Nick Lowe in 10 Songs

Nick Lowe is a man of many talents. As a producer, he oversaw multiple watershed releases, including The Damned’s 1977 debut, Damned Damned Damned, the Pretenders’ “Stop Your Sobbing,” and the first five classic Elvis Costello LPs, including My Aim Is True and This Year’s Model. In addition to conquering studios, he minted multiple albums full of pop-leaning pub rock with bands (Brinsley Schwarz, Rockpile) and as a solo artist. While associated with power-pop and pub rock, Lowe has built an eclectic, rich recording career encompassing country, blues-rock, folk, and garage rock.

As Lowe gears up to release Indoor Safari—his first new studio album in more than a decade—we take a look at some of his career high points.

“(What’s So Funny ‘Bout) Peace, Love and Understanding?” (The New Favourites of... Brinsley Schwarz, 1974)

The most well-known version of this song is by Elvis Costello, who brought a confrontational punk attitude to a Lowe-produced late-1970s take with the Attractions. But Lowe wrote the song years before, and first recorded the tune in 1974 with his pub rock/proto-new wave group Brinsley Schwarz. Slower in tempo and augmented by soaring harmonies, jangly riffs, and sparkling percussion, this take on “(What’s So Funny ‘Bout) Peace, Love and Understanding?” is more of a plaintive plea than snarling invective—and has much closer ties to the 1960s garage-rock era than the punk revolution.

“So It Goes” (single, 1976 / Jesus of Cool, 1978)

Talk about setting the bar high for yourself: Lowe’s official solo debut was the single “So It Goes,” which was backed by the punkish rocker “Heart of the City.” Lyrically, it’s a rather pointed critique of power—and the many ways in which power corrupts and perpetuates oppression and inequality. (Hence the resigned-sounding repeating refrain of “So it goes, so it goes.”) But musically it’s a muscular slice of 1970s rock that combines glam swagger, pub rock grit, and Wings-esque melodic splendor. Jesus of Cool was reconfigured and retitled Pure Pop for Now People for its American release.

“Heart of the City” (B-side of “So It Goes,” 1976)

There’s a very good reason why Lowe and peers such as Elvis Costello were considered adjacent to the nascent punk scene: strummy tunes such as “Heart of the City.” A clear descendent of the Modern Lovers—and an obvious influence on The Police—”Heart of the City” is a classic tale of vibrant rock ‘n’ roll nightlife, and the possibilities inherent to raucous nights out looking for love (“They know a bird up in the hand/ Is worth two out on the streets”). A live version of the song, found on Jesus of Cool, illustrates Lowe’s onstage ferocity.

“I Love the Sound of Breaking Glass” (Jesus of Cool, 1978)”

“I Love the Sound of Breaking Glass” has no relation to the similarly titled Bowie song; in fact, Lowe claimed to be unaware of the other tune. The song nevertheless feels of a piece with the artsy rock Bowie was making within the Berlin Trilogy, as a burbling bass line and angular piano shards collide with dissonant rhythms and textural discord. Co-written by Andrew Bodnar and Steve Goulding, Lowe matches the musical approach with a rip-it-up lyrical vibe that pushes ennui to the side: “I need the noises of destruction/ When there’s nothing new.”

“Cruel to Be Kind” (Labour of Lust, 1979)

A hit in both the U.S. and UK, “Cruel to Be Kind”—a treatise on emotional whiplash within a romantic relationship—is arguably Lowe’s signature song. He first recorded the song with Brinsley Schwarz, taking inspiration from the debonair disco sound of Harold Melvin and the Blue Notes’ “The Love I Lost,” and later cut a slightly slower version with Rockpile. Both takes have their charms, but the more well-known of the two, which appeared on Lowe’s solo debut, possesses a wry, resigned approach to interpersonal gaslighting that’s enormously appealing.

Rockpile, “Teacher, Teacher” (Seconds of Pleasure, 1980)

Rockpile qualifies as power-pop royalty, between Lowe on vocals and bass, and Dave Edmunds and Billy Bremner on vocals and guitar. Although the supergroup released just one album, Seconds of Pleasure, the LP featured plenty of gems, led by the saucy “Teacher, Teacher.” Co-written by Eddie Phillips and Kenny Pickett, who were both in legendary 1960s psych-pop band The Creation, the crisp single features Lowe on lead vocals, a bouncy groove and a harmony-heavy chorus with a distinctly country vibe. The lyrics are a bit of their time—they take cues from the concept of Nabokov’s Lolita—but musically, “Teacher, Teacher” is a power-pop classic.

