“I’ve got a recording of it done by some Tahitian fisherman…” nick Lowe on the legacy of “(what’s So Funny ‘Bout) Peace, love And Understanding”

“‘PeaCe, Love and Understanding’ was the first original idea i had. prior to that, i’d nicked bits and pieces from all over the place. initially, it was a funny song. the times were a-changing. a lot of people who’d been hippies had seen through the hippy dream and were going back to their former interests. the song was from the point of view of an old hippy having a go at people who were leaving the faith. ‘Well, you think you’re hip now and you think i’m a washedup idealist. but when it comes down to it, what is so funny about peace, love and understanding?’ i thought it was a bit of a mouthful, but it was also quite magnificent! i remember thinking, ‘don’t fuck this up. don’t make it too specific and jokey.’ then, ‘As I walk through this wicked world’ could be pretentious or it could be deep. it works both ways. “i remember thinking for the first time about a song in those terms. how to convey a feeling, an idea. Keep it simple, let the title do the talking. it was a good tune, as well. When the brinsleys broke up, it should have gone in the bin with all our other tunes. but for elvis [Costello] coming along. he used to see us doing it. i’ve heard it done so many ways. it feels like it’s a standard. i’ve got a recording of it done by tahitian fisherman. and Curtis stigers [who covered the track for the soundtrack to 1992 film The Bodyguard]! that was a fantastic payday. Good old Curtis.”