Brinsley Schwarz was popular in the U.K. and many European territories, touring Great Britian in 1972 as an opening act for Paul McCartney & Wings. The band also tried playing the UK's regional pub & hall circuit with artists Dave Edmunds, Atomic Rooster, Ducks DeLuxe, and the Grateful Dead, even headlining the first Glastonbury festival. In addition to Schwarz and Nick Lowe on bass & vocals, the band featured American Billy Rankin on drums, and Bob Andrews on Hammond B-3 organ, with additional guitarist Ian Gomm added in 1970.
Brinsley Schwarz signed a contract with manager Dave Robinson, who developed a plan to earn the group some wide scale publicity. They first played America on a fiasco laden press junket opening for Van Morrison at the Fillmore East in New York City in 1970 but were not well rested or well received. The group never toured the states again. Before breaking up in 1975, they released a total of 12 albums and 21 singles for United Artists. The band also notably were the first group to play live in 1973 on the BBC's 'Old Grey Whistle Test' programme and had a cameo in the film 'Stardust' with David Essex.
In 1970, Brinsley Schwarz released Despite It All, which had a definite country sound to it, and later added Ian Gomm to the band. Their wild performances soon garnered the band a large fanbase on the London pub rock scene, at venues such as 'The Tally Ho' in Kentish Town. Along with other bands like Eggs Over Easy, Brinsley Schwarz was soon dubbed "pub rock" by rock journalists. They sounded, at times, very much like The Band, with Schwarz's guitar work influenced greatly by Robbie Robertson's.
1972's ironic take on country rock, Nervous on the Road, received excellent reviews but did not reach the charts; neither did a series of singles or Please Don't Ever Change (1973). They continued recording for a time, but broke up in 1975.
Schwarz and Andrews joined Graham Parker & the Rumour, later Andrews moved to New Orleans and now plays in Dos Jefes Uptown Cigar Bar and has a web page www.neworleanspiano.com.
Rankin joined Terraplane and then Big Jim Sullivan's Tiger.
Lowe and Gomm both began solo careers, achieving moderate mainstream success, including Lowe's (1980) single "Cruel to Be Kind", originally Brinsley Schwarz's composition, and Gomm's 1979 hit "Hold On."
Lowe went on to greater acclaim than any other member, starting off as Stiff's in house producer he recorded the debut discs of Elvis Costello, The Damned & The Pogues, recorded several albums with Rockpile and had some late 70s solo hit singles. Lowe married Johnny Cash's step daughter Carlene Carter Cash for a spell in the 80's, and later made a million from the inclusion of Curtis Stigers' cover version of "(What's So Funny About) Peace Love & Understanding" on the multi-platinum soundtrack to Whitney Houston's film "The Bodyguard".
Gomm, once described in a 1971 NME issue as "the best guitarist in Britain" attempted a solo career, and later became a Welsh studio owner & record producer who worked with The Stranglers and Alexis Korner.
The original version of Elvis Costello's hit "(What's So Funny 'Bout) Peace, Love, and Understanding," written by Lowe, was released by the band in 1974 on their album The New Favourites of Brinsley Schwarz and also featured on the multi million selling soundtrack of the movie The Bodyguard, where it was performed by Curtis Stigers.
Brinsley Schwarz Discography:
Brinsley Schwarz (April 1970)
Despite It All (December 1970)
Silver Pistol (October 1971)
Nervous on the Road (September 1972)
Please Don't Ever Change (October 1973)
The New Favourites of Brinsley Schwarz (July 1974)
The Last Album (June 1975)
Rarities (July 2000)
Don’t Lose Your Grip on Love
Brinsley Schwarz Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Don't lose your grip on love
Take me higher and higher
Like a jet plane flies
But don't lose your grip on love
Why do you despise this travelin' man?
Even though he's doing the best that he can
How come you don't hear him when he says, honey
Don't lose your grip on love
Don't lose your grip on love
Take me higher and higher
Like a jet plane flies
But don't lose your grip on love
Said he was a fire sign when he last come by
But fire sign or water sign, you can still hear him cry
He put up a statue then burnt down the town
And the first word his tongue spoke when he came 'round was
Don't lose your grip on love
Don't lose your grip on love
Take me higher and higher
Like a jet plane flies
But don't lose your grip on love
And when he was in trouble and was feeling so low
His friends had deserted him and he had no place to go
He looked like a dead man but be that as it may
Well I thought he was joking when I heard him say
Don't lose your grip on love
Don't lose your grip on love
Take me higher and higher
Like a jet plane flies
But don't lose your grip on love
In Brinsley Schwarz's song "Don't Lose Your Grip on Love," the lyrics seem to be a plea to a lover or significant other not to give up on love. The repetition of the title phrase, "don't lose your grip on love," reinforces this idea, and the subsequent line "take me higher and higher like a jet plane flies" suggests that the singer wants their love to keep growing and expanding.
The second verse introduces a conflict, where the singer seems to be defending a "travelin' man" who is being despised for his circumstances. The man is doing the best he can, but is still working for peanuts. The singer is asking why his lover can't hear the man's pleas for help, and instead seems to be turning away from love.
The final verse takes a more personal turn, where the singer describes a time when the "travelin' man" was in trouble and had nowhere to turn. The man looked like a "dead man," but still held onto the idea of not losing his grip on love. This seems to be a message of hope and perseverance in the face of adversity, and the repeated refrain drives home the importance of holding onto love.
Overall, "Don't Lose Your Grip on Love" is a simple but effective message of the importance of love and not giving up on it in difficult times.
Line by Line Meaning
Don't lose your grip on love
Hold onto the love that you have and don't let go of it
Don't lose your grip on love
Hold onto the love that you have and don't let go of it
Take me higher and higher
Help me rise above my problems and reach new heights
Like a jet plane flies
Just as quickly and smoothly as a plane takes off into the sky
But don't lose your grip on love
Still, don't forget to hold onto the love that you have
Why do you despise this travelin' man?
Why do you dislike this man who travels frequently?
Even though he's doing the best that he can
Even though he's making an effort to do better
Working for peanuts as is his wont
Working for very little compensation, as is his nature
How come you don't hear him when he says, honey
Why aren't you listening when he pleads with you?
Said he was a fire sign when he last come by
He claimed to be a fire sign when he last visited
But fire sign or water sign, you can still hear him cry
Regardless of his astrological sign, he still shows emotion
He put up a statue, then burnt down the town
He erected a statue only to later destroy the entire town
And the first word his tongue spoke when he came 'round was
The first thing he said when he returned was
And when he was in trouble and was feeling so low
When he was in distress and feeling down
His friends had deserted him and he had no place to go
His friends had left him and he was left without a place to stay
He looked like a dead man but be that as it may
He appeared lifeless, despite this fact
Well I thought he was joking when I heard him say
I didn't believe him when he said
Writer(s): Nicholas Orain Lowe
Contributed by Caroline T. Suggest a correction in the comments below.