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.
Can You Be True?
Elvis Costello Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Can this possibly be real?
I knew quite suddenly
Do you sense how I feel?
I long to hear you whisper my name
'Til you tell me
"My Darling, you may be my man"
There may be nights when clouds deny us starlight
Only time will tell us
I hope that it speaks gently if it isn't meant to be
Then again
By then we might not be listening so attentively
I will be there
If the days bring torments and trials
To close the distances only measured in miles
I long to hold you all through the night
And to tell you
"My Darling, you make everything seem right"
And then I'll hear you calling in my name
And I'll answer
"My Darling, I may be your man"
Elvis Costello's song "Can You Be True?" is a love song about a man asking his partner if their love is genuine and if they can stay true to each other. The first verse of the song starts with him questioning if their love can be real and if his partner feels the same way he does. He expresses his desire to hear her say his name and declare her love for him, leading to the chorus where he asks her if she can be true to him.
The second verse shows that the singer is aware that their love won't be perfect and there will be obstacles that they will have to face together. He hopes that time will be kind in their journey together and they will be able to overcome any challenges they face. The chorus is repeated, showing the emotional depth of his desire for a loving and true relationship with his partner.
Finally, the last verse of the song shows the singer promising to be there for his partner through their tough times and trials. He again expresses his longing for his partner and declares that she makes everything seem right. The song ends with him answering her call, declaring his love, and answering her question of him being her man.
Overall, "Can You Be True?" is a beautiful love song that expresses the desire for a genuine and authentic relationship with a partner. It shows that love has its ups and downs, but with commitment and dedication, it can withstand any obstacle that comes in its way.
Line by Line Meaning
Can you be true?
Do you truly have feelings for me?
Can this possibly be real?
Is this love genuine?
I knew quite suddenly
I realized my love for you in an instant
Do you sense how I feel?
Can you perceive the depth of my emotions?
I long to hear you whisper my name
I crave your affection and desire validation from you
'Til you tell me
"My Darling, you may be my man"
Until you express your love for me and want to commit to me
There will be days when you must go from my sight
We will face separation at times
There may be nights when clouds deny us starlight
There may be dark times in our relationship
Only time will tell us
The future is uncertain and only time will reveal what lies ahead
I hope that it speaks gently if it isn't meant to be
I hope that if our love is not meant to last, that the end comes without harshness
Then again
By then we might not be listening so attentively
We may become less invested in each other with time
I will be there
I will support you through difficult times
If the days bring torments and trials
If life becomes challenging
To close the distances only measured in miles
To overcome any distance between us, physical or emotional
I long to hold you all through the night
I want to feel close to you and show you love
And to tell you
"My Darling, you make everything seem right"
To express to you that you bring joy to my life
And then I'll hear you calling in my name
I want to hear you express your love for me
And I'll answer
"My Darling, I may be your man"
I will respond positively to your love and commitment
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: ELVIS COSTELLO
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Tabb Patz
Thanks for this. My husband and I danced to this song on our wedding day!
CultmagzVideo
Έργο ποιότητας και ουσίας που αφήνει έτη φωτός πίσω του όλους τους σύγχρονους και συνοδοιπόρους του αλλά ακόμη και εκείνα τα παλιομοδίτικα γυααλιά τού My Aim is True του 1977.