“Stick It Where The Sun Don’t Shine” (Nick the Knife, 1982)

Lowe’s acerbic edge comes roaring through on “Stick It Where The Sun Don’t Shine”—from his first solo album after Rockpile’s breakup in 1981—starting with the song’s tongue-twisting opening couplet: “You got a tongue like a knife that loves to tittle tattle/ Sometimes at night it sounds like a death rattle.” From there, the song evolves into an extended kiss-off where the protagonist is clearly fed up with the other person and has decided to cut ties. Lowe pairs these warning shots with confident music driven by twang-tinted guitar riffs, boogie-woogie piano, and a slipshod groove.

“I Knew the Bride (When She Used to Rock ‘n’ Roll)” (The Rose of England, 1985)

The hip-shaking “I Knew the Bride (When She Used to Rock ‘n’ Roll)” is another Lowe song with a long history. Originally recorded by Dave Edmunds in 1977, the tune also appeared on the following year’s Live Stiffs Live, cheekily credited to Nick Lowe’s “Last Chicken in the Shop“. Lowe finally cut a slick, pub-rocking studio version in the mid-1980s—and it sounds quite a bit like Huey Lewis & The News, in no small part because Lewis produced the song and contributes harmonica. That’s not a bad thing, however: The jaunty, vintage rock ‘n’ roll vibe diminishes the lyrics, which look askance at a marriage that seems like a compromise.

“The Beast In Me” (The Impossible Bird, 1994)

Lowe wrote “The Beast In Me,” though he wasn’t the first musician to record the song. That honor went to Johnny Cash, Lowe’s father-in-law in the 1970s and 1980s, who released a version seven months earlier on his career-rejuvenating American Recordings. Leonard Cohen-esque in its lyrical rhythms, “The Beast In Me” wrestles with the conflict between the inner and outer self, and the ways we temper our wilder tendencies to fit into society. Appropriately enough, Lowe’s take on the song is fragile and stripped-back, propelled by feathery acoustic guitar and a vulnerable, weathered vocal delivery.

“Lonesome Reverie” (Dig My Mood, 1998)

The protagonist of “Lonesome Reverie” is awash in painful romantic memories (“Everywhere/ There are lovers/ Like we once used to be”) after passing by a park that holds special resonance. However, while he’s tempted to stay in this familiar heartbroken state, he ultimately decides to move forward and get on with his life: “I turn for home, torn reluctantly from a Lonesome Reverie.” Lowe handles this delicate emotional minefield with a debonair croon, a perfect stylistic match for the twinkling music, which resembles that shimmering moment in pop time just before the Beatles hit big.

Bonus Tracks:

“Christmas at the Airport” (Quality Holiday Revue Live, 2015)

In recent years, Lowe has found creative synergy with Los Straitjackets, a Nashville troupe that favors surf, garage rock and rockabilly. The collaborators have released several live albums together, led by this 2015 document of a jaunty seasonal tour that featured both Lowe originals and more traditional festive fare. Among the highlights is “Christmas at the Airport,” an irreverent song about spending the holidays in (where else?) a deserted airport. Los Straitjackets provide lovely backing harmonies and tasteful 1950s rock ‘n’ roll licks, as Lowe narrates the tale, sounding exactly like a winking raconteur who’s finding the silver lining in a tough situation.

“Went to a Party” (Indoor Safari, 2024)

Lowe maintains a busy touring schedule, so it’s not like he has much rust to shake off where studio work is concerned. And Indoor Safari is a blast, led by the cheeky, laid-back “Went to a Party,” which is about a riotous shindig. The song boasts typically clever wordplay (describing the party: “It was like an indoor safari/ ‘Round a waterhole of Campari”) and Lowe’s sparkling wit. For example: One lyric describes a fan coming up and saying he’s a fan of Propellor Time—an album not by Lowe, but released by another silver-haired troubadour, Robyn Hitchcock.