Not Waving but Drowning Not Drowning, Waving takes their name from the poem. The underground '90s emo-hardcore act I Hate Myself recorded a song with the same name on their album 10 Songs. A track on Julian Cope's 1991 album "Peggy Suicide" was titled "Not Raving but Drowning" after the poem. The poem was also set to music by singer-songwriter Vic Chesnutt on his debut album Little with a spoken introduction from a Stevie Smith recording. Singer and songwriter Tanita Tikaram set the poem to music in her song titled "Not Waving but Drowning" which appeared as a b-side to her single "I Might
My Friend the Chocolate Cake by David Bridie on vocals, piano, harmonium and keyboards and Helen Mountfort on cello and backing vocals. Bridie and Mountfort were members of an ambient, world music ensemble not drowning, waving. In 1989 Bridie took a holiday in New Zealand and wrote "a few more breezy compositions" that did not fit into the style of not drowning, waving. Upon return to Melbourne Mountford joined his project with her own writing. My Friend the Chocolate Cake took their name from a song title by an obscure Sydney band, Ya Ya Coralle. Bridie admitted that one reason they chose an all-acoustic act