Nick Lowe Explains Why His Biggest Hit Was Almost Never Recorded

Speaking from his West London location successful early March, Nick Lowe proffers that he’s “selecting what I’m going to deterioration connected nan tour,” cheekily adding, “I benignant of hide really to tour. I move into nan bloke who conscionable knows really to quiet nan washing instrumentality and thrust to nan shops. Not nan beloved entertainer. I find,” he furthers, “if you commencement disconnected by dressing up arsenic nan ‘beloved entertainer,’ it helps to bring it on.”

Lowe’s dapper sartorial choices are but 1 of nan galore qualities that make him truthful revered. In summation to his seemingly endless bonhomie are spirited, clever and often urgent songs including “(What’s So Funny ‘Bout) Peace, Love, and Understanding” (a 1979 deed for Elvis Costello); Lowe’s biggest deed single, “Cruel to Be Kind”; on pinch gems for illustration “I Knew The Bride (When She Used To Rock ‘N’ Roll),” not to mention 1 beloved 1980 medium pinch Dave Edmunds and their set Rockpile. Production activity pinch Stiff Records includes nan Damned’s debut LP, Costello and nan Pretenders.

Lowe, who turned 78 this week, has made 15 solo records, astir precocious 2024’s “Indoor Safari,” tracked pinch his longtime set Los Straitjackets. They played prime dates successful nan States successful 2025, while his first clip stateside was a circuit pinch Costello and Mink Deville, which landed astatine nan Santa Monica Civic connected May 30, 1978. Lowe recalls being mugged — doubly — upon his first sojourn to L.A., successful 1975, but holds nary sick will toward nan city. In fact, “many drinks were bought for maine connected nan spot of that communicative ever since. No harm done astatine all!”

What are your memories of nan first clip you came to Los Angeles?

Nick Lowe: It was specified a different time. I’m alternatively thrilled that you want to speak to maine from nan L.A. Times, because once, being a British entertainer going to Los Angeles was rather a large deal. The first clip I came, I wasn’t really performing. I came pinch a group called Dr. Feelgood. Their circuit head Jake Riviera was my manager, who went connected to shape Stiff Records.

My first representation was connected nan thrust from nan airdrome we spot each those nodding donkey wells [the Baldwin Hills lipid derricks visible from La Cienega]. We thought ‘this is perfectly unbelievable,’ and besides that we were staying astatine nan celebrated Hyatt House, “Riot House,” arsenic it was known.

The first point I noticed was a British group who weren’t known for being very beautiful, very handsome, and their roadies were decidedly not. They were a measurement down moreover from nan band. But we saw nan roadies successful nan lobby of nan hotel, surrounded by 4 aliases 5 of nan astir beautiful women I’ve ever seen successful my life. What they were doing pinch these oafs, I do not know, but it was astonishing. The only point that was much astonishing was that we went into nan java shop of nan Hyatt House, and sitting having a java astatine nan barroom — fto maine retrieve his sanction — a genuine movie star… Lorne? In that point astir nan cowboys pinch Hoss….

Not ‘Big Valley,’ not ‘Gunsmoke’….

One word, for illustration was nan sanction of their ranch, I deliberation it began pinch B…”Bonanza”!

Ah, Lorne Greene.

The tops of our heads almost came off. The memories travel flooding back. It was 1975.

The singer-songwriter almost rejected his 1979 deed “Cruel to Be Kind” deed until Columbia’s A&R man Gregg Geller persistently convinced him to grounds it.

(Bobby Fisher)

Of course, nan Hyatt [now nan Andaz West Hollywood] is intimately associated pinch Led Zeppelin. I precocious rewatched Robert Plant singing pinch Rockpile astatine nan Concerts for nan People of Kampuchea successful 1979. I’m wondering if you were a Zeppelin fan.

Robert Plant’s solo profession is simply a small much to my taste. I ne'er rather bought into Led Zeppelin. I emotion nan group that Led Zeppelin were modeled on, nan Jeff Beck Group pinch Rod Stewart singing pinch them. I emotion them. I saw them tons of times, but yeah, [Zeppelin] was each a small spot thumpy for me.

When I watched nan “Cruel to beryllium Kind” video connected YouTube, which was partially changeable astatine different iconic L.A. hotel, nan Tropicana, it had 10 cardinal views. I shouldn’t beryllium surprised, but, wow!

That surely surprises me.

The spectator comments were truthful beautiful, group talking astir being successful emotion for nan first time, and nan relationship they person pinch nan song, and nan nostalgia.

That is fantastic, my goodness. It really is awesome small record. I wish I’d been much benignant of … what tin I say? When I signed to Columbia, Mr. Gregg Geller, who was nan A&R man there, a awesome feline who I’m still friends pinch to this day, he signed maine and Elvis Costello. Elvis was nan large feline astatine nan time, and I benignant of came on arsenic an addendum, because I was producing him and I had a fewer songs. When I signed to Columbia, I handed complete everything I had, each my demos. And Mr. Geller listened to this song, which we hadn’t we had recorded properly. And he said, “I really deliberation you should do this opus ‘Cruel to beryllium Kind.’”

I said, “Gregg, thanks, but I’m not into that worldly anymore.” I deliberation I astir apt was talking astir nan opus astir nan movie prima who was eaten by her canine [“Marie Prevost”]. He is simply a beautiful man, for illustration a assemblage professor, and each clip I said to him, he’d conscionable mildly say, “Have you sewage astir to signaling this?”

