Lowe began his recording career in 1966 as a member of psychedelic rock group Kippington Lodge, founded with his friend Brinsley Schwarz. That band released a few singles on Parlophone. Three years later, Kippington Lodge had changed its name to Brinsley Schwarz and its musical focus to country and blues rock.
After leaving Brinsley Schwarz in the mid-1970s, Lowe began playing in Rockpile with Dave Edmunds. In August 1976 Lowe released "So It Goes" b/w "Heart of the City", the first single on the Stiff Records label where he was in-house producer (the label's first EP was Lowe's 1977 four-track release Bowi, apparently named in response to David Bowie's contemporary LP Low) . On this and other labels, Lowe would go on to produce The Damned's Damned Damned Damned and many albums by Elvis Costello. Upon moving from Stiff to Jake Riviera's Radar and F-Beat labels, Lowe became extremely selective in his choice of production tasks.
Because the two main writers in Rockpile had contracts with different record labels and managers, albums were always credited to either Lowe or Edmunds, so there is only one official Rockpile album, from the very end of the collaboration - 1980's Seconds of Pleasure, featuring the Lowe songs "When I Write the Book" and "Teacher Teacher" - but all of Lowe's and Edmunds' solo albums from the period were effectively Rockpile albums. Rockpile's demise was hastened by a number of conflicts, not between the group, but their management.
Lowe's best-known song from this era is probably "I Knew the Bride When She Used to Rock 'n' Roll" (a reworking of Chuck Berry's "You Never Can Tell", a.k.a. "Teenage Wedding"). On the 1977 Live Stiffs compilation with a pickup band called Last Chicken in the Shop, he virtually sneers out his contempt for all concerned; in 1985, fronting Nick Lowe and His Cowboy Outfit on the album The Rose of England, he hasn't changed the words, but the tone is entirely different, even affectionate. The latter recording featured Huey Lewis & the News as his backing band.
In 1979, Lowe married country singer Carlene Carter, daughter of country singers Carl Smith and June Carter Cash and step-daughter of Johnny Cash. He adopted her daughter, Tiffany Anastasia Lowe. The marriage with Lowe lasted until the mid-1980s, but they remained friends, and Lowe remained close to the Carter/Cash family; he and Johnny Cash played and recorded together, and Cash recorded several of his songs.
After the demise of Rockpile, Lowe toured for a period with his band Noise to Go and later with The Cowboy Outfit, which also included the noted keyboard player Paul Carrack. Lowe was also a member of the short-lived mainly studio project Little Village with John Hiatt, Ry Cooder, and Jim Keltner.
In 1992, "(What's So Funny 'bout) Peace, Love, and Understanding" was covered by Curtis Stigers on the soundtrack album to The Bodyguard, an album that sold over fifteen million copies. Because Lowe received royalties from these sales, he suddenly found himself a millionaire. Freed from commercial constraints, Lowe has recorded more solo albums in his own very individual style to critical acclaim.
Lowe played Glastonbury 2011, performing a short solo set of Brinsley Schwarz tracks on The Spirit Of 71 stage, where they played back in 1971, before heading to the Acoustic Stage for a full band show.
Lowe performed as an opening act for Wilco in their North American tour, September 2011. He performed solo with acoustic guitar.
His more recent albums include
At My Age (2007)
The Old Magic (2011)
14 Days
Nick Lowe Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Just broke the camel's back
One final fleck of down
Was enough to make it crack
It didn't hardly weigh a thing
But it might have been a ton
For the animal's all in
So I'm giving you my notice
And it works this way
In two weeks time you will notice I've been gone
For fourteen days
You don't know what it's like
To be left out in the cold
To feel all alone
Even when there's a party going on
Well it's been like this for me
For too, too long
So I won't even get my things
Lord it's down the road I'm going
So I'm giving you my notice
And it works this way
In two weeks time you will notice I've been gone
For fourteen days
So I'm giving you my notice
And it works this way
In two weeks time you will notice I've been gone
For fourteen days
The song "Days" by Nick Lowe is about quitting a job or leaving a relationship due to feeling undervalued and taken for granted. The opening lines of the song describe how a single grain of sand or fleck of down can be enough to break the camel's back, despite being small and seemingly insignificant. This metaphor is used to illustrate how a series of small offenses or slights can eventually accumulate and lead to a breaking point.
The lyrics go on to describe the decision to leave, and the feeling of being alone and left out even in the midst of a party or gathering. The singer has been feeling this way for too long and decides to walk away, without even bothering to collect their belongings. The repeated phrase "So I'm giving you my notice" is a clear reference to quitting a job, but could also be interpreted more broadly as a declaration of independence and a refusal to be treated poorly.
Overall, "Days" is a song about recognizing one's own worth and refusing to put up with mistreatment or neglect from others. It's a message of empowerment and self-respect, set to a catchy tune with a memorable chorus.
Line by Line Meaning
One single grain of sand
Even the smallest thing can have a significant impact.
Just broke the camel's back
The accumulation of small things can lead to a breaking point.
One final fleck of down
Another small thing that was enough to tip the scales.
Was enough to make it crack
The weight of the accumulated small things finally led to a breakdown.
It didn't hardly weigh a thing
The thing that broke the camel's back was small and seemingly insignificant.
But it might have been a ton
The small thing felt like a huge burden due to the accumulation of other things.
For the animal's all in
The burden was already too much to bear before the final straw.
Too much damage has been done
The situation has reached a point of no return and cannot be fixed.
So I'm giving you my notice
The artist is quitting or leaving the situation.
And it works this way
The artist has a plan in place.
In two weeks time you will notice I've been gone
The singer is leaving soon and the other person will notice their absence after two weeks.
You don't know what it's like
The other person cannot empathize with the artist's situation.
To be left out in the cold
The singer feels isolated and abandoned.
To feel all alone
The singer is experiencing loneliness and possibly depression.
Even when there's a party going on
The singer still feels alone even in the presence of others.
Well it's been like this for me
The artist has been dealing with this situation for a long time.
For too, too long
The situation has been going on for an extended period of time.
So I won't even get my things
The singer is leaving immediately without taking any belongings.
Lord it's down the road I'm going
The singer is moving on to a new chapter in their life.
Lyrics © Wixen Music Publishing
Written by: NICK LOWE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
jdolew
I keep coming back to this album - chock full of pop/roots gems, and this is just one.
Tamar- cita
14 days is that in-between time that both feels like just yesterday...and an eternity ago
daviz industries
brilliant song from the Basher.
Tommy Krogh Indahl
Music that could make me consider going back to drinking and pubs...
Martha martha
schitterend