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.
Brilliant Mistake
Elvis Costello Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Where they pour Coca Cola just like vintage wine
Now I try hard not to become hysterical
But I'm not sure if I am laughing or crying
I wish that I could push a button
And talk in the past and not the present tense
And watch this hurtin' feeling disappear
Like it was common sense
Now it's a brilliant mistake
She said that she was working for the ABC News
It was as much of the alphabet as she knew how to use
Her perfume was unspeakable
It lingered in the air
Like her artificial laughter
Her mementos of affairs
"Oh" I said "I see you know him"
"Isn't that very fortunate for you"
And she showed me his calling card
He came third or fourth and there were more than one or two
He was a fine idea at the time
Now he's a brilliant mistake
He thought he was the King of America
But it was just a boulevard of broken dreams
A trick they do with mirrors and with chemicals
The words of love in whispers
And the acts of love in screams
I wish that I could push a button
And talk in the past and not the present tense
And watch this lovin' feeling disappear
Like it was common sense
I was a fine idea at the time
Now I'm a brilliant mistake
I was a fine idea at the time
Now I'm a brilliant mistake
"Brilliant Mistake" by Elvis Costello & The Attractions is a song that explores the fleeting nature of love and fame. In the first verse, the singer reflects on someone who believed they were the "King of America," a self-aggrandizing figure who dreamed of a life of luxury and excess. The singer, however, sees through this facade and can't help but feel a mix of amusement and sadness at the person's delusions.
The second verse introduces a woman who pretends to have connections to someone important, using her "mementos of affairs" to give off an air of sophistication. The singer again sees past the facade, this time recognizing the man she claims to know as someone who is far from important.
The chorus ties both of these narratives together, reflecting on how what seemed like a good idea at the time can quickly turn into a "brilliant mistake." The illusion of power and importance crumbles when viewed through a critical lens, leaving behind a sense of inevitable regret.
One interpretation of the song could be that it's a commentary on the futility of chasing after fame and fortune at the cost of genuine connections and experiences. The repeated desire to "talk in the past and not the present tense" suggests a longing for a simpler time, before the complications and heartache that come with trying to keep up with society's expectations.
Line by Line Meaning
He thought he was the King of America
He believed he had complete control of America and its inhabitants.
Where they pour Coca Cola just like vintage wine
In this place, Coca Cola, a symbol of American culture, is elevated to the status of an exquisite wine.
Now I try hard not to become hysterical
I struggle to keep myself calm and not lose control of my emotions.
But I'm not sure if I am laughing or crying
I'm so confused that I'm not even sure what emotion I'm experiencing.
I wish that I could push a button
I desire the ability to change time at will.
And talk in the past and not the present tense
I'd rather converse in the past tense than the present tense.
And watch this hurtin' feeling disappear
I'd love for this painful feeling to vanish instantly.
Like it was common sense
It should be instinctive for this hurtful feeling to disappear.
It was a fine idea at the time
At the time, this seemed like a sensible decision.
Now it's a brilliant mistake
Now it's a great and terrible error.
She said that she was working for the ABC News
She claimed she worked for ABC News.
It was as much of the alphabet as she knew how to use
ABC was the extent of her knowledge of the alphabet.
Her perfume was unspeakable
Her scent was indescribable or overwhelming.
It lingered in the air
It hung around for some time after she left.
Like her artificial laughter
Her laughter didn't seem genuine or sincere.
Her mementos of affairs
Her keepsakes from previous relationships.
"Oh" I said "I see you know him"
I acknowledged that she knew a certain person.
"Isn't that very fortunate for you"
I made a sarcastic comment on how lucky she was.
And she showed me his calling card
She revealed to me his business card.
He came third or fourth and there were more than one or two
He was one of her former lovers who was not her first or second choice and there were many others.
He was a fine idea at the time
At the time, he seemed like a good person to pursue romantically.
Now he's a brilliant mistake
Now he's an outstanding and terrible mistake.
But it was just a boulevard of broken dreams
In reality, it was just a road filled with shattered aspirations.
A trick they do with mirrors and with chemicals
An illusion created through smoke and mirrors, as well as drug-induced experiences.
The words of love in whispers
Words of love were only shared in hushed tones.
And the acts of love in screams
The physical acts of love were performed loudly.
I was a fine idea at the time
At one point, I was a promising prospect.
Now I'm a brilliant mistake
Now I'm a remarkable but devastating error.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: ELVIS COSTELLO
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind