Born in St Mary's Hospital, Paddington in London, Costello is the son of trumpeter, vocalist and band-leader Ronald (“Ross”) MacManus and record store manager Lillian Costello. His family had roots in Merseyside and he moved to Birkenhead at age 16, with his mother, when his parents separated. While he is better known as 'Elvis Costello', a stage name referring to the legendary Elvis Presley suggested by Stiff Records manager Jake Riviera, he has used many other aliases, including 'The Imposter' and 'Napoleon Dynamite'.
In the early 1970s Costello was a participant in London's pub rock scene with the group Flip City. Then in 1977 along with fellow Pub-Rockers Nick Lowe and Ian Dury he made his first releases on the independent label Stiff, tailoring his work towards the burgeoning punk, power pop, and new wave scenes. From 1980's Armed Forces onwards, however, other influences including soul, country, 1960s pop, and classical music began to re-emerge, and he soon became established as a unique and original voice. His output has been wildly diverse: one critic has written that "Costello, the pop encyclopedia, can reinvent the past in his own image".
His prolific and varied 30-year career has been marked by two constants: sharp songwriting and musical restlessness. The latter has seen him dabble in almost every musical form, from country to jazz to orchestral. This stems from the fact that, at heart, Costello is a fan. His desire to work with his musical heroes has attracted collaborators as diverse as Burt Bacharach and Paul McCartney, Anne Sofie von Otter, Allen Toussaint, Aimee Mann, Bill Frisell, and Brian Eno.
But his most successful partners were his long-term band The Attractions. They comprised Steve Nieve (keyboards), Pete Thomas (drums) and Bruce Thomas (bass). Between 1978 and 1983, this outfit produced a peerless series of albums: This Year's Model; Armed Forces; Get Happy!!; Almost Blue; Trust; Imperial Bedroom and Punch the Clock.
These recordings drew on styles spanning soul, country and western and commercial pop. It was only with 1984's Goodbye Cruel World that Costello started to stumble. An album he concedes was one of his worst, it ushered in a period which produced interesting music but lacked the consistent quality of his halcyon days. Interestingly, although he enlisted the other Elvis's band for King of America in 1986, it was a reunion with The Attractions and former producer Nick Lowe that produced his best album of the late 1980s in the form of the scabrous Blood and Chocolate.
The following albums, Spike and Mighty Like a Rose were uncompromising and difficult solo works, as was the string quartet collaboration The Juliet Letters in 1993. It was only reconvening the Attractions for Brutal Youth the following year that gave his fans another glimpse of what first attracted them to him: punchy, angry pop songs, tightly played by an impeccably taut ensemble.
Since then, Costello has become a career dilettante, true to his inner musical quest, but never again returning to heights he scaled in the early 1980s. Maybe the best work of this latter period was 1998's Painted from Memory. This joint effort with Burt Bacharach matched restrained writing from Costello with stately Bacharach arrangements.
Subsequent career nadirs such as the tune-free North (2003), and instrumental orchestral works such as Il Sogno (2004) led many long-term admirers to conclude that Costello had retained his integrity at the expense of his real musical strengths. However, he has given occasional evidence of his former fire. The ballsy bar-room atmosphere of the collaborative The Delivery Man (2004), suggests that he is still capable of giving his fans what they want, in between his more esoteric experiments.
Elvis is married to jazz vocalist Diana Krall and they have twin sons.
*Upon the film's release, it was noted that the name "Napoleon Dynamite" had originally been used by musician Elvis Costello, most visibly on his 1986 album Blood and Chocolate, although he had used the pseudonym on a single B-side as early as 1982. Filmmaker Jared Hess claims that he was not aware of Costello's use of the name until two days before the end of shooting, when he was informed by a teenage extra. He later said, "Had I known that name was used by anybody else prior to shooting the whole film, it definitely would have been changed ... I listen to hip-hop, dude. It's a pretty embarrassing coincidence." Hess claims that "Napoleon Dynamite" was the name of a man he met around the year 2000 on the streets of Cicero, Illinois while doing missionary work for the Mormon Church.
Costello believes that Hess stole the name: "The guy just denies completely that I made the name up... but I invented it. Maybe somebody told him the name and he truly feels that he came about it by chance. But it's two words that you're never going to hear together." To date, Costello has taken no legal action against the film.
Elvis Costello and Elton John to Make a Television 'Spectacle'
Two of the most respected musicians in the world will collaborate on an extraordinary new television series.
"Spectacle: Elvis Costello with..." is hosted by its namesake and produced in conjunction with Sir Elton John's Rocket Pictures. Elton John will be one of the program's Executive Producers.
The series begain airing in 2008 on CTV in Canada, Channel 4 in the UK and Sundance Channel in the US. FremantleMedia Enterprises, will handle sales of the show to the rest of the world.
Conceived to provide a forum for in-depth discussion and performance with the most interesting and influential artists and personalities of our time, the show fuses the best of talk and music television.
"Spectacle: Elvis Costello with..." is an unpredictable and unprecedented television experience. The series of 13 one-hour programs features everything from intimate one-on-ones with legendary performers and notable newcomers to thematic panel discussions, with a variety of performance elements including unique collaborations, acoustic and impromptu "illustrative" demonstrations of the creative process, and some original interpretations of others' songs by Costello.
