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)
So It Goes
Nick Lowe Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
In a fit to save a bit of power
He got fifty thousand watts
In a big acoustic tower
Security's so tight tonight
Oh they're ready for a tussle
Gotta keep your backstage passes
'Cause your promoter had the muscle
And so it goes and so it goes
And so it goes and so it goes
But where it's goin' no one knows
And so it goes and so it goes
And so it goes and so it goes
But where it's goin' no one knows
In the tall buildings
Sit the head of our nations
Worthy men from Spain and Siam
All day discussions with the Russians
But they still went ahead
And vetoed the plan
Now up jumped the U.S. representative
He's the one with the tired eyes
747 for the midnight condition
Flyin' back from a peace keepin' mission
And so it goes and so it goes
And so it goes and so it goes
But where it's goin' no one knows
And so it goes and so it goes
And so it goes and so it goes
But where it's goin' no one knows
In the air there's absolution
In the wake of a snaky Persian
On his arm there's a skin tight vision
Wonder why she admires she is hissin'
And so it goes and so it goes
And so it goes and so it goes
But where it's goin' no one knows
And so it goes and so it goes
And so it goes and so it goes
But where it's goin' no one knows
But where it's goin' no one knows
But where it's goin' no one knows
But where it's goin' no one knows
The song "So It Goes" by Nick Lowe is an enigmatic comment on the political and cultural environment of the late 1970s. Lowe reflects on the shocking event of someone cutting off their own arm to save some energy in a society where power is everything, and where big corporations and promoters control the world. The obscure lyric presents a dark picture of the world where nothing seems to have an end or a purpose, and everything is uncertain. The phrase "And so it goes" is repeated at the end of each verse, emphasizing the cyclical nature of history, and the impossibility of knowing where we are going.
Lowe then shifts his focus on to the political leaders of the world, who meet in "tall buildings" and "discuss all day with the Russians", yet they fail to reach a consensus, and the "US representative" is flying back from a "peace-keeping mission" rather than achieving it. The song then takes a surreal turn, with a reference to a "snaky Persian" and a "skin-tight vision", which is left open to interpretation.
Overall, the song seems to be a commentary on the power structures existing in society, the futility of politics, and the uncertainty of our future.
Line by Line Meaning
Remember on night the kid cut off his right arm
I recall a time when a young man mutilated his own limb to conserve power
In a fit to save a bit of power
In a moment of frenzy to reduce energy consumption
He got fifty thousand watts
He acquired a massive amount of electricity
In a big acoustic tower
Within a large sound structure
Security's so tight tonight
The level of protection is high this evening
Oh they're ready for a tussle
They are anticipating conflict
Gotta keep your backstage passes
It is necessary to have your authorized credentials on hand
'Cause your promoter had the muscle
As your sponsor holds significant power
And so it goes and so it goes
This is the way things happen and continue to happen
But where it's goin' no one knows
The future is uncertain
In the tall buildings
Within the towering structures
Sit the head of our nations
The leaders of our countries reside there
Worthy men from Spain and Siam
Honorable individuals from various nations
All day discussions with the Russians
Conversations all day long with the Russian representatives
But they still went ahead
Nevertheless, they proceeded
And vetoed the plan
And rejected the proposal
Now up jumped the U.S. representative
Next, the US delegate made a speech
He's the one with the tired eyes
He is the individual with the exhausted appearance
747 for the midnight condition
A 747 flight for a nighttime operation
Flyin' back from a peace keepin' mission
Returning from a mission to maintain peace
In the air there's absolution
A sense of forgiveness permeates the atmosphere
In the wake of a snaky Persian
Following in the footsteps of a sly, cunning individual from Persia
On his arm there's a skin tight vision
A woman with form-fitting clothing is clinging to his arm
Wonder why she admires she is hissin'
