| "(What's So Funny 'Bout) Peace, Love, and Understanding" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Song by Brinsley Schwarz from the album The 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 Schwarz track listing | ||||
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"(What's So Funny 'Bout) Peace, Love, and Understanding" is a 1970s song written by English musician Nick Lowe and recorded in the best-known version by Elvis Costello.
The song was originally released in 1974 on the album The New Favourites of Brinsley Schwarz by Lowe's band Brinsley Schwarz; this version was included on Lowe's 2009 compilation Quiet Please... The New Best of Nick Lowe.
The Elvis Costello & The Attractions version was first issued as the B-side of Lowe's "American Squirm" and was credited to Nick Lowe and His Sound. At the time Lowe was Elvis 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 U.S. edition of Costello's album Armed Forces.
According to Will Birch's seminal book on pub rock, No Sleep Till Canvey Island, the royalties from Curtis Stigers's version of the song made Lowe independently wealthy. Stigers's version appeared on the soundtrack album for the film The Bodyguard, which sold 17 million copies in the United States alone.
In 2004, Rolling Stone magazine ranked Elvis Costello's 1979 version of the song as the 284th best song of all time.
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.
Punk rock band, Down by Law, covered the song for the compilation, Before You Were Punk.
Also in 2004, A Perfect Circle included a remake of the song on their album eMOTIVe.
On the Axis of Justice album, Axis of Justice: Concert Series Volume 1, Chris Cornell and Maynard James Keenan perform a rendition of the song.
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.
Kris Roe covers the song acoustically on The Ataris' 2004 live album Live at the Metro.
The Flaming Lips included a version of the song tacked onto a cover of The Sonics song "Strychnine" on the 2002 album The Day They Shot a Hole in the Jesus Egg.
Midnight Oil, who performed it as a closer on the Blue Sky Mining tour, released a studio recording of the song as the b-side to their 1987 Australian 7" single, Put Down That Weapon. On that release the song is simply entiltled Peace, Love and Understanding.
Lucy Kaplansky included a cover of the song on her 1996 debut album Flesh and Bone.
Keb Mo released a version of the song on his 2004 disc "Peace...Back By Popular Demand"
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.
Mexican pop band Kabah recorded a version in spanish titled "Amor, Paz y Entendimiento" (Love, Peace and Understanding) for their 1996 album "La Calle de las Sirenas".
Panic! At The Disco vocalist Brendon Urie posted a cover of the song to his twitter on the 7th of August, 2011.
Derek Webb recorded a cover of the song for the December installation of his 2011 subscription album project Democracy, Vol. 2.