I said, “No, no, no, no, no, but perceive to this one.” He conscionable put nan unit connected maine and yet I realized he wasn’t going to springiness up. I went to nan different guys successful Rockpile 1 day, because we seemed make records each nan clip backmost then, and said, “Look, boys, I’m really sorry. We’ve sewage to do this song. Geller has spoken, and he really, really wants it. I’m sorry. I’m sorry.” And we did it, and I alternatively hurried it along. But he was convinced it was going to beryllium a hit. So what do I know? He was right, and I was wholly wrong. But erstwhile I perceive it, I tin remember, I did nan vocal a mates of times, and was, “Will that do? Yeah, that’ll do” benignant of thing. But for immoderate logic [chuckles], whenever it comes connected nan radio, thing astir nan sound of it is highly timeless. Timeless is nan only word, and of course, a batch of that is down to my old… what’s nan word? Co-worker?

Colleague?

Yes, convey you, my workfellow Dave Edmunds. He, convey goodness, didn’t person nan aforesaid cognition arsenic I did. He really worked… it’s fantastic.

When I was considering nan lyrics, I thought that successful this time and property nan conception of “cruel to beryllium kind” would beryllium pathologized, for illustration being narcissistic aliases something.

Mind you, Shakespeare sewage location first. [“I must beryllium sadistic only to beryllium kind.”]

Yes, erstwhile I saw Eddie Izzard do that statement successful “Hamlet” precocious I thought of you. Were you a large scholar arsenic a child, aliases were your parents very literate minded?

I wasn’t a voracious reader. My folks would steer maine toward books that they thought I’d spell for. I retrieve my mom trying to get maine to publication a book called “The Collector” erstwhile I was rather young. By John Fowles, astir a feline who collects butterflies, but his obsession pinch butterflies, which is benignant of a unusual point anyway, causes him to return a woman disconnected nan thoroughfare and benignant of cod her.

That explains truthful much! I mean, “Marie Prevost,” “Little Hitler” and different quirky taxable matter.

[“Marie Prevost”] is really a tragic story. But I suppose I was a rather unsentimental young man successful galore ways and I was ever connected nan lookout for immoderate worldly wherever I could a rattle nan public’s cage a bit. It’s what I wanted to do. What tin I say? You know, I shouldn’t person done it, but I did.

Do you really judge you shouldn’t person written it?

Well… I ne'er play nan song. I get group asking maine to do it, but I’m benignant of embarrassed a spot to do immoderate of that stuff. It’s rather embarrassing, successful a way, to still being doing this astatine my age. I person very mixed feelings astir it, because I’m highly grateful that I’ve made a surviving and haven’t had to humiliate myself excessively overmuch successful bid to do it.

Nick Lowe performs pinch Los Straitjackets

(Dave Brolan)

I’ve seen nary humiliation.

Well, everyone successful show business has to humiliate themselves sometimes. As you get older, I’ve managed to return steps to mitigate that process somewhat. But I had nary thought I’d still beryllium doing this astatine nan property I am. There’s immoderate things that are awesome astir it, because successful galore ways, you’re overmuch amended than you were erstwhile you were a kid. When I perceive to my aged records, which is rather rarely, very rarely, actually… But occasionally they’ll play 1 connected nan radio, and I think, “Oh, God, why did I do that? That’s awful, that bit.” And I tin show that it’s because I wasn’t a very bully songwriter.

And yet, that’s nan logic why group ever for illustration people’s early recordings. In general, they ever for illustration early records because they’re filled pinch that youthful benignant of impatience. When you’re older, it’s location taunting you, saying, “Well, there’s a bully idea. And you ballsed that up, mate.” So you’re ever trying to recapture that youthful thing, but pinch nan contented that comes on pinch nan age. And nary 1 rather does — well, immoderate group do decidedly negociate to do it. But that’s what I’m ever trying to do, trying to instrumentality myself into doing thing that’s surprising. And sometimes you do, and sometimes you don’t. Because nan problem is that nan amended you get, nan much benignant of blander it gets. The small triumphs you’ve sewage on nan way, you’re not satisfied pinch that anymore.

Your solo debut, “Jesus of Cool,” came retired successful nan UK successful 1978. But earlier nan U.S. merchandise it was renamed “Pure Pop for Now People,” and pinch a different way listing.

“We can’t person an medium titled ‘Jesus of Cool’! Are you mad?” [chuckles] We thought that was a dream travel existent erstwhile they decided to do that. In nan UK, they utilized to prohibition records. They’d make a large woody if they thought location was thing risqué astir them, and they instantly went to nan apical of nan charts. Immediately. If you were banned by nan BBC it was nan champion point you could have. We thought it would beryllium thing other to talk about.

On that record, you person a ditty called “Rollers Show.” Did you cognize Bay City Rollers guys erstwhile you wrote that… aliases afterwards?

No, I didn’t. I ne'er sewage to meet them, and I wish I had, because I wrote different opus which had a small popular astatine a teenage sensation astatine nan time, and I didn’t mean thing by it. Other group sewage acold much excited by it than I did. But I felt bad astir it. I had a spell astatine Rick Astley [in nan 1990 opus “All Men Are Liars”]. Not precisely a ferocious attack. But particularly arsenic I sewage older, I’ve go alternatively attached to him, you know. And it’s not peculiarly funny what I said, but successful nan days erstwhile I utilized to do nan opus [live] I’d spot group nudging each different for illustration “he’s gonna opportunity it!” But I would person liked to person met him and opportunity I’m an admirer.

Do you person regrets astir group you’ve called retired successful songs aliases fixed a spot of a difficult clip to?

Yeah, I do really. [chuckles] Well, it was each nan rage past to person a small spell astatine group that you weren’t expected to. Also, it was debunking nan dishonesty that conscionable because we’re each successful nan euphony business, we each for illustration each other. Of course, that’s not really existent astatine all. I get connected beautiful good pinch everybody, but it was benignant of what group went successful for then, but I surely do alternatively regret it. [But] I don’t flip and move astatine night.