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)
What's So Funny 'Bout Peace Love and Understanding?
Nick Lowe Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
This wicked world
Searchin' for light in the darkness of insanity.
I ask myself
Is all hope lost?
Is there only pain and hatred, and misery?
There's one thing I wanna know
What's so funny 'bout peace love and understanding? Oh
What's so funny 'bout peace love and understanding?
And as I walked on
Through troubled times
My spirit gets so downhearted sometimes
So where are the strong
And who are the trusted?
And where is the harmony?
Sweet harmony.
'Cause each time I feel it slippin' away, just makes me wanna cry.
What's so funny 'bout peace love and understanding? Oh
What's so funny 'bout peace love and understanding?
So where are the strong?
And who are the trusted?
And where is the harmony?
Sweet harmony.
'Cause each time I feel it slippin' away, just makes me wanna cry.
What's so funny 'bout peace love and understanding? Oh
What's so funny 'bout peace love and understanding? Oh
What's so funny 'bout peace love and understanding?
In Nick Lowe's "Peace Love and Understanding," the singer expresses his distress with the world around him. He is walking through a "wicked world" and is searching for light in the darkness of insanity. He questions if all hope is lost and if there is only pain, hatred, and misery in the world. The repetition of the question, "What's so funny 'bout peace, love, and understanding?" illustrates the absurdity of people not valuing basic human decency and the cynicism that can come with it.
As the song continues, the singer becomes more desperate, asking where the strong and trusted are and where harmony can be found. The repetition of the phrase "sweet harmony" emphasizes the longing for peace and unity. He acknowledges that he feels disheartened and that each time he feels like it's slipping away, it makes him want to cry. The song's overall message is a plea for peace, love, and understanding in the world.
Overall, "Peace Love and Understanding" is a melancholic but hopeful song that highlights the importance of basic human decency. The repetition of the question "What's so funny 'bout peace love and understanding?" emphasizes the absurdity of not valuing these qualities in the world around us. In the end, the song is a call to action for the strong and trusted to come together and create a more harmonious world.
Line by Line Meaning
As I walk through
This wicked world
Searchin' for light in the darkness of insanity.
The author is trying to find hope in this world filled with chaos.
I ask myself
Is all hope lost?
Is there only pain and hatred, and misery?
The author questions if there is any hope left, or if the world is only filled with negativity.
And each time I feel like this inside,
There's one thing I wanna know
What's so funny 'bout peace love and understanding? Oh
What's so funny 'bout peace love and understanding?
When the author feels hopeless, they wonder why peace and love can't just be easily achieved.
And as I walked on
Through troubled times
My spirit gets so downhearted sometimes
Despite the difficulties, the author continues to walk onward, though they may become sad occasionally.
So where are the strong
And who are the trusted?
And where is the harmony?
Sweet harmony.
The author wonders where they can find strong people they can rely on, and where they can find peace and harmony within society.
'Cause each time I feel it slippin' away, just makes me wanna cry.
What's so funny 'bout peace love and understanding? Oh
What's so funny 'bout peace love and understanding?
As the author sees hope slipping away, they are struck with sadness and confusion as to why peace and love are so elusive.
So where are the strong?
And who are the trusted?
And where is the harmony?
Sweet harmony.
The author reiterates their search for strong allies and peaceful harmony in society.
'Cause each time I feel it slippin' away, just makes me wanna cry.
What's so funny 'bout peace love and understanding? Oh
What's so funny 'bout peace love and understanding? Oh
What's so funny 'bout peace love and understanding?
The author is saddened when hope seems to fade away, and can't understand why peace and love are so elusive.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: Nicholas Lowe
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@spankywzl
I love Nick Lowe's version because he wrote the damn thing! Such great engineering and production by Dave Edmunds, and the song, although serious has a breezy quality to it. When Nick asks the titular question, it is in earnest, as if he is having a philosophical discussion about his experiences, with a friend at a quiet party.
I love Elvis Costello and the Attractions' version because there are only 2 ways to cover someone else's song. Either you play it by the numbers and come as close as you can to sounding like the original, or you make it your own. Elvis Costello and the Attractions made it their own, in a big way. When Elvis Costello asks us the same question, he is way more confrontational, as if he shoves you in a crowded pub, after hearing you mock 3 institutions he cares deeply about and is ready to put you in your place!
It is July 8th, in the now infamously awful year 2020, and entire nations are asking,
"Where are the strong and who are the trusted?" If anyone is reading this in 2050, I hope all of humankind managed to find that sweet harmony
@TheCMac518
perfect description of the difference in the versions. p.s. love dave edmunds..... underrated.
@Themanwhocameback2
I am a big Nick Lowe fan, but Nick's version is generic (e.g. the tedious nonvarying jingling tambourine adds nothing) camp(the voiceover about "the children" gives it away). One would definitely need a few drinks to see in this what you seem to.
@spankywzl
@Marten Dekker There are many musicians that play in house bands, cover bands and wedding bands that would most definitely take issue with your opinion on covers being near duplicates of the original song. These hard working people put in the hours to get a cover just right, and although they may not be filling stadiums, these gigs help to keep the lights on at home. Your comment ends with 2 very confusing questions. If I find joy in both versions of this song, how could I be devoid of emotion? I mean I get your opinion, and appreciate all the time and effort you took to respond to an opinion you disagree with, but I don't get how taking the wind outta my sails so your ship can go faster helps the discourse. Also, I think you are wrong.
I guess there really is no accounting for taste.
@spankywzl
@Themanwhocameback2 Dave Edmunds produced it as a strummer, and that's... fine. Looking at it from a production or engineer's standpoint, I can't disagree with you. You could play this track for 100 different producers, and each would have their own way of presenting it with their own distaste for tambourines and/or campy voiceovers, but most, if not all 100 would agree that at its core, it is a great song. You could strip it down to just a guitar and vocals and it would still be a great song. Perhaps I romanticized a bit about DE's production, but as a songwriter, I don't need drinks to hear that this song is special. I just need ears.
@Themanwhocameback2
@spankywzl Sorry, I was a little obnoxious, and I wish I had your forbearance. It is a great song.
@iangomm5444
This is actually a Brinsley Schwarz group recording and not just Nick Lowe as this mistakenly implies I know I (Ian Gomm) played guitar, sang on it and arranged the harmony vocals and Dave Edmunds produced it!
@MuensterQ
What do you believe contributes to the misattribution?
@jedtattum9996
who wrote it and who was lead vocal??
@markbenedict1295
Live version of Brinsley Schwarz doing this has disappeared from youtube - that's a shame