PEAKY Blinders’ creator has revealed the hidden meaning behind the show’s theme song Red Right Hand – and its linked to Tommy Shelby.
The hit BBC drama uses the Nick Cave track as its opening song, which describes “a tall handsome man” who is “in a dusty black coat”as he arrives during a “gathering storm”.
Peaky Blinders writer Steven Knight was initially planning to use it in the opening episode, but loved the lyrics so much he decided to make it the show’s theme song.
He told the New York Post: “The lyrics conjure up our industrial landscape and the ‘tall handsome man’ could, of course, be Tommy Shelby.
“Over the series we’ve played with what the ‘Red Right Hand’ could be.
“The words have played over communists shaking hands, and over the reveal that Sam Neill’s Chester Campbell has connections to the fighters from Ulster.”
Music has played an important role in the show since it began in 2013, with the creators revealing the melodies chosen offer a glimpse into Tommy’s state of mind.
Speaking at the Creative Review, Head of Music at production company Endemol – Amelia Hartley – explained how the song choices are key.
She said: “We’re very much driven by the idea that the commercial music we use is what’s inside Tommy’s head.
“With some shows, the music is used to drive the editorial on, but we try not to do that [in Peaky Blinders].”
Red Right Hand was written in 1994 and was written by Nick, 62, and his Bad Seeds bandmates Mick Harvey and Thomas Wydler.
Speaking to the New York Post, Mick admitted he didn’t quite know what the meaning of the song was.
He said: “I still find it all mysterious. I don’t want to know the details, and I’d never ask Nick.
“Sometimes it’s better to think ‘what the hell’s that all about?’ It’s better that it’s unknowable and spooky. The song has its own life, now.”
