 | |||
| Label | Rough Trade | |||
| Songwriter(s) | Grant McLennan, Robert Forster | |||
| Producer(s) | John Brand | |||
| The Go-Betweens singles chronology | ||||
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Vocalist and bass guitarist Grant McLennan wrote the lyrics for his mother as an autobiographical description of his return home to a Queensland farm when a boy. He used Nick Cave's acoustic guitar while staying at Cave's London apartment. Vocalist and guitarist Robert Forster co-wrote the song. Drummer Lindy Morrison also supplied backing vocals. The single and album both failed to appear on the relevant Australian Kent Music Report Top 50 charts. In May 2001, "Cattle and Cane" was selected by Australasian Performing Right Association (APRA) as one of the Top 30 Australian songs of all time.