The Tragic Death Of Anita Lane
Singer songwriter Anita Lane has died at age 61. Rolling Stone broke the news on April 28, but the exact date and cause of death have not been revealed at the time of this writing. Lane was known for co-writing many of the songs for Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds. Lane also collaborated with Cave when he was a member of the Birthday Party in the 1980s, according to Pitchfork.
Lane and Cave had a romantic relationship as well as a musical one, and she spoke about how significant their connection was in Bad Seed. "When we [met], I was 17 and he was 19," Lane said. "You haven't decided on anything at that age. You're all open and you want the world to show you everything, having rejected what your parents have planned for you. That was the springboard: rebelliousness. You just jump into the arms of whatever comes along and so we did," (via Rolling Stone.)
The couple split up in 1983, according to the outlet, but remained artistically connected and Lane created several solo projects as well. Here's the inside look at her personal artistic journey.
Anita Lane didn't want to be on a pedestal
While Anita Lane was most famous for her collaborations with Nick Cave, the songwriter also embarked on several successful solo projects. According to Rolling Stone, she spoke about how she made her case to Daniel Miller, who was then the president of Mute Records. "I told [Miller] I've got this life and I don't know what to do with it," Lane said. "I almost don't even want it, but I'm really talented so use me. I didn't want to be on a pedestal on the record. I wanted to talk to other girls. I kind of wanted to glorify insecurity rather than being confident and successful."
Lane added: "I wanted some kind of equality between the emotions that are raised up for people to look at, to show other emotions that are equally as valid as confidence and control."
In 1993, Lane released her first solo album called "Dirty Pearl," which was produced by Mick Harvey of the Birthday Party, according to Pitchfork. Then, in 2001, she released the album, "Sex O'Clock." Lane married a man in the early 1990s by the name of Johannes Beck, per Rolling Stone, and they shared a son, Raffie. Harvey told the outlet in 2020 that Lane had been living in Byron Bay, Australia.