A Voice In The Dark
Elvis Costello Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
But that won't make you smart
You can laugh in the face of watches
But time will only break your heart
Kings reign beneath umbrellas
Hide pennies down in cellars
And money pours down and yet
When bores and bullies conspire
To stamp out your spark
Listen for
A voice in the dark
Not a moment too soon as we blue the moon
And a wolf begins to howl in tune
I announced for all mankind
A boon
Stand aside you big baboon
Now I'm the a prize invention, girl
You're the image of yourself
Forget your cares
Your disapproving stares
I'm not here to try to jump your borders
Just ask your nieces and daughters
I'm flat as sole, I'm happy as a clam
But they don't know the kind of man I am
Little fish swimming in a jealous shoal
Now my net is overflowing
And I suddenly seem to be all seeing and all knowing
I've got something right there
You might want to hear
I have no fear
Lend a hand
Lend an ear
If your rent-money is in arrears
We'll be striking up a symphony bandstand
Long of hair and loose of tooth
There'll be pirouettes and startling handstands
And who but acrobats know how to tell the truth
When all is said that then redundant
They gallivant in peg-leg pants
I'll be your servant
You'll be my pal
And I'll be faithful you know I shall
There's no fool like an old fool
Who blames it all upon his youth
When times are tough and you find you're down
Without a star to wish upon
Listen for a voice in the dark
I was striking through a box of matches
Hoping that one would spark
I heard somebody calling to me
A voice in the dark
A sound both wild and gentle
Daring and confidential
I thought there was music playing
But it was all and only talk
When liars and bullies conspire to stamp out your spark
Fill up that empty space in your heart
Listen up, when the herald says, "hark"
Believe in a voice in the dark
The lyrics of A Voice in the Dark by Elvis Costello tell a story of empowerment and resilience through challenging times. The opening lines speak to the futility of trivial knowledge and the inevitability of time catching up with everyone. The middle section describes the corruption and inequality that pervade society, and the importance of standing up for oneself in the face of adversity. The final section provides a message of hope, urging listeners to believe in the power of a voice in the dark to guide them through difficult times.
The lyrics are full of imagery and metaphor, painting a vivid and emotive picture of the struggles and triumphs of the human experience. Costello’s distinctive voice and storytelling style imbue the words with a sense of gravitas and importance that resonate with listeners.
Overall, A Voice in the Dark is an uplifting and inspiring song that encourages listeners to persevere through hard times and believe in their own strength and resilience.
Line by Line Meaning
You can read right through a book of matches
You may think you're smart, but you're not
But that won't make you smart
Simply reading a book of matches doesn't equate to intelligence
You can laugh in the face of watches
You can ignore the passage of time
But time will only break your heart
But eventually, time catches up to everyone and breaks them down
Kings reign beneath umbrellas
Royalty is sheltered from everyday struggles
Hide pennies down in cellars
They hoard their wealth in secret places
And money pours down and yet
While there is a lot of wealth in the world
Not everyone gets soaking wet
Not everyone is lucky enough to prosper from it
When bores and bullies conspire
When boring and mean-spirited people team up
To stamp out your spark
To extinguish your spirit and energy
Listen for
Be alert and aware of
A voice in the dark
A guiding voice that can be hard to hear or notice
Not a moment too soon as we blue the moon
We didn't waste any time making a change
And a wolf begins to howl in tune
Something exciting and unexpected is happening
I announced for all mankind
I declared something that's important for everyone
A boon
A blessing
Stand aside you big baboon
Move out of the way, you foolish person
Now I'm the a prize invention, girl
Now I'm the valuable and unique one
You're the image of yourself
You're just being yourself
Forget your cares
Don't worry about anything
Your disapproving stares
You're not affected by the judgment of others
I'm not here to try to jump your borders
I'm not trying to push your limits or boundaries
Just ask your nieces and daughters
Just ask the young women in your life
I'm flat as sole, I'm happy as a clam
I'm content in my current state of simplicity
But they don't know the kind of man I am
Others don't understand who I truly am
Little fish swimming in a jealous shoal
People who are envious of me are like small fish in a group
Now my net is overflowing
Now I have an abundance of success
And I suddenly seem to be all seeing and all knowing
I suddenly feel like I know everything
I've got something right there
I have some valuable knowledge to share
You might want to hear
You would benefit from listening to me
I have no fear
I'm confident and brave
Lend a hand
Help me out
Lend an ear
Listen to what I have to say
If your rent-money is in arrears
If you're behind on your rent payments
We'll be striking up a symphony bandstand
We'll create something beautiful together
Long of hair and loose of tooth
Appearing wild and carefree
There'll be pirouettes and startling handstands
We'll perform daring and impressive feats
And who but acrobats know how to tell the truth
Only those who can perform incredible stunts know how to truly impress
When all is said that then redundant
After everything that's been said becomes superfluous
They gallivant in peg-leg pants
They act foolish like pirates
I'll be your servant
I'll help you out
You'll be my pal
We'll be good friends
And I'll be faithful you know I shall
I'll always be there for you
There's no fool like an old fool
People who should know better can still be foolish
Who blames it all upon his youth
Who blames their mistakes on their younger self
When times are tough and you find you're down
When you're struggling during hard times
Without a star to wish upon
Without any hope to cling onto
Listen for a voice in the dark
Listen for a guiding voice that can help you through tough times
I was striking through a box of matches
I was quickly going through a box of matches
Hoping that one would spark
Hoping that one match would start a fire
I heard somebody calling to me
I heard someone speaking to me
A voice in the dark
A voice coming from the shadows
A sound both wild and gentle
A voice that is both untamed and soothing
Daring and confidential
Bold and secretive
I thought there was music playing
I initially thought there was actual music playing
But it was all and only talk
But it was just someone speaking
When liars and bullies conspire to stamp out your spark
When dishonest and mean people want to crush your passion
Fill up that empty space in your heart
Find something that will bring you fulfillment and happiness
Listen up, when the herald says, "hark"
Pay attention when something important is being said
Believe in a voice in the dark
Have faith in a voice that is difficult to hear or perceive
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: ELVIS COSTELLO
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind