I wrote most of this song almost immediately after my last album, Good Grief was released. I was riding off of the energy and momentum of the time and wanted to give myself a “pump up” song about following your dreams and supporting your friends and loved ones in their struggles. I heard a quote a while back that “people don’t care how much you know til they know how much you care” and so a version of that line made its way into the lyrics of the song. It’s an outlier on the album, in the sense that it was written over two years before the other songs, but it’s also the most upbeat track. I felt like it was a good way to kick off the album before diving into darker territory.
I wake up in the night
I got something deep on my mind
I can see I was blind
We can make the best of this life
I feel good, I’m alive
On this perfect day I’ve arrived
Was I wrong or was I right?
We can make the best of this life
It’s not about how much you know
It’s about how much you care
It’s not about how much you know
It’s about how much you care
It’s about how much you care
You don’t have to stand on your own
And I won’t give up with when the rain starts falling now
Don’t let it go, keep the dream alive and the passion burning inside
I wake up in the night
I got something deep on my mind
I can see I was blind
We can make the best of this life
It’s not about how much you know
It’s about how much you care
It’s not about how much you know
It’s about how much you care
It’s about how much you care
You don’t have to stand on your own
And I won’t give up with when the rain starts falling now
Don’t let it go keep the dream alive and the passion burning inside
It’s not about how much you know
It’s about how much you care
It’s not about how much you know
It’s about how much you care
It’s not about how much you know
It’s about how much you care
It’s about how much you care
You don’t have to stand on your own
You don’t have to stand on your own
Released in 2001, “The Convincer” is a gentle gem in the Nick Lowe catalog; an anniversary edition provides opportunity for rediscovery. Bandcamp New & Notable Sep 20, 2021