Elvis Costello – Peace, Love And Understanding Lyrics
As i walk through
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?
And each time i feel like this inside,
There's one thing i wanna know:
What's so funny 'bout peace love & understanding? ohhhh
What's so funny 'bout peace love & 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 & understanding? ohhhh
What's so funny 'bout peace love & understanding?
So where are the strong?
And who are the trusted?
And where is the harmony?
Sweet harmony.
This was written by Nick Lowe and originally recorded by his band Brinsley Schwarz in 1974. Despite a wealth of talent and great deal of promotional support, Brinsley Schwarz never managed a hit, but were very influential to artists like The Clash and Elvis Costello. Nick Lowe became a very successful producer and scored a hit as a solo artist with "Cruel To Be Kind."
Lowe told The A.V. Club that this song started out as a joke: "I wrote the song in 1973, and the hippie thing was going out, and everyone was starting to take harder drugs and rediscover drink. Alcohol was coming back, and everyone sort of slipped out of the hippie dream and into a more cynical and more unpleasant frame of mind. And this song was supposed to be an old hippie, laughed at by the new thinking, saying to these new smarty-pants types, 'Look, you think you got it all going on. You can laugh at me, but all I'm saying is, 'What's so funny about peace, love, and understanding?'' And that was the idea of the song. But I think as I started writing it, something told me it was too good idea to make it into a joke. It was originally supposed to be a joke song, but something told me there was a little grain of wisdom in this thing, and not to mess it up."
Costello and Lowe were both signed to Stiff Records, and Costello's version, credited as "Nick Lowe & His Sound" was first released as the B-side of Lowe's 1978 single "American Squirm." Costello's version was more energetic and had more Pop appeal. It was included on American editions of Costello's 1979 album Armed Forces. With its simple message of unity and love in a troubled world, the song became an anthem for peace and tolerance, and was recorded by many artists, including A Perfect Circle, Lucy Kaplansky, The Flaming Lips and The Wallflowers.
This lifts from the Judee Sill song, "Jesus Was A Cross Maker," Lowe told The A.V. Club: "I always would 'fess up that there is one lick in the tune I did steal from Judee Sill. She had a song called 'Jesus Was A Cross Maker' at about that time that I really thought was a super song. I haven't heard that song for many years, but I always think I took a little lick from Judee's song."
In 1992, this was covered by Curtis Stigers for the Whitney Houston film, The Bodyguard. The film's soundtrack album went on to sell 44 million copies worldwide, landing Lowe a large royalty check. Lowe told The Telegraph: "It was a tremendous piece of good fortune. I made an astonishing amount of money from that."
This appears in the 2003 movie Lost in Translation, where Bill Murray sings a karaoke version.
This was sung by Stephen Colbert, John Legend, Elvis Costello (in a bear suit), Fiest, Toby Keith, and Willie Nelson on the TV special A Colbert Christmas: The Greatest Gift of All! after John Legend told Stephen that he (Stephen) didn't understand Christmas. (thanks, Alex - Rialto, CA)
Costello's albums don't really seem to have themes as much as they have moods. 'This year's model' is about inadequacy, relationships, frustrations. Armed Forces has a very harsh edge to it. It starts off with "Accidents will happen" , includes edgy songs like "Senior Service" then it winds into "Chemistry Class" which is from I can tell a jab at white aristocrats feelings of superiority and references the Holocaust "Are you ready for the final solution?" Then the second to last song leaves little doubt "Two little Hitlers." It's slow and methodical. Had the album ended here it would be too dark and too angry. "What's so funny bout peace love and understanding" powers the album out. It's really a brilliant set up, harsh dark songs with a powerful message about peace and unity surprise at the end. This is Costello's "Diary of Anne Frank" with the message at the end "I still believe people are really good at heart." Though it isn't spelled out with such optimistic praise it does hope for the best of mankind will help correct our shortcomings.
