"I Knew the Bride (When She Used to Rock and Roll)" by Nick Lowe and His Cowboy Outfit

Song#:  2547
Date:  11/30/1985
Debut:  96
Peak:  77
Weeks:  9
Genre:  Rock



Pop Bits:  Lowe first garnered attention as a member of the UK pub rock band Brinsley Schwarz. Although they didn't have any hits, the band became quite well-known over the course of six albums recorded in the early 70s. Lowe left the band in '75 and began to collaborate with fellow rocker Dave Edmunds in Rockpile. Due to the two artists being signed to different labels, the resulting albums would be fully credited to either Lowe or Edmunds. They were able to issue out one album as Rockpile in 1980, which resulted in the #51 Pop hit "Teacher Teacher." The band broke up the following year with Lowe heading out on a solo career. After two albums, Lowe then assembled a new backing band and recorded his next two albums as Nick Lowe and His Cowboy Outfit. Their second album, The Rose of England, would featured this single. The song did fairly well at Rock getting to #27. At Pop, it got some attention for a couple of months, but couldn't make it out of the bottom quarter of the chart. It would be Lowe's last charting single.

ReduxReview:  Lowe gets a helping hand on production via a current hot artist (see below) and there are certainly elements to the production that sound very familiar. It did help the song get a bit of notice, but a roots rock tune was a hard sell in the mid-80s. This song is a lot of fun and I like it even though I find the slick production a bit of a corporate reach to force a hit. Lowe is more genuine on his own. Regardless, it's cool to hear Lowe's take on his own song. However, I prefer Dave Edumund's more reckless original (see below).

ReduxRating:  6/10

Trivia:  Double Shot!  1) This song, which was written by Lowe, is actually a remake. Lowe was working with Dave Edumunds in the mid-70s and just prior to the formal formation of Rockpile, Lowe appeared on Edumunds' third solo LP, 1977's Get It. Lowe contributed this track to the album. It was issued out as a single and it got to #26 in the UK. It did not chart in the US. At the time it was just known as "I Knew the Bride." Lowe expanded the title when he recorded it with his new band. Lowe's new version was produced by recent US hit maker Huey Lewis.  2) Lowe produced Elvis Costello's first five albums. In 1978, Costello would cover a song that Lowe had written and recorded in 1974 with his former band Brinsley Schwarz called "(What's So Funny 'Bout) Peace, Love, and Understanding." The Costello version would first appear as the b-side to a Lowe solo single, but then the song took on a life of its own and would be added to the US version of Costello's 1979 LP Armed Forces. Although neither version of the song would reach the charts, it became a popular Costello track and many artists would later remake the tune. Perhaps the second most well-known version of the song came in 1992 when singer Curtis Stigers cover it for the 17-million selling soundtrack to The Bodyguard.

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