The guy with the "(I Just) Died in Your Arms"

Created: 06/29/2022, 15:00

By: Markus Schwarzkugler

Performing in Erding: the Cutting Crew around singer Nick Van Eede (right) and lead guitarist Gareth Moulton.

Hey, we're pop stars now.

I can eat Kentucky Fried Chicken every night!

Nick Van Eede's late bandmate after the breakthrough © Kai R. Joachim

On July 10th, the Cutting Crew will give a concert in the Stadthalle Erding?

cutting crew?

Exactly, the one with the world hit "(I Just) Died in Your Arms".

We spoke to its writer and singer Nick Van Eede.

Erding – There are hits that have been burned into the collective memory of the world population forever.

“(I Just) Died In Your Arms” is definitely one of them.

A song that somehow everyone knows, even if many were far from born in 1986, when it helped the British-Canadian pop rockers Cutting Crew break through.

Singer Nick Van Eede wrote the mega hit back then.

The 64-year-old Englishman has a good laugh, even if it was his band's only major global success.

The royalties give him a carefree life, the likeable producer and songwriter reveals during a casual chat on the phone.

Only once does he become serious, at least with a wink, and says to our editor when he draws attention to the end of the interview time: "Don't be so German" - and then goes on to tell a little more about the wild eighties, the difficult thing Today's music business and what he doesn't like about Bon Jovi.

On Sunday, July 10th, the Cutting Crew will perform in the Erdinger Stadthalle.

Nick, you've been around a lot.

Now your first guest performance in Erding is coming up.

Do you know anything about our little town?

In the eighties we played at least 15 times in Munich, in Tutzing, or somewhere near the lakes.

I know this part of the world, but I have to admit that I've never been to Erding myself.

Maybe a very specific product tells you something - little tip: It's for drinking.

Yes, yes, quite a tasty beer.

Our bass player is Austrian.

Before every concert we play, he tells me about the local beer.

Have you already drunk it?

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Many times, sure.

So I can already say: It will be a good show in Erding (laughs).

Where can I actually reach you right now?

At home?

Yes, I live in the south of England, close to the sea.

In February and March we had quite a stressful period with the first shows after two years of lockdown.

That was a very emotional thing for a musician who wasn't allowed to play for so long.

The first show was with an orchestra in front of 2500 people in London.

And nobody was recorded.

But our Australian conductor kept things together and kept shouting at us: "Don't cry!" (laughs).

Of course we have to talk about that one song in particular.

Recently my sweetheart and I sang along in the car when it was on the radio.

What do you think I asked my better half then?

Maybe: "What do the lyrics mean?"

no

Not quite.

I asked her what band that is.

Everyone knows the song, everyone loves it.

But the band name Cutting Crew is not immediately obvious.

Would you underline that?

Yes absolutely.

Every once in a while, when I'm sitting in a restaurant, people ask me, "Oh, aren't you the guy who sang that 'Just Died in Your Arms Tonight' (starts singing)?"

But what's the name of your band again?” Well, yes – I know that well (smiles).

We're just one of those bands that were really famous for three or four years.

I'm proud of it.

How did “(I Just) Died in Your Arms” come about?

This story has almost become a myth, and I've told a lot of made-up stories over the years ('laughs).

Today I'll stick to the truth.

At that time I had been traveling with a girl for about a year.

I remember saying those words to her and immediately writing them down on a piece of paper.

I was like, "Hey, that could be a good song title!" The song was complete in about eight hours.

That's often the case with books, songs or paintings: the very special things often come out of you spontaneously and quickly - without much questioning.

Emotionally, your Grinning Souls project must have been of great importance to you.

Finally, it was dedicated to Cutting Crew co-founder Kevin Scott MacMichael, who died of lung cancer in 2002.

Yes.

He was involved in every single note we recorded, even if he didn't always write them himself.

He always told me clearly when something didn't work, and he also changed things.

At the time I was very sad and also angry that I had lost my best friend.

Accordingly, "Grinning Souls" became a grittier record than what we did with Cutting Crew.

To turn back to Erding: What do you do on concert days?

Will your fans have a chance to meet you somewhere?

That's good, I'm rarely asked that.

Then it was about time.

The question is so interesting because things have changed so much.

In the seventies, when you didn't have any money, you went out to the fans for CD signings.

And when you became a pop star in the 80's, you suddenly said: Phew, you can't go out and meet people.

You're a big pop star now.

It's very different today.

People come up to you after the show and talk to you.

But what I don't like at all are meet-and-greets like with bands like Bon Jovi, for which they charge a lot of money.

You get three seconds with your heroes for that (smiles).

After the show in Erding we will stay at a local hotel and will definitely meet our fans.

To the wild 80's: Did you really taste the rock star life with Cutting Crew?

That was especially the case with the groupies in the USA.

In the eighties there were a lot of drugs, cocaine and so on.

Let me put it this way: we didn't consume a ton, but we had a good time.

That's what you did back then when you went to parties.

Times have changed, young bands don't have it easy these days.

Would you say it's gotten harder in today's music industry?

As an older musician, I'm in a privileged position, with a magic check fluttering in every six weeks.

I don't think that Spotify is all bad, because it makes music accessible to the whole world.

But it's tough for young bands, nothing comes across.

You want a reward for your hard work, you want a good breakfast, you don't want to stay in hotels swarming with flies.

Business has gone insane.

Tell me about your magic check.

Can you live on your royalties alone for (I Just) Died in Your Arms today?

I wrote a few other songs, like for Cher.

If you put them all together, life is pretty good (laughs).

Kevin once said to me, "Hey, we're pop stars now.

I can have Kentucky Fried Chicken for dinner every night now!” (laughs again)

Finally, may you tell me a nice anecdote from the crazy eighties.

I'm a boy from the country and I could certainly have grown up in Erding.

I'm not the big city person.

Then when we did succeed, it was four incredible years.

We were constantly on tour, in Tokyo, Sydney or wherever.

We should be on the Johnny Carson Show, the David Letterman of the 80's.

A big thing.

I only really realized that when the lady who did my hair said that 63 million would be tuning in today.

Then just before the show we couldn't find Kevin anywhere, the TV crew was already calling us.

He wasn't well.

In the end he just made it behind the drums – and everything went wonderfully (laughs).

Tickets are available in advance at www.stadthalle-erding.de or by phone (0 81 22) 99 07 12.