Elvis Costello (born Declan Patrick MacManus on 25 August 1954) is an inter… Read Full Bio ↴Elvis Costello (born Declan Patrick MacManus on 25 August 1954) is an internationally known English singer-songwriter. Gaining prominence as an early participant in London's pub rock scene in the mid-70s, he burst into fame with his critically acclaimed 1977 debut 'My Aim Is True', still one of the most successful debuts of all time. He soon did much work in the genres of punk rock, power pop, and New Wave after he formed Elvis Costello & The Attractions. In a long and successful career, Costello has released over thirty studio albums on his own and with the Attractions, the Imposters, and other collaborations, praised by many critics for his literate, witty songwriting.

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.

All Grown Up
Elvis Costello Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

And you don`t care anymore
And you hate all the people that you used to adore
And you despise all the rumors and lies of the life you led before

Did I hear you right?
You`re feeling hounded and pushed around
You want to just lay down and die
If all of this life has been such a big disappointment to you
Why don`t you stop blaming some guy
And go give the next one a try

[Chorus:]

But look at yourself
You`ll see you`re still so young
You haven`t earned the weariness
That sounds so jaded on your tongue

"I`m weak" she says
And blesses herself and gets into bed
Clutching the covers to her throat
"So punish me now and let me go back to the sham of my life"
"This night is the perfect antidote for all of the poison that
You wrote"

[Chorus:]

Overall Meaning

The opening lines of Elvis Costello's iconic song, "All Grown Up," present a young woman who is distressed and aware of her own deficiencies. She declares that she is "trouble" and is lying on the floor of her father's house, disillusioned and overwhelmed, and discarding her responsibilities. She is almost succumbing to all the negativity and pessimism surrounding her, which is culminating from her uncomplimentary perspective of the world. The chorus of the song elucidates how she has grown up and become indifferent, apathetic to everything that once mattered to her. She is now loathing the people she formerly liked, and the rumors and lies have taken their toll on her, distorting her perception.

The lyrics continue to explore the woman's despondent frame of mind, where she feels like she has been pushed around, hounded and wants to give up on everything. The lyricist suggests that the woman should move on from her negative notions and mentality and give someone else a chance as she is still young and full of potential. The song's outro shows the woman confessing her thoughts about herself, saying she is weak and curses herself before getting into bed, grasping the covers to her throat as if trying to shield herself from the on-going cynicism. The song aims to motivate people to confront their internal conflicts and negativity head-on and transform themselves.

Line by Line Meaning

I'm trouble she said
She admits that she is a problem

Spread out on the floor of her father's house
She is lying on the floor of her father’s house

Her promise was almost undone
She nearly broke her commitment

Under her tongue, dissolving her responsibilities
She is neglecting her obligations

To finally deny everyone with unflattering comparison
She resents everyone and compares them unfavorably to others

All grown up
She has matured

And you don't care anymore
She has lost interest in things she used to care about

And you hate all the people that you used to adore
She has grown to despise people she once loved

And you despise all the rumors and lies of the life you led before
She hates the gossip and falsehoods surrounding her past

Did I hear you right?
He wants to confirm what she said

You're feeling hounded and pushed around
She feels harassed and bullied

You want to just lay down and die
She feels defeated and hopeless

If all of this life has been such a big disappointment to you
He acknowledges her disappointments in life

Why don't you stop blaming some guy
He suggests that she stop holding someone else responsible for her problems

And go give the next one a try
He advises her to move on and try again

But look at yourself
He urges her to self-reflect

You'll see you're still so young
She is still young

You haven't earned the weariness
She hasn't experienced enough yet

That sounds so jaded on your tongue
She sounds cynical and disillusioned

I'm weak she says
She admits to being weak

And blesses herself and gets into bed
She makes the sign of the cross and goes to bed

Clutching the covers to her throat
She holds the covers tightly around her neck

So punish me now and let me go back to the sham of my life
She wants to be punished and return to her fake life

This night is the perfect antidote for all of the poison that you wrote
She sees this moment as a cure for everything negative in her life

All grown up
She has matured

And you don't care anymore
She has lost interest in things she used to care about

And you hate all the people that you used to adore
She has grown to despise people she once loved

And you despise all the rumors and lies of the life you led before
She hates the gossip and falsehoods surrounding her past

Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: ELVIS COSTELLO

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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Most interesting comments from YouTube:

David Udaya

4y↑5

"I`m trouble" she said
Spread out on the floor of her father`s house
Her promise was almost undone
Under her tongue, dissolving her responsibilities
To finally deny everyone with unflattering comparison

All grown up
And you don`t care anymore
And you hate all the people that you used to adore
And you despise all the rumors and lies of the life you led before

Did I hear you right?
You`re feeling hounded and pushed around
You want to just lay down and die
If all of this life has been such a big disappointment to you
Why don`t you stop blaming some guy
And go give the next one a try

All grown up
And you don`t care anymore
And you hate all the people that you used to adore
And you despise all the rumors and lies of the life you led before

But look at yourself
You`ll see you`re still so young
You haven`t earned the weariness
That sounds so jaded on your tongue

"I`m weak" she says
And blesses herself and gets into bed
Clutching the covers to her throat
"So punish me now and let me go back to the sham of my life"
"This night is the perfect antidote for all of the poison that
You wrote"

All grown up
And you don`t care anymore
And you hate all the people that you used to adore
And you despise all the rumors and lies of the life you led before

Aini Nurhasanah

4y↑1

Jon

I'm trouble", she said
Spread out on the floor of her father's house
Her promise was almost undone
Under her tongue, dissolving her responsibilities
To finally deny everyone with every unflattering comparison
All grown up
And you don't care anymore
And you hate all the people that you used to adore
And you despise all the rumors and lies of the life you led before
Did I hear you right? You're feeling hounded and pushed around
You want to just lay down and die
If all of this life has been such a big disappointment to you
Why don't you stop blaming some guy
And go give the next one a try
All grown up
And you don't care anymore
And you hate all the people that you used to adore
And you despise all the rumors and lies of the life you led before
But look at yourself
You'll see you're still so young
You haven't earned the weariness
That sounds so jaded on your tongue
"I'm weak", she says
And blesses herself and gets into bed
Clutching the covers to her throat
So punish me now and let me go back to the sham of my life
This night is the perfect antidote for all of the poison that you wrote
All grown up
And you don't care anymore
And you hate all the people that you used to adore
And you despise all the rumors and lies of the life you led before
But look at yourself
You'll see you're still so young
You haven't earned the weariness
That sounds so jaded on your tongue

All comments from YouTube:

PJ Koene

8y↑9

Elvis Costello can make fine music and beautiful texts and this is one of his pearls. I love it still.

Roger Howard

4y↑3

I think this song is just naturally one of the most beautiful tracks that Elvis Costello has EVER recorded in his solo career.
I Absolutely love this song's pure English/British , romantic sensibilities.
I also think the album where the song comes from: Mighty Like a Rose, is just one of the most BRILLIANT albums that Elvis Costello has EVER recorded in his solo recording career.

lochlee

7y↑5

Another powerful composition from the king of lyricy

David Udaya

4y↑5

Roger Howard

Like Kate Bush's Wuthering Heights song: what Mr. Elvis Costello has done here lyrically with this track is delve deep into the world of classic novel literature.
This is why today this track is still very moving to listen to, because rarely in modern songs lyrics do you hear and see this classic lyrical writing, especially as Costello is doing here with deep English classic prose.
This is where song writing become a real art form and it should be respected with the deepest accolade it deserves to be respected with.