| "(What's So Funny 'Bout) Peace, Love, and Understanding" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Song by Brinsley Schwarz from the albumThe New Favourites of... Brinsley Schwarz | ||||
| Released | 1974 | |||
| Recorded | April–May 1974 | |||
| Genre | Rock | |||
| Length | 3:34 | |||
| Label | United Artists | |||
| Writer | Nick Lowe | |||
| Producer | Dave Edmunds | |||
| The New Favourites of... Brinsley Schwarztrack listing | ||||
| ||||
“(What's So Funny 'Bout) Peace, Love, and Understanding” is a 1974 song written by English singer/songwriter Nick Lowe and recorded in the best-known version by Elvis Costello.
Brinsley Schwarz version
The song was originally released in 1974 on the album The New Favourites of... Brinsley Schwarz by Lowe's band Brinsley Schwarz and released as a single; this version was included on Lowe's 2002 compilation Anthology (along with the Elvis Costello version), and his 2009 compilation Quiet Please... The New Best of Nick Lowe, as well as 1991's Surrender to the Rhythm: The Best of Brinsley Schwarz, 1996’s Naughty Rhythms: The Best of Pub Rock 1970–1976, and 1998’s Pub Rock: Paving the Way for Punk.
Thus far, Lowe himself has not released a solo studio version of the song, but plays it regularly in concert, and live versions have appeared as B-sides of his 1982 double 45 single My Heart Hurts, and his 1994 EP True Love Travels on a Gravel Road, on the radio compilations KGSR Broadcasts Vol. 3, Q107's Concerts in the Sky: the Campfire Versions, and Live at the World Cafe 10th Anniversary, some with solo acoustic guitar and some with different full bands. Another live Lowe version appeared on his 2004 live album Untouched Takeaway, and a live Brinsley Schwarz version was included on What IS so Funny About Peace Love and Understanding?, which featured songs played live in BBC sessions. Lowe also produced a cover version of the song as a B-side for the 1991 single See Saw by the British band the Katydids, after producing their eponymous debut album.
Elvis Costello & The Attractions version
The Elvis Costello & The Attractions version was first issued as the B-side of Lowe's 1978 single American Squirm credited to "Nick Lowe and His Sound". At the time, Lowe was Costello's producer, and he produced this track as well. When the song became a hit, it was quickly appended as the last track to the US edition of Costello's album Armed Forces. It has appeared on most of Costello's "Best of..." compilations over the years, as well as on the soundtrack to the film 200 Cigarettes. Live versions appeared on Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, Volume 7: 2002–2003, and 2012'sThe Return of the Spectacular Spinning Songbook, both by Elvis Costello and the Attractions. In 2004, Rolling Stone magazine ranked this version of the song as the 284th best song of all time.
The Bodyguard
A very high-selling, if not as famous cover version of the song was included on the soundtrack album for the film The Bodyguard, which sold 17 million copies in the United States alone. This version was performed by jazz singer Curtis Stigers, who also used it as a B-side to the singleSleeping with the Lights On off his eponymous debut album, which had been released the year before. According to Will Birch's seminal book on pub rock, No Sleep Till Canvey Island, the cover royalties from Stigers' version of the song made Lowe wealthy. Lowe, however, asserts that he used most of the money to support a subsequent tour with full band. Stigers later covered a second Lowe song You Inspire Me on the 2003 album of the same name.
Other performances
In 2004, "(What's So Funny 'bout) Peace, Love and Understanding" was regularly performed as an all-star jam on the Vote for Change tour, which featured a rotating cast of headliners. The 11 October concert at the MCI Centre in Washington DC was broadcast live on the Sundance Channeland on radio. This version of the song featured Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band, the Dixie Chicks, Eddie Vedder, Dave Matthews, andJohn Fogerty with Michael Stipe, Bonnie Raitt, Keb' Mo', and Jackson Browne.
A Perfect Circle covered the song on their 2004 album eMOTIVE, an album containing covers of many classic songs.