One must question her motives as she hisses while expressing her admiration
But where it's goin' no one knows
The direction of events remains unclear
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: Nicholas Orain Lowe
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@philipshirk729
Lyrics:
I remember one night the kid cut off his right arm
In a bid to save a bit of power
He got fifty thousand watts
In a big acoustic tower
Security's so tight tonight
Oh, they're ready for a tussle
Gotta keep your backstage passes
That your promoter had to muscle
And so it goes and so it goes
And so it goes and so it goes
But where it's goin', no one knows
And so it goes and so it goes
And so it goes and so it goes
But where it's goin', no one knows
In the tall building
Sit the head of our nations
Worthy men from Spain and Siam
All day discussions with the Russians
But they still went ahead and vetoed the plan
Now up jumped the U.S. representative
He's the one with the tired eyes
747 put him in that condition
Flyin' back from a peace keepin' mission
And so it goes and so it goes
And so it goes and so it goes
But where it's goin', no one knows
And so it goes and so it goes
And so it goes and so it goes
But where it's goin', no one knows
In the air there's after shave lotion
In the wake of a snake-hipped Persian
On his arm there's a skin tight vision
Wonder why she ain't mine she's his'n
And so it goes and so it goes
And so it goes and so it goes
But where it's goin', no one knows
And so it goes and so it goes
And so it goes and so it goes
But where it's goin', no one knows
But where it's goin' no one knows
But where it's goin' no one knows
But where it's goin' no one knows
@michaelluptonremixes6681
I remember one night the kid cut off his right arm
In a bid to save a bit of power
He got fifty thousand watts
In a big acoustic tower
Security's so tight tonight
Oh, they're ready for a tussle
Gotta keep your backstage passes
Cause your promoter had the muscle
And so it goes
And so it goes
And so it goes
And so it goes
But where it's goin' no one knows
And so it goes
And so it goes
And so it goes
And so it goes
But where it's goin' no one knows
In the tall building
Sit the head of our nations
Worthy men from Spain and Siam
All day discussions with the Russians
But they still went ahead
And vetoed the plan
Now up jumped the U.S. representative
He's the one with the tired eyes
747 put him in that condition
Flyin' back from a peace keepin' mission
And so it goes
And so it goes
And so it goes
And so it goes
But where it's goin' no one knows
And so it goes
And so it goes
And so it goes
And so it goes
But where it's goin' no one knows
In the air there's after shave lotion
In the wake of a snake bitten Persian
On his arm there's a skin tight vision
Wonder why she admires she is hissin'
And so it goes
And so it goes
And so it goes
And so it goes
But where it's goin' no one knows
And so it goes
And so it goes
And so it goes
And so it goes
But where it's goin' no one knows
But where it's goin' no one knows
But where it's goin' no one knows
But where it's goin' no one knows
@jordanf7424
I listen to Chrissie Hynde and The Pretenders and I hear the Nick Lowe influence, it's absolutely beautiful, what a great time to be alive and hear all this important music.
@stu2783
Christie has said that she got James to join her band because Nick would be producing them.
@Robaatosensei
What a horrible moment to be alive and read such an insipid platitude while listening to such an entirely mediocre song. There's a good reason it's all but unknown.
@garyjackson3531
@@Robaatosensei Duly noted edgelord. Now run along, the adults are talking.
@Robaatosensei
@Gary Jackson Sad. I hope some day - maybe - you're able to produce one original thought or an idea of your own.
@brianboru7684
@@Robaatosensei When you're able to write a memorable song still watched on YouTube.
@MIKELIN8
I had all of the Dave Edmunds and Nick Lowe cassettes from back in the 70s. Such talented musicians. Then "Seconds of Pleasure" came out in 1980 and the band now had a name: Rockpile!
@mbogucci1
The toured as "Rockpile" for several years prior to SOP.
@paulbadertscher
Here in 2022, when Nick pulled this one out of the deepest corners of my memory, starting his opening set for Elvis Costello with this beauty, at Massey Hall in Toronto. Keep on rocking, Nick!
@3felinesstudio
Massey Hall, what a great venue.