‘Lowdown’ is a song originally recorded in 1976 by Boz Scaggs from his album Silk Degrees. The song was co-written by Scaggs and keyboardist David Paich. Paich, along with fellow ‘Lowdown’ session musicians bassist David Hungate and drummer Jeff Porcaro, would later go on to form the band Toto. The song is about a girl who doesn't appreciate what her man gives her. The "dirty lowdown" is the honest truth - what Scaggs is encouraging this poor sap to face.
Initially, Silk Degrees received a lukewarm commercial response and, similarly, the first single released from the album, ‘It's Over’ barely cracked the top 40 on the Billboard Pop Singles chart, peaking at #38. One day, however, a Cleveland R&B radio DJ began playing ‘Lowdown’ straight off the album. That was at a time when DJs had much more say in what was played on their programs. Public response was very positive and soon Scaggs' record label, Columbia, sent the song to other R&B-oriented radio stations for airplay.
It broke big on Top 40 Pop stations as well, and when it was officially released as a single, it became Scaggs' first major hit, reaching #1 on the Cash Box Top 100 and number three on the Billboard Pop Singles chart. It was also successful on the R&B and Disco Singles charts, peaking at number five on both. The song was also a major hit in Canada, peaking at number two. It was a minor hit in the UK, topping out at #28.
Scaggs is quoted as saying that the success of ‘Lowdown’ was "an accident" and that, even though it was their favorite from Silk Degrees, he and the others involved in the making of the song thought there "wasn't a chance in hell" that it would be released as a single. The single was certified gold by the RIAA for sales of one million copies and would go on to win the Grammy Award for Best R&B Song at the 19th Annual Grammy Awards.
Label – Columbia
Songwriters – Boz Scaggs David Paich
Producer – Joe Wissert
SONG LYRICS
[Verse 1]Baby's into runnin' around, hangin' with the crowd
Puttin' your business in the street, talkin' out loud
Sayin' you bought her this and that
And how much you done spent
I swear she must believe it's all heaven sent
[Pre-Chorus]
Hey, boy
You better bring the chick around
To the sad, sad truth
The dirty lowdown
[Chorus]
(Oohooohooohooo)
(I wonder, wonder, wonder, wonder who)
Taught her how to talk like that
(Oohooohooohooo)
(I wonder, wonder, wonder, wonder who)
Gave her that big idea
[Verse 2]
Nothin' you can't handle, nothin' you ain't got
Put your money on the table and drive it off the lot
Turn on that old lovelight and turn a "Maybe" to a "Yes"
Same old schoolboy game got you into this mess
[Pre-Chorus]
Hey son
Better get on back to town
Face the sad old truth
The dirty lowdown
[Chorus]
(Oohooohooohooo)
(I wonder, wonder, wonder, wonder who)
Put those ideas in your head
(Oohooohooohooo)
(I wonder, wonder, wonder, wonder who)
[Post-Chorus]
Yeah
Come on back down, little son
Dig the low, low, low, low, lowdown!
[Guitar Solo]
[Verse 3]
You ain't got to be so bad, got to be so cold
This dog eat dog existence sure is getting old
Got to have a jones for this, jones for that
This runnin' with the Joneses, boy, just ain't where it's at, no, no
[Pre-Chorus]
You gonna come back around
To the sad, sad truth
The dirty lowdown
[Chorus]
(Oohooohooohooo)
(I wonder, wonder, wonder, wonder who)
Got you thinking like that, boy
(Oohooohooohooo)
(I wonder, wonder, wonder, wonder who)
[Outro]
I wonder, wonder, wonder, wonder who
Said I wonder, wonder, wonder, I wonder who
Oh, look out for that lowdown
(I wonder, wonder, wonder, wonder who)
That dirty, dirty, dirty, dirty lowdown
(Ooohooohooohooo)
I wonder, wonder, wonder, wonder who
Ooohooohooohooo
I wonder, wonder, wonder, wonder who
Got you thinkin' like that
Got you thinkin' just like that
(Ooohooohooohooo)
(I wonder, wonder, wonder, wonder who)
Lookin' that girl in the face is so sad
I'm ashamed of you
I wonder, wonder, wonder, wonder who