In 2008, Costello performed a version of the song on Stephen Colbert's A Colbert Christmas: The Greatest Gift of All! with Colbert, Feist, Toby Keith, John Legend, and Willie Nelson.
At the finale of Costello's Glastonbury 2013 set Peace, Love, and Understanding was performed before and after an ironic comment on the first appearance at the festival, a few hours later, of the Rolling Stones using their own song Out of Time.
Covers[edit]
| Year | Singer/Group | Album or Single | Comments | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1987 | Midnight Oil | "Put Down That Weapon" |
| |
| 1988 | The Flaming Lips | "Drug Machine" |
| |
| 1989 | Phil and John | Don't Look Now... It's The Hallelujah Brothers |
| |
| 1991 | Katydids | "See Saw" |
| |
| 1991 | The Party | In the Meantime, In Between Time |
| |
| 1991 | Cletis Carr | Tales of Ordinary Madness | ||
| 1992 | Dead White And Blue | Heads | ||
| 1992 | Curtis Stigers | The Bodyguard: Original Soundtrack Album |
| |
| 1992 | Trip Shakespeare | Volt (EP) | ||
| 1994 | Chris Dowd | Original Soundtrack from the Motion PictureFloundering |
| |
| 1996 | Lucy Kaplansky | Flesh and Bone | ||
| 1996 | Kabah | La Calle de las Sirenas |
| |
| 1997 | Down By Law | Before You Were Punk |
| |
| 1997 | Unsteady | Double or Nothing | ||
| 1998 | Sam the Butcher | Assembly Line | ||
| 1998 | Uncle Otto | Men Who Smoke | ||
| 1998 | The Boz Roz Band | Shadow of the Thunderbird | ||
| 2000 | Charlie Hunter | Solo Eight String Guitar |
| |
| 2000 | Mr. B's Boogie Band | Mr. B's Boogie Band | ||
| 2001 | Joe Goldmark | Strong Like Bull...But Sensitive Like Squirrel |
| |
| 2001 | The House Jacks | Drive |
| |
| 2001 | Teddy Morgan and the Pistolas | Live@7BlackCats |
| |
| 2001 | Joe Louis Walker | Labour of Love: The Music of Nick Lowe |
| |
| 2002 | The Wallflowers | Red Letter Days |
| |
| 2002 | Glen Ricks | Reggae Rocks: A Tribute to Rock ’N’ Roll |
| |
| 2003 | Steve Earle | Just an American Boy |
| |
| 2004 | A Perfect Circle | eMOTIVe | ||
| 2004 | Chris Cornell and Maynard James Keenan | Axis of Justice: Concert Series Volume 1 |
| |
| 2004 | The Ataris | Live at the Metro |
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| 2004 | Keb' Mo' | Peace... Back by Popular Demand |
| |
| 2006 | Chris Cornell | Chris Cornell: Unplugged in Sweden |
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| 2007 | The Holmes Brothers | '"State of Grace" |
| |
| 2010 | KC Craine | Road 20 |
| |
| 2010 | Katherine Green | DFTBA Lullabies |
| |
| 2013 | David Broza | East Jeruslaem / East Jerusalem |
| |
| 2015 | Shovels & Rope Ft. Lucius | Busted Jukebox Vol. I |
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- A version was sung by PJ Olsson & Salman Ahmad for the theme of the television series Aliens in America.
- In the 2003 film Lost in Translation, Bill Murray's character impassionately sings a karaoke version of the song.
- Simple Minds included a cover of the song in the bonus CD included with the deluxe release of their 2009 album Graffiti Soul.
- The Pretty Reckless sung the song live for KROQ Radio Sessions 2010.
- Panic! at the Disco vocalist Brendon Urie posted a cover of the song to his Twitter account on 7 August 2011.
- Derek Webb recorded a cover of the song for the December installation of his 2011 subscription album project Democracy, Vol. 2.
- Indie band The Hush Sound covered the song during the encore of their 2012 tour.
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