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Nick Lowe


A little something about Nick Lowe
Nick Lowe's recording career has been a long, if not entirely fruitful one. He and early collaborator Dave Edmunds sold some records under the name Rockpile, including the sinlge "Teacher Teacher." He wrote and recorded "What's So Funny 'Bout (Peace Love And Understanding)," which would later be popularized by Elvis Costello. And he had a few minor hits under his own name, including 1979's "Cruel to be Kind." While Nick Lowe the recording artist hasn't exactly become a household name, Nick Lowe the producer was a key ingrediant to the success of many bands in the 1970s and 1980s. Lowe produced the Damned's first album, Damned Damned Damned, as well as their first singles. He moved from punk to new wave, working extensively with Elvis Costello through the 1980s. He also recorded the first single of an American band trying to make it in London during the early '80s, the Pretenders. Lowe's own recordings have continued into the 90s. He worked with Ry Cooder on Little Village in 1992, and his last solo effort was released in 1998.
Cruel to be Kind

Oh, I can't take another heartache,
Though you say you're my friend, I'm at my wits' end!
You say you're love is bona fide,
But that don't coincide with the things that you do
And when I ask you to be nice, you say 

You've gotta be
Cruel to be kind in the right measure,
Cruel to be kind it's a very good sign,
Cruel to be kind means that I love you,
Baby, you've gotta be cruel to be kind. 

Well I do my best to understand dear,
But you still mystify, and I want to know why.
I pick myself up off the ground
To have you knock me back down again and again!
And when I ask you to explain, you say 

You've gotta be
Cruel to be kind in the right measure,
Cruel to be kind it's a very good sign,
Cruel to be kind means that I love you,
Baby, you've gotta be cruel to be kind. 

Well I do my best to understand dear,
But you still mystify, and I want to know why.
I pick myself up off the ground
To have you knock me back down again and again!
And when I ask you to explain, you say 

You've gotta be
Cruel to be kind in the right measure,
Cruel to be kind it's a very good sign,
Cruel to be kind means that I love you,
Baby, you've gotta be cruel to be kind...